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Tanzila Ahmed, Founder
Tanzila and SAAVYIt's election time and you look around to see who's standing in line to vote. You see many men and women of varied ages and ethnicities, and you figure it's a pretty good turn out. Well, one young and forward-thinking South Asian took a closer look at the crowd and realized something very obvious and yet, very understated. She had to ask – where have all the young South Asian voters gone? Tanzila Ahmed, 26, a Bangladeshi-American, found this gap at the voting booths unacceptable and took matters into her own hands. Founder of SAAVY (South Asian American Voting Youth) Tanzila has helped mobilize over 7,500 to the polls in our last election. Her goal? To educate, raise awareness and unite the voice of young South Asian Americans.
Non-Profit Name
South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY)
Founded
March 2004
Website
www.saavy.org
Name
Tanzila ‘Taz’ Ahmed, Founder, 25
Hometown
Ontario, CA
Current residence
Los Angeles, CA
Education
University of Southern California ’01,
BS in Environmental Studies
Current Grad student at UCLA ’07, Masters in Public Policy
Past experience
Organizer – EnviroCitizen, America Coming Together, California Secretary of State’s Office
Ethnicity
Bangladeshi-American, Dhaka
About the organization
Saavy’s mission is to empower South Asian American youth ages 18 to 25 years to be a unified political voice in order for South Asian American issues to be pushed to the forefront of American politics. It’s about organizing and mobilizing South Asian youth to create a national united voice and increase political participation as well as civic engagement.
Most notable milestones
In August 2004, SAAVY launched its pilot campaign: Vote SAAVY. Eight student fellows were hired to run campaigns in Michigan, Florida, New York and Georgia; The Vote SAAVY Campaign recruited to register, educate and mobilize South Asian Americans to vote.
SAAVY registered 2,500 new South Asian Americans to vote in ten weeks. It also collaborated with other South Asian and progressive organizations to host over 100 educational events for voters throughout the country. SAAVY helped to mobilize 7,500 to the polls on Election Day.
SAAVY supported young people in states across the country in running campaigns this year, by providing online Vote SAAVY Kits as well as supporting voter mobilization not in targeted states.
What’s the niche?
We are the first organization of its kind to train and organize young South Asians to work on a coordinated national campaign. We created that voice for our community.
Most pressing issue now?
To organize around local elections that are coming up in neighborhoods with huge South Asian populations- By creating that South Asian voting bloc on the local level, we can really focus on making our voice heard.
What’s in store for the future?
We just inaugurated 5 new board members, and partnered with the Center for Civic Participation. Our future is bright as we develop the new vision of SAAVY, and create new programs in ways to give Desi youth a political voice.
Who would you like to be contacted by?
We are looking for students that want to empower their South Asian youth community to have an impact in local and national politics. We are also looking for non-youth as well that what to lend SAAVY a helping hand to create this powerful voice. And of course, it doesn’t hurt to be contacted by a few funders as well!
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Guiding principle in life
I have this quote tacked right above my bed- “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
And the philosophy that I run SAAVY with: “You must be the change you see in the world” – Gandhi
Measure of success
Most people that work on campaigns view success as a win or loss in a campaign. I am of a different mindset- I view success in that I was able to enrich one persons life, if I was able to train a youth, or talk to someone to see that glimmer of inspiration in their eyes of “I’m going to go do something now,” then that to me is being successful.
Goal yet to be achieved
I would like to see SAAVY as a well-funded and staffed as a full-on independent non-profit organization. We are still young though- seeing as how we were able to achieve so much in just a year. To get to that level is going to take time.
Best practical advice
Be Sustainable. Mind, Body, and Soul. No fight for injustice is worth it if you can’t be in it for the long run, and the only way to do that is to make sure to take the time to be sustainable.
Mentor
None specifically, though I’ve had many activist friends show me support and give me a helping hand.
What motivated you to get started?
I was organizing in DC, to give a political voice to young people. After 9/11 I saw the importance of giving a political voice to the South Asian youth, and I saw no one doing that. I decided to take matters into my own hands.
What keeps you motivated?
To see inspired faces in young Desi’s, youth that want to go out and make a difference and change the world. I see my role as a facilitator of sorts, I just want to be able to help them achieve their goals, and that’s what motivates me to keep doing this.
“No fight for injustice is worth it if you can’t be in it for the long run” Like best about what you do
SAAVY has created what I always wanted as a youth- a network and venue for like-minded young, Desi people to make a difference in the world. I always thought I was alone on my college campus, but it’s been fun creating these new friendships with all these people that are young and Desi and want to make a difference. And it’s fun creating that network for the new generation of Desi youth.
Like least about what you do
Youth organizations have a hard time raising money! I wish that aspect of this job was easier, because the more money we can raise, the more impact we can have on changing the world. I spent the bulk if my time organizing on SAAVY out of my parents kitchen while pretending that we were a lot bigger than that, I simply wish that would have been different.
Three characteristics that describe you
I would describe myself as ambitious, passionate and a tad rebellious.
At age 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An Astronaut, I think.
Biggest pastime outside of work
Writing on www.popandpolitics.com, and skateboarding on the beaches of Southern California.
Person most interested in meeting and why?
I’ve gotton to meet a lot of amazing people in this business that have had me star-struck, such as Vijay Prashad, or Julia Butterfly. I’m most interested in meeting eco-feminist Vandana Shiva.
Leader in business most interested in meeting and why?
Globalization activist Arundhati Roy because she been such an inspiration to me as a South Asian woman activist defying the status quo.
Three interesting facts about yourself
I am the only chin-pierced Director that I’ve come across in this line of work.
I was one of a few writers published in the book Storming the Polls published through Wiretap.
I spent a significant amount of time volunteering with the great folks of Indicorps while I was in Ahmedabad, India this past spring.
Three greatest passions
Fighting for justice,
Writing my story so that I may have a story to tell,
Love and friendships with family and friends.
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