Politician, lawyer, and professor. Democratic member of Washington State Senate. First Iranian-American elected to a state office in the US. Fully blind.
Tags: Disability: Physical
Links: @cyrushabib | Link to bio | (Current as of: April 20, 2015)
Habib is the first and only Iranian-American elected to a state office in the United States, and to date the highest ranking Iranian-American.
Habib was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to parents who emigrated from Iran. A three-time cancer survivor, he lost his eyesight and became fully blind at age eight. Shortly afterwards, his family moved to Bellevue, Washington, where Habib graduated from the Bellevue International School in 1999.
Habib is a Rhodes Scholar, a Truman Scholar, and a Soros Fellow. He received his B.A. from Columbia University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. A student of comparative literature, Habib studied under a number of the 20th century’s leading literary critics, including Jacques Derrida, Edward Said, Harold Bloom, and Gayatri Spivak. While an undergraduate, Habib worked in the New York City office of then Senator Hillary Clinton.
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Op-EdJustice for all, not only for those who can afford it
Cyrus Habib, Steve O’BanSeattle Times
April 18, 2015
Two state representatives make a bipartisan case that lawmakers must help fund an effective civil legal aid system in Washington state.
This page last modified: Wed, April 22, 2015 -- 5:24 am ET