“That is what I want
people to remember.
I truly believe in human
rights for everyone.”
— REP
. RASHIDA TLAIB
Rashida Tlaib
poses in Detroit’
s
Rosedale Park
neighborhood.
on community benefits agreements
and co-ops and worker justice. Rabbi
Alana [Alpert] of DJJ and so many
others came to testify and say we
have to do something about water
shutoffs, and that water is a human
right. We’
ve always come together
on social justice issues in my district,
and we continue to work together.
What’
s great is I’
m just “Rashida”
to them. I’
m that girl that you can
call, go file a FOIA [Freedom of
Information Act request], or the one
to hold hands or even do Shabbat
together.
In 2018 you told the Detroit News
you were not planning on focusing
on Palestine issues when you got
to Congress. And now you have this
reputation of being Congress’
s most
vocal critic of Israel and the U.S.-
Israel relationship. Is that a charac-
terization you sought out?
I don’
t know. It’
s my mere existence.
I get asked more about the issue
of Palestine than my BOOST Act,
more than the other issues. That’
s
unfortunate, but I’
ve been very good
about pivoting and saying, “Well, we
need access to water, from Gaza to
Detroit.
”
I don’
t think I would be as pas-
sionate but for my Palestinian roots,
for the fact I grew up in the city and
have seen, firsthand, people’
s oppres-
sion and the struggle of being a child
of immigrants.
When I get asked about Palestine
every so often, I speak the truth. And
that seems to draw people’
s attention.
Many of my colleagues have thanked
me for just being there, and said, “I
didn’
t know that was happening. I
didn’
t ever see it that way.
”
Do you only look to speak out on
Palestine when you’
re asked about
it?
Well, yeah. I mean, annexation.
“Hey, Rashida, what do you think?”
Well, of course I’
m like, “Yeah, let me
explain to you what that looks like on
the ground. Do you know, there are
literally roadways that Palestinians
cannot use?” It’
s that perspective of
having people understand what it
means through my lens.
What is your stance now on the BDS
movement?
Well, I absolutely support freedom
of speech, and people want to taint
the freedom to boycott. It’
s a peaceful
way to speak up and say, “I’
m against
these human rights violations or
these policies and this racism.
” And
I am absolutely, very much adamant
that people need the right to boycott.
I raised my voice and said, “I believe
in that kind of movement.
” I don’
t
know where we would be in our
country without the Montgomery
bus boycotts. It’
s something that’
s
part of our American fabric.
So absolutely, people need to stop
saying that the BDS movement is
somehow anti-Semitic — there are
Jews who support the BDS move-
ment. There are folks who truly
believe in stopping racism of all
forms, and they use the boycott as a
form of speech.
Do you think one has to support BDS
to be part of the Progressive move-
ment today?
I don’
t think so. No. I look at now
with the “defund the police” move-
ment. I hear my residents. They want
us to reimagine and invest in their
communities. That’
s what I hear, but
some of my colleagues don’
t hear
that; they are coming from a differ-
ent perspective. It doesn’
t make them
less progressive.
I think of 2013, when Black Lives
Matter was birthed. People literally
were like, “I don’
t know, don’
t all lives
matter?” There were memos being
shared to stay away from that move-
ment, that somehow it meant maybe
harming police. It misconstrued
what it meant. But if you look at the
foundation, it was mothers, Black
mothers, who lost their children to
police brutality and gun violence,
and they spoke up and now every-
body’
s yelling, “Black Lives Matter.
”
Right?
So again, a lot of my colleagues
were not there on Black Lives Matter,
but they are now. It depends, I think,
on people’
s perception of what “pro-
gressive” means. I know this much:
There are people in my caucus [who]
don’
t support the BDS movement,
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