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Rashida Tlaib to be sworn into US Congress wearing a Palestinian throbe

Tlaib is the first Palestinian-American to be elected to Congress
Posted at 6:21 AM, Jan 03, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-03 06:24:50-05

WASHINGTON (WXYZ) — Rashida Tlaib will be among the 100-plus women becoming a part of Congressional history on Wednesday — the largest group of women to enter Congress in a single session.

Michigan is sending four new members to Congress, three of them women: Tlaib, Elissa Slotkin and Haley Stevens.

Tlaib is also the first Palestinian-American to be elected to Congress — she’ll honor that heritage by wearing a Palestinian throbe at the mass swearing in on Wednesday afternoon. She gave her Instagram followers a preview in early December with the note: “For my yama,” which means grandma in arabic.

Tlaib, a community activist turned politician, sat down with 7 Action News shortly after she won the election to represent Michigan’s 13th District. She noted that taking a seat in Congress that was formerly filled by John Conyers meant she had big shoes to fill, but said she planned to work for the people she’s always fought for.

“There is a corporate of assault on working families that don’t want to see a minimum wage increase, those that don’t want to see us get affordable health care,” she said.

The House will be called to order at noon on Wednesday, the oath of office will be administered to new members of the house around 2:30 p.m.

Tlaib takes the oath of office alongside the rest of the Congressional members, but is expected to return to Michigan for a local celebration later this month.