A Flurry of Firsts

Shining the spotlight on some elected officials who will be continuing their roles, or assuming new ones, in 2026.

Anisa Liban was elected to the Westerville School Board, retaining a seat to which she was appointed. Anisa is the first Black Muslim and Somali woman elected to serve on a school board in Ohio! OIA proudly worked with Anisa, United Bantu of Ohio, Zamzam Women & Family Center, State Rep. Munira Abdullahi, and CAIR-Ohio’s Columbus and Cincinnati Office to draw attention to the horrific hate crime against a Columbus mom earlier this year. The Columbus Police had failed to take action against the assailants, whose crime was caught on video, and we turned to the media to attempt to bring “Faith” the accountability and justice she deserved.   

Austin Davis was elected to represent Ward 7 on the Cleveland City Council. Austin represented one of our heroes from the #ReuniteUS campaign in a lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CoreCivic. This man and his legal team achieved a settlement in a medical neglect case that allowed him to obtain surgery so he can walk again. Austin also represented Cleveland Heights resident and OIA friend Jonas Nsongi Mbonga in his immigration case before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Nadia Rasoul, a U.S citizen of Palestinian heritage, became the first Muslim woman elected to Hilliard City Council and Ajmeri Hoque became the first Bangladeshi, Muslim, and naturalized citizen to be elected judge in Franklin County. Hoque was honored with the Spirit of Justice Award at CAIR-Ohio’s banquet in Columbus earlier this year.

Are there other officials you think we should highlight? Comment on social media to tell us who and why.