Grantee Spotlight - Emgage Michigan

A grantee of our Healthy Democracy Action Fund, Emgage Action Michigan educates and mobilizes Muslim American voters to be politically engaged and build their power. Emgage runs voter engagement campaigns, lobbies state and local government, and empowers Muslim communities with the resources and information they need to advocate for their issues, run for office, and elect values-aligned representatives.

In the last year, Emgage’s impactful work to organize and activate their communities garnered historic wins.

“For the first time in history, we had an opportunity to elect the first Muslim American Mayor Abdullah Hammoud in 2021. This win was not only about representation but the story of someone who grew up like us, with the same challenges, and who knew how to serve us,” says Executive Director Nada Al-Hanooti.

Emgage Action Michigan

“Because it was considered an off year, we had funders tell us there is no money, so we used old t-shirts and spent every single dime on our field engagement work. We knocked on 24,000 doors, and we helped elect the first Muslim American mayor to represent us who will uplift us. So, that was one of the most special moments.”

Emgage Michigan’s organizers speak Arabic and prioritize the diversity of their organizers to be able to reach people of different generations and language fluency from aunties to grandmothers, and naturalized citizens. Moving forward, Emgage aims to win more representation for Muslims in public office, strengthen their infrastructure, and build political power for the communities and families they serve.

Learn more about Emgage’s advocacy work at emgageusa.org/emgage-michigan