Sadaf Jaffer, a Pakistani-American scholar, has been sworn in as mayor of Montgomery Township in New Jersey, becoming the first ever South Asian to hold the office.
Montgomery is home to diverse communities and Jaffer’s election has been hailed as the historical town’s openness to multicultural coexistence.
A Postdoctoral Research Associate in South Asian Studies at Princeton University and an activist, Sadaf took oath of office from Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.
“To me, Montgomery is all about the people that make up our vibrant community,” said the mayor, who has been a Montgomery committeewoman and a resident of the township for five years.
Her election has thrilled Pakistani-Americans and South Asian communities, with a number of leaders and media outlets greeting Sadaf Jaffer’s victory in these times of anti-immigration rhetoric.
Jaffer recalls her interest in politics back to her childhood days.
“One of my funny memories of growing up is that my dad used to hold mock presidential debates between my brother and I on long car rides, and I was very proud of myself because I won the debates,” she told The Montgomery News.
She took part in the election as a Democrat and has served on the Board of Directors for Art and Resistance through Education (ARTE) and the Somerset County director for the South Asian American Caucus of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee.
Sadaf Jaffer earned her bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations with a secondary field in Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality from Harvard University.
Jaffer’s husband, Dan Sheffield teaches at Princeton in the Near Eastern Studies Department.
Heartiest congratulations, Sadaf on your appointment as Mayor. I hope that you will come up to the expectations of the people in the true democratic spirit reflecting American values.