Anum Qaisar-Javed at Empire School of Dance in Airdrie during campaigning for the Airdrie and Shotts by-election.
Her election came as the Scottish Parliament saw its most diverse group of MSPs ever sworn in, with women of colour elected to Holyrood for the first time.
Ms Javed, a modern studies teacher, said she taught her students about the reasons why there are fewer people from minority communities in politics.
She said: “We talk about reasons such as a lack of role models, and it has taken till 2021, but now we have two women of colour in the Scottish Parliament.
“But I don’t just want women of colour to look at me, or people of colour, I want anyone from any minority group to be able to look at me and say ‘if she can do it, so can I’.”
Scotland’s newest MP told how she hopes to be a role model for other minorities after being elected to Westminster.
New SNP MP Anum Qaisar-Javed also pledged she would “fight for independence” after being elected to represent the constituency of Airdrie and Shotts.
The by-election, which took place just a week after the Scottish Parliament election, was sparked by former MP Neil Gray’s decision to step down from the Commons and run for Holyrood.
After he was elected to the corresponding constituency in the Scottish Parliament last week, Ms Javed, 28, retained the seat he had held – albeit with a majority down on the 5,201 held by Mr Gray in 2019.
Scotland’s newest MP told how she hopes to be a role model for other minorities after being elected to Westminster.
SNP MP Anum Qaisar-Javed also pledged she would “fight for independence” after being elected to represent the constituency of Airdrie and Shotts.
The by-election, which took place just a week after the Scottish Parliament election, was sparked by former MP Neil Gray’s decision to step down from the Commons and run for Holyrood.
(PA Graphics)
After he was elected to the corresponding constituency in the Scottish Parliament last week, Ms Javed, 28, retained the seat he had held – albeit with a majority down on the 5,201 held by Mr Gray in 2019.
Scotland’s newest MP told how she hopes to be a role model for other minorities after being elected to Westminster.
SNP MP Anum Qaisar-Javed also pledged she would “fight for independence” after being elected to represent the constituency of Airdrie and Shotts.
The by-election, which took place just a week after the Scottish Parliament election, was sparked by former MP Neil Gray’s decision to step down from the Commons and run for Holyrood.
(PA Graphics)
After he was elected to the corresponding constituency in the Scottish Parliament last week, Ms Javed, 28, retained the seat he had held – albeit with a majority down on the 5,201 held by Mr Gray in 2019.
Scotland’s newest MP told how she hopes to be a role model for other minorities after being elected to Westminster.
SNP MP Anum Qaisar-Javed also pledged she would “fight for independence” after being elected to represent the constituency of Airdrie and Shotts.
The by-election, which took place just a week after the Scottish Parliament election, was sparked by former MP Neil Gray’s decision to step down from the Commons and run for Holyrood.
(PA Graphics)
After he was elected to the corresponding constituency in the Scottish Parliament last week, Ms Javed, 28, retained the seat he had held – albeit with a majority down on the 5,201 held by Mr Gray in 2019.