Interview with a Connecticut Politician: Mariam Khan

Mariam Khan is a 19-year old sophomore at Yale University who, on November 2nd, was elected to the Hamden, CT, Board of Education. She is the youngest candidate ever elected to public office in Hamden, as well as the first Muslim. Khan ran alongside fellow candidates Justin Farmer and Abdul Osmanu. Khan is a graduate of the Hamden Public Schools (HPS) and spent two years as a Student Representative to the BOE. 

Sophie Fetter: So my first question to you is, when did you initially decide to run for Board of Education? And why? What factors played in that decision? 

Mariam Khan: So I decided to run about a few months ago. For me, there were a few factors that really culminated and led to this decision. The first was that I graduated from Hamden High in 2020, and I'm a full alumni of the school system. So I've been there from kindergarten all the way to 12th grade. Just being part of this community for so long, there's a level of understanding that I think sometimes you can't see as an outsider. For me, that was really crucial. Alongside that, I was a student on the Board of Education in Hamden for a few years as well while in high school. That experience kind of demystified a lot of what happened at the Board of Education level, and also helped me figure out what the power structure looks like, and how we can actually make legislative change and at a district-wide level. I'd say the other really big reason for me was the community of elected officials and activists in Hamden. Justin and Abdul, more specifically. Abdul is one year older than me, but we got to know each other through the work we did on campaigns like Justin's. Seeing that Abdul was deciding to run as a Muslim 19-year old, knowing that there was that coalition and that solidarity, I was like, there's no reason not to run. Especially as we're in the midst of COVID we have the opportunity and frankly, we need creative, bold solutions. I think I bring that perspective to the Board. 

Sophie Fetter: You said you were a student on the board of education. Could you describe your role? I'm also very interested in what you mean by demystifying what occurred on the Board. Could you elaborate on that more?

Mariam Khan: Yeah, absolutely. So I think, you know, as a student even being there for 12, 13 years, I don't think I ever clearly understood what the Board of Education did. And I think a lot of that was because if there was an issue or something that you're trying to figure out on a policy level, it was kind of blurry who really made decisions. So it was something as simple as you know, are we getting a day off for school tomorrow, like who makes that decision? If we have a snow day or something like that. To things that were more big picture, so equity and curriculum, who was making those types of decisions? So, I think being there and seeing we have a curriculum committee, there's a Personnel Committee, a few of the other things where, you know, the Board might not be directly responsible, they still play some sort of role. And I think for me, it was, it was really exciting to kind of see some of the more abstract things students questioned and students explored more about could be solved or could at least be mitigated or addressed in some small or big way at the Board level. When I was a student on the Board, most of it was really about giving updates to the superintendent to the rest of the board as a student. And again, there's not any actual voting power. There are other states that have that. And I think that's more of a state-level issue, not a town-level issue. But for me, I tried to really push the boundary on those roles because I think they were so unclear in some ways. It wasn't you know, like, you can't do this, you can't really do that. It's just here is one of your roles. And for me, knowing that I was going to be there for the next two years and knowing that we were dealing with some very serious issues, was like let's see what we can do here. Let's see how we can mobilize students. Let's see how we can organize issues around issues. So a few of the things that are probably the most exciting projects that I did alongside the other Board of Ed members was trying to get Eid a holiday. And the reason we picked that as an issue is because it was something that cost the Board zero dollars, but also because it’s something that made our schools so much more inclusive. Hamden is a really, really diverse town. And it's great to check that box off and say, you know, we're a diverse school, but are we actually meeting the needs of our students? I think religious holidays and cultural holidays are just one way to do that. So for me, it was a really exciting thing growing up a Muslim student. I never had Eid as a holiday. I would have to miss school, work, exams, and then potentially fall behind. But being able to push for something like this, even though it didn't happen because COVID hit, was exciting. It's another issue I want to revisit. The second thing was addressing COVID-19 and providing students with a compassionate and equitable grading system. We sent out a survey and hundreds of students responded and really pushed for more compassionate grading at the Board level. Having that visibility of the loss students are dealing with on a mental level on an academic level on a physical level on a familial level and pushing for that was also really, really exciting. We put on an event we had students share some stories, we collected data and we really spoke to the need of students needing alternative grading methods as we deal with a pandemic and shortly after the school came out with a revised version but I think a lot of it was due to our advocacy on that issue. Student empowerment is really important to me.

Sophie Fetter: That's amazing, and actually leads into my next question. You’ve been in Hamden schools the entirety of your K-12 education. What impact did the schools have on you? What aspects of that experience did you hope to replicate or perpetuate, now that you're entering your term on the Board of Ed? What were some issues facing the community that drove your passion for change? 

Mariam Khan: So I mean, my experience at Hamden Public Schools has been shaped by the incredible staff, educators, and peers that are still some of my closest friends now. For example, my two campaign treasures are actually people who graduated with me and I've been in school with for the past few years. These are people I call friends before colleagues. And so it was really exciting that I was part of such a rich community. Those rewarding but also transformational high school experiences have shaped my journey. I did not think I was going into politics. I did not think I was going into organizing. This was not my first career choice. And it was directly because of educators who told us to get involved. When I worked on my first campaign, the State Senate race, where we had over 300 volunteers. So with things like that, where I didn't expect I’d get involved, my educators always encouraged me to have an open mind and allowed me to explore. In one of my classes, we had to write a piece where we were vulnerable and talked about the issues we were facing on a systemic level. And so, I spoke about for the very first time something that I hadn't even crystallized, which was just growing up a Muslim American student and the post 9/11 era in an era of heightened Islamophobia. And it was after writing that piece that I became a little bit more willing to vocalize those things. Then I eventually started working on workshops for what supporting Muslim students looks like and in a pedagogical sense, so when we're in the classroom. All of that, this entire track I'm on, was due to the educators that I've had. I’m so thankful for that. That is why I stress being a direct product of the school system because everything you see here today in terms of my commitment to organizing and my commitment to being transparent and my commitment to being accountable, and trying to think creatively and boldly is directly because of the educators and the people that I've met throughout my time at Hamden Public Schools.

Sophie Fetter: You mentioned how you didn't imagine you'd get into politics and how it was through the influence of the wonderful educators that you had. Could you talk about when that shift occurred?

Mariam Khan: Yeah, I mean, I, again, I think it sparked a passion in me that I didn't know I had in terms of speaking about all these issues and mobilizing to find solutions in a way that you're including people in that dialogue. And then in terms of, I think, when that shift really happened, I would say middle school. I had written that piece, and from there so much became clear. I had the vocabulary to talk about the inequitable things that students of color would have to deal with in our school system, whether it was explicit or implicit, whether it was purposeful or inadvertent. That's when I think I became much more oriented to understanding if it exists, as kind of like a feeling, but I think growing up as a Muslim American daughter of Pakistani immigrants, you can't quite put your finger on what it is you just know that you're different in some ways, and you're being treated differently. And so that was really really empowering for me to know that I wasn't alone and that I had the right to speak about things like this alongside other students. And you know, in a way where it wasn't really us versus them, but a collective mission to just do better as a school and as a community. And so, there's always been issues and there always will be issues, especially right now, as we're coming out of COVID. We're dealing with the mental and physical health fallout. We're dealing with the reminder that we've had a violent racial past and it's coming out now and everything we're seeing in terms of disproportionate vaccination rates, disproportionate achievement of students, especially post COVID. In Hamden, for example, the disproportionate achievement of students across different parts of Hamden. So, for me, having the ability to speak about these issues is really exciting. But having the ability to organize around them is even more exciting. Where we know that we can actually make change. That's why I'm so proud to be working with the Central Connecticut Democratic Socialist chapter. A lot of people are facing eviction right now due to COVID. But Connecticut is now, because of their advocacy, going to be the third state in the country to offer tenants the right to counsel, so right to a lawyer during eviction court proceedings. So it's really, really exciting and I think that's why I'm so excited to be a part of that. Sometimes our binary political system doesn't allow for us to be focused on the issues. For me, it's people and issues over party. And so it's been a really exciting journey to see those policy wins and hopefully something we can continue at the Board of Education level.

Sophie Fetter:  Yes, and that kind of perfectly leads into my next question, which is obviously, you're a very young candidate. Only a year older than me, which I think is funny, but and I was just wondering, like, what your experiences were, as a woman of color, who is young, progressive, Muslim, and how you've come to find politics as a way in which you can like, better the lives of all people. I was just wondering like, how are those aspects of your identity, if they have, influenced just your outlook on your campaign or the way in which you just interacted with politics in general.

Mariam Khan: Yeah, I mean, for me, I think my identity is really special. There are a few things I will say to that number one, I'm so thankful to my parents. It's tiring to be doing this work constantly and now I'm a college student and trying to manage all of that is definitely not easy. But knowing that you know, every time I speak to my parents or I think about this through a more spiritual lens, it kind of rejuvenates me and it reminds me of why I'm doing this work and where I'm going to find the power to do this work and not be burnt out. So for me, that's what really provides my energy and my commitment to the work. And I also realized that at the same time my identity is important to why I decided to run and support it in regards to what I bring to the table, but I think that's not the only thing I offer. I don't want that to be the sole reason I'm elected. I want to be elected because I have a clear and exciting vision. Because I have policy goals. Because I'm committed to being transparent and holding myself accountable. And oftentimes, I think we have a trend of glorifying the firsts and I think it's really exciting yes, but also trying to balance that with that doesn't mean your expectation of me should be anything less than anyone else.

Sophie Fetter: What was the process of running a campaign like? 

Mariam Khan: Yeah, so it was really helpful having some mentors in this space. Because of the campaigns I've worked on in the past, it was a lot easier to run, because usually the first hurdle is just learning about what this process looks like. And oftentimes, it's made out to be more complicated than it actually is. So, the first thing was going to get our paperwork from the town clerk's office. Then it was going ahead and filing to run and securing our team. After doing all of that work being registered to be on the ballot, there are different fundraising options, depending on whether you want to sell finance or if you want to raise money. We ended up raising money. And again, we're so thankful for all of the donations that we received. That allowed us, you know, to purchase lawn signs and have literature on doors and everything else and so after that I mean, I think the main thing we did was knock on doors. We had started early, especially if Abdul and I and so we were on doors constantly. Having those face-to-face conversations, talking about who we were but more importantly, learning who people on the other side of the door were, what their concerns were, what their solutions were. And then after that, we had the primary election. I received the most votes out of all 21 candidates, including those for other offices like mayor and council. It was really, really exciting. Then again, we knocked on some more doors. We actually did a community event where we focused on our legislative priorities. And we anchored with the topic of housing justice Central Connecticut DSA has been spearheading right now. And although I'm not on the council, and I don't have a direct role, it's definitely an important issue when it comes to redistricting when it comes to the de facto segregation in Hamden. And then finally came the general election, which was also really exciting. Polls standing and you know, being out on doors and then finally, we recently got the results. The campaign is over, but we are not going to stop knocking on doors. We're not going to stop having events with the community in terms of our legislative priorities, and a lot of that work wasn't just for the campaign. It was for something bigger and I think that's why I use the term “organize” as opposed to “campaign.”

Sophie Fetter: Could you talk a bit about those personal moments of running a campaign?

Mariam Khan: Yeah, I mean, it was really surreal to be voting for myself. I remember during the primaries, especially in a very heavily Democratic town like Hamden, it was really nerve-wracking. On the day of the election, I'm talking to people going around and going around to every polling location and having conversations. And that I happen to stick around in the fifth district with that which happens to have the Board of Education as the polling site, so I was there anyway. I learned that the Board of Ed has a gym. I was not expecting that, but we were in the gym. It's 8PM and the doors are closed. And I remember that's really wanted to throw up. I felt it in my stomach. It started to get hot, and it was already hot there. It was a really stuffy room. I don't know what's going to happen and we're all sitting there waiting. And then we hear the printer, with the voting totals being churned out. It makes this screeching noise that just keeps on going. I'm thinking it's never gonna end. Then you have some lovely volunteers there who are working the polls who start to read the names and the totals and my heart is beating and I can feel it in my ears. I was like, I'm going to throw up any second now. I don't know what's going to happen. We put in the work. I did everything I could. I happen to look at my phone really quickly and I see a text from Abdul that says I topped the third. And that's really when it hit me, I started crying right there. I believe we topped five or six other districts. It's a feeling like nothing else. Everyone's texting in group chats as each district’s results come out. It was like a frenzy. My brain just stopped working after that. There's a celebration afterwards. I'm there and everyone keeps gesturing to me and going “number one.” And I'm like, are you pointing at me? Like what are you doing? I was so confused but then they asked if I looked at the exact numbers and I was like, what do you mean numbers? And so I go look over there's a computer and there's like a spreadsheet with all the vote totals. And then they say, look at your number and I look and I'm like okay, yeah, I topped the Board of Education. And they're like, look at all the other ones. And I was like what? And then for like, a good like two minutes. I'm just sitting there looking at the computer. I'm so tired. It's probably around 9:00. I've been up since like 4AM. The mental calculator was not working. I was like, and then it finally hit me, I got the most votes out of every candidate running. Even the ones for mayor. And then I called my parents. I think, coming from that immigrant background, they always want what's safe for you, and politics is unpredictable. Unfortunately, the work you put in doesn't always produce a proportionate result. On Justin’s campaign when Abdul and I were the deputy campaign managers, we put in hours, we organized and we still didn't win. And so to see that it happened to correlate this time around was really exciting.