Skokie, Ill.:-  Congressional candidate Bushra Amiwala welcomed nearly a hundred volunteers into Bushra for Congress headquarters on Tuesday night to celebrate the momentum her campaign has built so far.

It was the largest volunteer gathering any candidate in the district has held to date.

“Look around this room. Every age, race, gender, ethnic background and geographic part of the district is represented,” Amiwala, an elected school board member, told the crowd. “Every single person in this room has a story. Everyone here has a direct tie to our district and to our movement. That is the type of people-powered campaign we are running. It is relationship-driven. It is built on policy and solutions. I cannot do this alone, and I’m so grateful that all of you are with me.”

Amiwala was joined by Miracle Jenkins, a former IL-09 candidate and lead organizer for Bernie Sanders. Jenkins recently endorsed Amiwala for Congress.

“I’m happy to endorse Bushra,” Jenkins told the attendees. “Bushra understands, much like Zohran Mamdani, that the core issue of our day is affordability. It’s making sure that young Americans like ourselves are able to buy a home. We’re not here to pursue half measures. We’re here to pass aggressive policies that move America forward.”  Attendees enjoyed dinner from Pita Inn and cupcakes courtesy of Kinza’s Cakes. The event marked the beginning of major phonebanking, textbanking and canvassing drives to engage voters across the district.

“Bushra understands the challenges of our generation like no other candidate does,” said Evan Arvizu. “Right now we’re facing the worst housing shortage in our nation’s history. We’re on the precipice of climate catastrophe and millions of people are losing their health insurance. No one is better equipped to take on these issues than Bushra.”

Everyone present at the event had the opportunity to register for volunteering opportunities with the campaign. To view upcoming activities and get involved, click here.

“There’s not much to be optimistic about in this news cycle. But I feel optimistic today,” said Zayd Islam, a volunteer. “I can’t remember the last time I felt this hopeful about an election. Bushra has a vision to make life better in our home. She’s reminding us that the authoritarian dystopia of this administration does not have to be our future.”