On July 29th APPAC hosted Fundraising event for Angela Ramos, candidate for Suffolk County’s 9th District Legislature. The event was a success with the aimed target funds raised for the candidate. During the event the APPAC platform and goals were also introduced to Suffolk County audience and numerous attendees of the event were accepted into the APPAC membership. APPAC would like to thank all who attended the event and showed their support!

Without undermining the national politics APPAC believes in the following: Who will most likely pick up a phone if you call your representative in Washington, D.C., to complain or raise an important issue with him / her? Most likely a college intern. Reach out to your local council member, however, and you can usually speak with a real decision-maker.

Running for Suffolk County’s 9th District Legislature Angela Ramos comes already comes with a vast array of political activism and achievements under her belt. She was on the front line of the successful fight to bring a Prayer room and Halal food to the Muslim students in the Brentwood school district. She lobbied the NYS Senate and Assembly in an effort that resulted in the acquisition of $250,000 for the MDQ Islamic school in Brentwood. She’s spent years fighting for women’s rights as President of the Long Island Women of Vision Coalition and for education reform in Brentwood by advocating for teachers and students. She transported several buses of Women including some from the Bay Shore MDQ Mosque to protest Trumps racist policies in Washington DC.

Speaking at the event and introducing Angela Ramos, Dr. Ahmad Ijaz, the APPAC Chairman, stressed the role and importance of local politics and how each person can make a faster and easier positive impact and difference by getting involved at the local level. He introduced the APPAC goals and platform to the Suffolk Country community who was attending the event, explained why the APPAC goals and causes are aligning with the goals and causes that Angela Ramos is fighting for and raising at the political level.

The United States being a country in which a single vote has a very tiny chance of affecting national level elections, what is possible to do? Involvement in local community politics and increasing civic engagement at the grass roots level is easy and powerful. Getting involved in your local government is a great place to start if you want your voice to contribute to the political dialogue. The policies created by local governments affect our lives tremendously. And in recent years, patterns are changing with political power and influence shifting from national institutions into the hands of mayors and city councils. This has also been affected by expanding urbanization and the growing concentration of people and money in urban areas have paved way for the city, rather than the nation or the state, to establish itself as the innovative political institution of the future.

We can keep ignoring this fact or we can embrace it but it’s a well-recognized fact that cities have become the epicenters for policy debate that leads to action. We truly believe that for the communities such as American Pakistanis, for the communities for the rights and opportunities of whom local political candidates like Angela Ramos are fighting for the movement of political power to the city level is a huge opportunity to drive change. Local elected officials have an ear to the ground and are much more likely to listen to your concerns than their counterparts at the federal levels.

APPAC sincerely believes that civic engagement, responding to local politics with active participation and contribution of ideas, action and support are vital to the longevity of our nation. It is our common responsibility to improve our understanding of the local infrastructures that make our democracy work. You can start increasing your civic engagement and contribute your voice, actions and support to the causes that you care most by supporting Angela Ramos and becoming a member of the APPAC.