Selaedin Maksut Endorses Imani Oakley For Congress

Montclair, NJ — Selaedin Maksut, civil rights advocate and Muslim community leader endorsed Imani Oakley’s campaign for New Jersey’s 10th congressional district Monday.

“I support Imani Oakley because she’s a voice who stands with the Muslim community and the working people around the 10th district,” Maksut said. “She is someone who has time and time again fought for what’s right. Imani is exactly the person we need in Congress right now.”

Oakley — a political organizer who has worked hard to combat systemic bigotry, including Islamophobia— is running for Congress in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District on a platform of anti-imperialism and anti-racism. Her policies include progressive immigration reform, defending civil liberties, and protecting minority communities from discrimination.

The incumbent, Rep. Payne Jr., has drawn criticism for funding ICE detention centers, taking money from some of the worst polluters in the fossil fuel industry, and for having one of the highest absentee rates of any Congressperson.

Oakley and her campaign thanked Maksut for his trust and promised that the struggles of marginalized communities would be at the center of her campaign.

This endorsement adds to the progressive coalition growing around Oakley’s campaign, including the West Orange Young Democrats, Catch Fire, Brand New Congress, Black Lives Matter activist Zellie Imani, Maplewood Deputy Mayor Dean Dafis, and Mt. Rainier Vice Mayor Scott Cecil.

“I am honored to be endorsed by Selaedin and other true progressives,” Oakley said. “Their support truly shows that all of our collective liberations are intertwined. As your representative, I will be an unyielding advocate for our communities and our needs.”

Imani Oakley is a long-time political organizer and pro-democracy activist running for Congress in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District. The seat covers parts of Essex, Union, and Hudson counties. Her time working in New Jersey political spaces has made one thing clear: our state suffers from rabid corruption. Her campaign is dedicated to ending this system and lifting up working-class communities.