When 11-year old Ali Velshi’s father Murad lost a Toronto provincial election in 1981, he wasn’t angry. He told his son, “We ran because we could.” He had run against the most secure incumbent in the entire election, and predictably lost. Yet there would be no retribution for losing, for speaking his mind and standing for his beliefs before the public. He would run again in 1987 to greater success. What a young Ali Velshi learned that day was that a functioning democracy is the payoff for civic engagement.
Murad Velshi became the first Muslim immigrant elected to Ontario’s Legislature. In 2025, New York City has elected its first Muslim and South Asian immigrant, Zohran Mamdani, to be the next Mayor. These individuals, and many like them, remind us that democracy is sustained through courage, coalition-building, and running for office even when the odds say you can’t win, all in the interests of public service.
In American democracy, all people can vote, and all can run for office. And all should take those opportunities, because civic engagement is what keeps our government accountable. “Democracy is not a miracle, it’s muscle memory,” Velshi reminds us. “You run because you can. Especially when they tell you that you can’t.”
LISTEN: VELSHI TELLS HIS FATHER’S STORY
WATCH: SHOWING UP WHEN THE ODDS SAY YOU SHOULDN’T
MORE FROM MSNBC’S ALI VELSHI
