Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene announced that Yasmin Ali of Redmond will be her guest at the State of the Union address on Tuesday evening. Ali, an American Muslim who immigrated to the U.S. from India over 25 years ago, currently serves on the Education Committee of the Muslim Association of the Puget Sound (MAPS), a diverse community organization she helped establish.

"Yasmin embodies all that it means to be an American," said Rep. DelBene. "She's a mother and community leader who moved to the United States seeking a better life, and has dedicated her life to helping others. In her role at MAPS, Yasmin helped start a night school that has served over 1000 Muslim students in the past ten years. While volunteering for MAPS, she discovered numerous students who were interested in working in the IT industry but who lacked the training and resources to access jobs with career potential. This experience inspired Yasmin to create Skillspire, a company devoted to filling the tech skills gap among underrepresented populations in the greater Seattle area. I'm thrilled to have her join me at the State of the Union, and to celebrate the contributions of immigrants to our society."

“I am a proud American Muslim woman in tech who immigrated over 25 years ago,” said Yasmin Ali. “After working in tech, I see firsthand the demand for skilled talent, and the need to make the tech sector look more like the populations they serve. I founded Skillspire to train and support historically under-represented populations, and to create a future for overlooked talent in the tech sector. It is an honor to be a guest of Representative Suzan DelBene at the State of the Union, and to be the voice of the diverse population that I serve.”

In response to President Trump’s supporting the creation of a Muslim registry, DelBene introduced the No Religious Registry Act to ensure individuals of all faiths are protected from the establishment of a national religious registry. Her bill would prohibit any U.S. government official from establishing or utilizing a registry for the purposes of classifying or surveilling individuals on the basis of religious affiliation. 

DelBene represents Washington’s first congressional district.