Tlaib: ‘People hear you differently’ when you’re a woman of color and a ‘first’ in Congress

Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) said in a tweet on Tuesday that the “hardest part of serving in Congress” as a woman of color and one of the first Muslim women to serve is that “people hear you differently.”

“No matter how much we take on the hate & stay true to who we are through our experiences, our voices are shushed and reduced,” she wrote. “We aren’t perfect, but neither is the institution.”

The hardest part of serving in Congress as a WOC & as a “first” is how people hear you differently. No matter how much we take on the hate & stay true to who we are through our experiences, our voices are shushed and reduced. We aren’t perfect, but neither is this institution.

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) February 11, 2019

Tlaib didn’t write about what triggered her tweet, but it follows a storm of controversy on Monday surrounding Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), the other Muslim woman elected to Congress last fall. Tlaib and Omar are the first Muslim women to serve in Congress. 

{mosads}Omar apologized Monday under a torrent of criticism from fellow Democrats — including a statement from the Democratic leadership team — for tweets that suggested U.S. lawmakers are pro-Israel because they are motivated by money. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democrats criticized her for using “anti-Semitic tropes and and prejudicial accusations.”

Both lawmakers have come under criticism since joining Congress. 

Tlaib has captured a slew of critical headlines since being sworn into office, starting with her vowing to take on President Trump hours after being sworn in, saying: “We’re going to go in and impeach the motherf—er.”

She later received criticism over comments she made about Israel that critics have argued are anti-Semitic.

Tlaib represents Michigan’s 13th Congressional District and is the first Palestinian-American woman to be elected to Congress. Omar is the first Somali-American member of Congress.