Congratulations, Representative Rana!
On behalf of the staff and Board of the Maine Women’s Lobby and MWL Education Fund, we are so excited to congratulate Representative Ambureen Rana (she/they) for her historic new role as a member of the Maine House of Representatives, representing part of Bangor.
When they were sworn in today, they became part of the most diverse class of freshman Legislators in Maine’s history. Ambureen will be the first gender-diverse Legislator, the first queer person of color, and among the first Muslim-Americans in the Maine Legislature. They will also bring the powerful commitment to social justice that brought them to our team last January as the Policy & Program Coordinator. We could not be more proud.
Still, this will bring many changes to our organization. As a Legislator, Ambureen will no longer be able to participate in the policy advocacy that was the core part of her role with the Maine Women’s Lobby. Beginning January 1, she will move into a part-time role as our Program Coordinator, supporting our nonpartisan civic engagement efforts such as Girls’ Day at the State House and citizen advocacy training.
As we move forward, we will learn together how to support and celebrate members of our advocacy community who run for (and win!) public office, while respecting the legal and ethical boundaries between the two roles. We are working with our Board of Directors, the Maine Ethics Commission, and legal counsel to ensure that we do that to the best of our ability.
But for now, we are celebrating this moment. As our Legislature grows more representative of the backgrounds, communities, and lived experiences of Mainers, it will create policies that better reflect those lives and experiences. We look forward to the day when the faces and voices of Maine are fully reflected in the Maine Legislature, when women are a full half of the body (regardless of party), when queer and trans Mainers, Black Mainers and people of color, formerly incarcerated and unhoused Mainers, when young and older Mainers, Indigenous people, caregivers, people with disabilities, immigrants, and more join Ambureen and her colleagues on Swearing In Day. We can’t wait.
