By Madinah Wilson Anton made history as the first Muslim woman to be elected in the Delaware House of Representatives. The 27-year-old from Newark ran a progressive campaign based on equitable education funding and economic equity. You can find out more about Ms. Wilson-Anton’s campaign on her website: http://madinahfordelaware.com/
MuslimGirl recently interviewed Ms. Wilson-Anton so she could answer some of our questions about her platform, running as a Muslim woman in Delaware, and her aspirations for her time in office.
On being the first Muslim woman to be elected to the Delaware Legislature, Wilson-Anton said, “It’s very exciting, and it’s really an immense honour, and I want to do a good job representing my community and the Muslim community. It was a positive experience because I grew up in Delaware, and it was fun and exciting getting to engage and talk to people.”
Wilson-Anton, who originally wanted to go into international politics, first got her start in local politics after landing an internship at the Delaware Legislature, which she says allowed her to see “how much the state legislature could make an impact. Seeing that there were so many issues that were so important but just didn’t have that person to go and fight for them really inspired me to run.” Wilson-Anton is committed to ensuring the government is representative of everyone.
Wilson-Anton supports a statewide Green New Deal and supports Medicare for All, as well as other progressive causes such as criminal justice reform, housing reform and increased corporate accountability.
Wilson-Anton supports a statewide Green New Deal and supports Medicare for All, as well as other progressive causes such as criminal justice reform, housing reform and increased corporate accountability. She cites economic justice as one of her most important causes, saying “it is one of the main ways underprivileged groups are able to reach equality.” Wilson-Anton is also passionate about school funding, and wants to “ensure that all children in Delaware are able to have a quality education, no matter their income level.”
The 2020 midterm elections were historic, with several Muslim and BIPOC candidates running successful races across the country. With the COVID 19 pandemic affecting social interactions and campaigning strategies, many candidates had to pivot to remote advertising. Wilson-Anton said of her grassroots campaign, “Our greatest strength is the ability to connect with people. I had lots of events planned, and it was sad that we weren’t able to do them. Especially in Delaware, our Muslim community is smaller, so coming from a close-knit community, the support that I received was one of my campaign’s biggest strengths.”
Wilson-Anton says about her campaign, “I ran because I believed that we could have a Delaware that is equitable and where any child, no matter what income level, could have a great education, a fulfilling career and help their families. I hope to make an impact that way and leave Delaware a better place than when we started. I really want to center working class people in my policies instead of big business and corporations. I hope that once I leave office, I’ll have made a positive impact in people’s lives.”