Written by Arsalan Barmand,
National
Iranian American Council (NIAC)
San
Francisco, CA - Elham (Elle) Falahat always knew she wanted to be a prosecutor.
The experiences of her youth showed her that in the midst of injustices, the
voice of reason and law must be resolute. So when her friends in the legal
community called on her to run for District Attorney of Contra Costa County
(Northern California), she was ready to go.
Previously
politically inactive judges from the area and attorneys from the district all
encouraged her to run, knowing Elle would bring bold but necessary changes to
the dire state of the office. "I'm not running to occupy a chair and a title;
the office is in crisis, we need a change in leadership," she recently told NIAC.
"I'm doing
it for my son, daughter, and community."
Through
her candidacy, Elle is breaking the pattern of political apathy in the
Iranian-American community. "30 years ago the airplane had a 'stop-over' in the
US. But the plane never left again, we're here to stay," she said. "Iranian
Americans are a successful, educated community but we have nothing to show for
in terms of politics. We have to break the stainless steel ceiling."
If elected,
Elle will not only be the first Iranian American elected in Contra Costa County,
but the first female DA as well. She has already broken the glass ceiling by
being the first female in 160 years to file papers declaring her candidacy. As
such, her support base includes other minority and women's groups, such as the
Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association.
... Payvand News - 01/21/10 ... --
