Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes
SD 7
State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes grew up in Norcross and Lawrenceville and graduated from Gwinnett County Public Schools. As the daughter of working-class immigrants from Bangladesh, Nabilah watched her parents work long hours to put food on the table. When she was in high school, her mother was injured at the warehouse she worked at as an order puller. Nabilah saw firsthand the devastating effects our broken healthcare system can have on families and how poorly people who keep our country moving are treated. Since then, Nabilah has been fighting for quality healthcare access and Medicaid expansion and is a strong advocate for the working people of Georgia.
State Senator Nabilah Islam made history in 2022, becoming the youngest female member of the Georgia Senate ever, the first Asian woman, and the first Muslim woman to ever serve in the upper chamber.
During the 2023 session, Islam was outspoken and willing to fight against the extremist legislation introduced by Republicans. She introduced a third of the gun safety legislation in the state Senate and called for a special session to address firearm-related public safety. She worked across the aisle to successfully defeat legislation that would make it harder for immigrants and the poor to obtain passports. She is currently working on legislation to help veterans receive low or zero-interest lines of credit to help alleviate Georgia’s veteran homelessness crisis.
Fighting for women is also not new to Islam. For years, Islam has been vocal about women’s healthcare issues and her support of access to abortion. This past session, she introduced Senate Bill 51 to eliminate the discriminatory sales tax on menstrual products, also known as the Pink Tax. “In Georgia– candy, soda, and Viagra are not subjected to a sales tax. However, menstrual products which have been deemed a medical necessity by the FDA are not exempted. This tax on menstrual products is discriminatory and unfair. We must pass legislation to correct our tax code and end the unjustified sales tax on medical necessities for women.”
State Senator Nabilah Islam is a fighter, and her refusal to stand down has caught the eye of Governor Kemp, who has targeted her in his attempt to flip her seat to Republican hands.
“Last cycle, Kelley Loeffler and Charles Koch used their PAC money to try and defeat me. This year, Kemp has joined the bandwagon and has already spent tens of thousands of dollars from his leadership PAC to talk to voters in my district to flip this seat red. I’m standing up for my constituents and Georgians and not going anywhere.”
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