Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Colorado’s first Muslim lawmaker, freshman Rep. Iman Jodeh of Arapahoe County, on the House floor as the Colorado General Assembly opened its 2021 session on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
State Rep. Iman Jodeh has a clear memory from her childhood of going to the Colorado Capitol building with her father.
“I would watch him on the side of both chambers as he would deliver the opening prayer multiple times over the session,” she recalled in an interview with Colorado Matters.
Witnessing her father proudly display his faith and sense of leadership in the context of the legislature is partly what led her to call the very same building her workplace. In November, Jodeh was elected to represent House District 41, which covers Aurora. In doing so, she became the first Muslim lawmaker in state history.