Eastern Michigan University Professor Sadaf Ali was elected to chair of the Progressive Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party.
Ali, a professor of electronic media and film studies, was elected on February 22, 2025, at the Michigan Democratic Party Spring 2025 State Convention. Also elected to the Progressive Caucus board were Tony DiMeglio, vice chair; Mason Pressler, secretary; and Lyra Opalikhin, treasurer.
The current board of the Progressive Caucus hopes to bring more diversity to the Michigan Democratic Party.
The Progressive Caucus is one of 26 caucuses of the Michigan Democratic Party. It aims to push progressive values, such as supporting the working class, addressing climate change, making healthcare accessible to all, and protecting freedom of speech.
“We are all about humanity … With this current administration, marginalized communities are the most threatened by fascism," Ali said. "Our job as a progressive caucus is to be a watchdog for that."
Ali also emphasized the importance of ensuring voters’ voices are heard and listened to by politicians.
Ali previous ran for membership on the Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees and Ypsilanti Township Park Commission. She was inspired to start running for local offices after attending a City Council meeting discussing a ceasefire in Palestine and seeing all of the residents and city council members in support of a ceasefire.
Activists from the Michigan Democratic Party reached out to Ali and encouraged her to run for the Progressive Caucus’ board. This was the first time Ali had run for a statewide office.
She noted the larger number of people at the statewide election level.
“It was overwhelming, but it was overwhelming in an awesome way," Ali said.
Ali believes anyone can run for office and have a voice in government.
“If you want the world to look the way you want it to look, then you need to build that world for yourself," Ali said. "You need to go run for office, and you need to make yourself heard."
After her term as chair of the Progressive Caucus ends, Ali hopes to run for local office again.
