Samiyah Diaz, the first Muslim to seek state elected office in Massachusetts, is mounting a campaign for the state Senate seat held by Democratic incumbent Dianne Wilkerson.
Samiyah Diaz, a second year law student, is the daughter of immigrants, Black and Hispanic, a single mother, a Muslim and a Republican.
She decided to join the Republicans because, she said, ''they believe that anyone can come from anything and become something. The platform of the party believes in individual rights and responsibilities, and that's something I believe in."
According to the Boston Globe, Diaz is collecting signatures to oppose Wilkerson in November.
Patrick C. Guerriero, a former Massachusetts legislator and Melrose mayor and head of the Log Cabin Republicans, says Diaz's personal story will resonate, and that she will get the support of ''folks who want to build a broader Republican Party:"
Diaz is the daughter of immigrants from Trinidad. She lived in Boston until she was 7 and was a Metco student for two years in the Melrose system before her mother, an accountant, and father, a maintenance worker, moved her and her sister to Randolph. She attended Tufts on scholarships and financial aid, receiving undergraduate and master's degrees in computer science.She converted to Islam in college, she said, after looking into other religions, including Judaism and Buddhism. She had Muslim friends, and when she read the Koran, ''it made sense to me," Diaz said. She believes she is the first Muslim to run for the Legislature.
Challenging Wilkerson, who has served 13 years and survived financial scandals, including failure to pay federal income taxes, will not be easy. But Diaz says she is ready for the challenge:
''It may not be a sure win," Diaz said. ''But my whole life has been based on adversity, and this is the best kind of environment for me. I love it."
Diaz has a website, to recruit volunteers and raise money on the internet.
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