Ish Ahmed (Democrat)
BiographyIsmael "Ish" Ahmed served in Governor Jennifer M. Granholm’s administration as Director of the Michigan Department of Human Services, the state’s second largest department. He is a co- founder of the Arab American National Museum and also Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), the largest social services nonprofit org in the nation. Ismael grew ACCESS into a national human service and advocacy agency with affiliates in 24 cities. He served as Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Associate Provost of Metropolitan Impact at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The son of first-generation immigrants, since 1984, he has lead Detroit’s Concert of Colors, one of the largest world music festivals in the United States, which he co-curates and co-chairs. Since 1998, he has been producer and host of “This Island Earth” on WDET Public Radio in Detroit.
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Views & Positions
Education- Give parents and the community the right to oversee their public schools.
- Limit outside interference at the state and federal level.
- Keep hatred, sexism, xenophobia, and racism out of Michigan Schools.
- Wants to stand up for fair labor practices for teachers and workers.
- Wants to stand up for children to play and live together, and celebrate their differences.
- Promote Diversity and Inclusion as key to a well-functioning, well-educated society.
- Advocate for equal educational resources.
- Confront the Michigan Legislature’s funding disparity so that all children receive a quality education.
- Invest in early-education programs such as Head Start and preschool, making them available to all children.
- Ensure that parenting programs are available to all.
- Secure Michigan’s future competitiveness through a well-educated population.