Bushra Amiwala is an award-winning activist, media icon, and dynamic speaker. At the age of 19, she announced her candidacy for the Cook County Board of Commissioners, with the goal to serve as a voice for her underrepresented generation and other marginalized communities. She has extensive experience and success in business strategy, customer service, branding, and organizational leadership across information technology, internet, non-profit organization management, primary & secondary education, business consulting & services, civic & social organizations, and government administration industries. She is empowering communities and breaking barriers and stands as a shining example of resilience and determination in her pursuit of positive change.
Her leadership has extended far beyond her campaign as she’s inspired countless others to increase their civic participation. As a result, she’s been named Glamour magazine’s College Woman of the Year, Seventeen magazine’s Voice of the Year, and internationally as CosmoGirl’s Change Maker of the Year. Bushra was awarded the Women’s Champion Award sponsored by the United Nations, has graced the cover of TIME magazine, and was recognized as Forbes Magazine’s “Woman to Watch” in 2021.
In addition to these awards, Bushra is the subject of an original PBS documentary called And She Could be Next, the female candidate on Amazon’s RUN the Series, has just debuted in a Hulu documentary called Our America: Women Forward, and she has made hundreds of TV and radio appearances, including outlets such as Fox, CBS, NPR, ABC, and PBS.
FWM: Please share your background.
My name is Bushra Amiwala, I am the daughter of two Pakistani immigrants from Karachi, native to Chicago, as I was born and raised in Rogers Park and moved to Skokie when I was 9. My dad’s humble upbringing coupled with the disparity between the two education systems I saw became a guiding principle for me. I began my activism by being a community volunteer, in high school, I was at 5 different nonprofits the 5 days of the week, ranging from issues impacting poverty, hunger, homelessness, and education inequality. After having the opportunity to work on a political campaign the Summer after my senior year of high school, I was asked to run for public office myself. I challenged a 16-year democratic incumbent, and ultimately, lost that election. With the support and blessing from my former opponent, I later ran for public office again, in a crowded race of 7 people and got elected, at 21, going down in the Chicago History Museum as the youngest Muslim elected official in the United States (and the first Gen Z woman to hold public office in the country). I am a graduate from DePaul University, and currently pursuing my MBA at Kellogg — Northwestern’s School of Management, while maintaining my elected role on the Board of Education in Skokie and working full-time at Google.
FWM: You have extensive experience and success in business strategy, branding, and organizational leadership. How has your experience been a cornerstone to your work today?
I found early on that we recognize products by their brands, so why not one another? I knew the media was going to try to control the narrative I wanted to tell, therefore I had to get ahead of that. In 2017, I began using social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to keep my followers, and constituents informed on the work I was doing. This helped maintain relevance and credibility for myself and helped increase accessibility to me as a candidate too.
FWM: Your leadership has extended far beyond your campaign as you have inspired countless others to increase their civic participation. As a result, you have been named Glamour magazine’s College Woman of the Year, Seventeen magazine’s Voice of the Year, and internationally as CosmoGirl’s Change Maker of the Year. What does this mean to you? What do you want young people to know about taking a step for change?
When I was a little girl, I vividly remember going to the grocery store with my mom and shuffling through as many magazines as I could while in line to purchase our items. I remember thinking how cool it must be to be in a magazine, and I also remember realizing all the women I saw were tall, thin, white and beautiful. Everything I felt like I was not. To be able to grace the cover of some of these magazines a decade later, in my truest form, is such a heartwarming experience and something I am forever grateful for.
FWM: Who inspires you?
I am inspired by every person who took a pound at the glass ceiling before me, that helped pave the way to make me run for office just a little easier, and those who fought for my rights to allow me to serve in this capacity. All of these people contribute to helping me be the first. I am always inspired and in awe by Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai and AOC as well.
FWM: Tell us to be the subject for the original PBS documentary called And She Could be Next.
This was a two-part documentary series that followed my run for office and followed other very notable people as well such as Stacy Abrams and Rashida Tlaib.
FWM: Please share other TV appearances and your mission to continue to empower communities and break barriers.
Candidate on Amazon’s Run the Series, Documentary about me on Hulu called “Our American Women Forward”
FWM: Please share your social media. Facebook: @bushraforschool , instagram: @bushraamiwala, twitter: @bushraamiwala, LinkedIn @bushra-amiwala and Tik Tok @Bushra Amiwala
