Iman Mohamad Jodeh is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the

Colorado House of Representatives The Colorado House of Representatives is the lower house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Colorado. The House is composed of 65 members from an equal number of constituent districts, with each distr ...

from the 41st district. Elected in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, she is the first

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

elected to the legislature and assumed office on January 13, 2021.

Early life and education

Jodeh was born in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, the daughter of

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

parents who immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1974. She grew up in neighboring

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, and graduated from

Overland High School Overland High School is located in Aurora, Colorado, United States, and is part of the Cherry Creek School District. Overland High School is a comprehensive public, suburban, college-oriented institution. It is accredited by the North Central As ...

. She earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in political science and history in 2004 and

Master of Public Policy The Master of Public Policy (MPP), is one of several public policy degrees. An MPP is a master's-level professional degree that provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a focus o ...

from

University of Colorado Denver The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) is a Public university, public research university in Denver, Colorado. It is part of the University of Colorado system. History University of Colorado System Anschutz Medical Campus The University ...

in 2006.

Career

Jodeh has worked as a community liaison for the

Interfaith Alliance Interfaith Alliance is a national interfaith organization in the United States founded in 1994 to counteract the religious right. Its stated goal is to protect faith and freedom by respecting individual rights, preserving the boundaries between re ...

of Colorado. In 2008, she founded Meet the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, a non-profit whose mission is to bridge understanding between

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many Multi ...

and what she says is the "most misunderstood region of the world."

Colorado House of Representatives

A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, she was elected to represent the 41st district in the

in the 2020 general election, and is the first

lawmaker in the state's history. The district includes part of

Arapahoe County Arapahoe County may refer to: *Arapahoe County, Colorado *Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory Arapahoe County was a county of Kansas Territory in the United States that existed from August 25, 1855, until Kansas's admission into the Union on January ...

. In the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

, she defeated her Republican opponent, winning 65.86% of the vote. During the 2021 legislative session, Jodeh co-sponsored a healthcare bill (Colorado Option) that would later be passed aimed at creating affordable standardized health insurance. Jodeh sponsored a successful bill that created the Colorado Office of New Americans within the Colorado’s Department of Labor and Employment. The office's stated purpose is to help immigrants and new residents integrate into their new communities and function as a resource for state leaders and community members. In the

2022 Colorado House of Representatives election The 2022 Colorado House of Representatives elections will take place on November 8, 2022, with the primary elections being held on June 28, 2022. Voters in all 65 districts of the state House will elect their representative for a two-year term. It ...

, Jodeh was re-elected to represent the 41st district. On November 12, 2022, Jodeh was selected as majority co-whip of the state House. Jodeh's political policies include working on access to healthcare (including mental health), jobs, protecting civil rights, affordable housing, and education.

References

External links

Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jodeh, Iman American politicians of Palestinian descent 21st-century American women politicians Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives Living people Year of birth missing (living people) People from Aurora, Colorado American Muslims University of Colorado Denver alumni Women state legislators in Colorado Palestinian Muslims 21st-century American politicians