Nurse practitioner turned lawmaker is setting a new standard for his community
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As Asian American-Pacific Islander Heritage Month winds down, we're introducing you to a Philadelphia nurse practitioner who's blazing a career in politics. Tarik Khan is the first Pakistani-American lawmaker in the Pennsylvania legislature.
He's part of a newly created caucus dedicated to giving Asian Americans a voice at the state level.
As Khan greets schoolchildren in Chestnut Hill on Tuesday, he remembers his own childhood.
As a kid, he says he never imagined he would be representing this community as a state lawmaker.
"I've always had a sense of the disparities in the community, being someone who feels 100% American, but sometimes, you know, not being seen as fully American because of my Asian American background," Khan said.
Born in Philadelphia to a White mother and Pakistani father, Khan spent 20 years in the nursing field.
He made national headlines when he started making house calls in Philadelphia to administer leftover COVID-19 doses to people with disabilities in 2021.
"So the people that couldn't get vaccines were able to get shots, and then we didn't have the problem of just throwing away shots," Khan said.
The pandemic inspired him to run for public office.
Khan was elected last year to represent Manayunk and Roxborough.
He's one of 19 lawmakers in the Pennsylvania legislative Asian Pacific American Caucus, a group created earlier this month to advocate for Asian Americans.
"Our top priority for our community, and that includes Asian American community, is funding our public schools," Khan said.
Another issue Rep. Khan wants to address is the wave of hate crimes against Asian Americans across the U.S. over the last few years.
"Hearing things like Kung Flu, and other horrible things that that linked Asian Americans to a deadly virus has been something that's been very traumatic and detrimental to our community," Khan said.
Khan is working to combat that.
He also wants to make Eid al-Fitr recognized as a state holiday so Muslim children can get the day off school to celebrate the end of Ramadan.
"I'm very proud of the fact that I'm the first Pakistani American ever serving a legislature in Pennsylvania," Khan said.
He hopes his career inspires others not to be afraid to pursue their dreams.
