This Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, we celebrate one of our incredible alumni, Michigan State Rep. Ranjeev Puri!
“My parents immigrated to the US nearly 50 years ago, and settled in small-town Wisconsin. I watched firsthand as my parents helped set up a community and learned the importance of community-building and civic engagement. My parents helped start one of the first Sikh Gurdwaras in Wisconsin.”
“In 2012, years after our family had moved, that same community fell victim to a mass shooter. I was working for then-President Barack Obama and shared a personal conversation with him about the shooting and the need for action. My decision to run for office was rooted in that hate crime – leading to my fight to combat hatred and bigotry and work towards common sense gun reform. No community, regardless of background or belief, deserves to live in fear, and our work is not over until every person in all corners of our state is free from that threat.”
“New American Leaders was instrumental in helping me realize it’s ‘okay’ to run as my genuine self. That I didn’t need to change or shorten my ethnic name, or that I didn’t need to ‘Americanize’ my family’s story. Regardless of where your family is from, all of us want a world in which we are safe, healthy and can help our future generations reach their potential.”
“It has been a large part of my platform to continue to lift historically marginalized communities and voices in all parts of my district. I have offered resolutions and bills adding ethnic holidays to the list of state holidays, expanding school curriculums for more cultural competency, raising awareness for religious and ethnic minorities, condemning hate crimes, engaging new communities, and dispelling stereotypes one interaction at a time.”