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Progressive Democracy South Jersey PDA/DFA Endorses Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad, Ph.D.

January 11, 2008, Camden, NJ

Where does one start? Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad (pronounced mawdee ibbin-zeeodd), the progressive Democratic candidate for Congress in the 1st District of New Jersey, is originally from Omaha, Nebraska. Born James Anthony Watkins, his father was a meat-packinghouse worker and union activist. He is the first member of his family to graduate from college. While not able to complete high school prep courses because of financial difficulties, he earned his GED in 1962 while on active military duty.

Dr. Ibn-Ziyad attended Inter-American University in Puerto Rico (1967) and graduated from Creighton University (1974) in Omaha with a B.A. in political science. He earned an M.A. in criminal justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (1979) and a Ph.D. in moral education and religious philosophy at the Union Institute and University (1996) in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also received a full academic scholarship to both Creighton University School of Law (1975) and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (1980). In 1989 he received teacher's certification training from Glassboro State College, now Rowan University, in New Jersey. In 1973 he was nominated by Creighton University for a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Nigeria, and in 1989 was awarded an “Alternate Route Minority Teacher's Fellowship” by the New Jersey State Commissioner of Education. 

After eight years of service in the U.S. Air Force (1961-1969) and for four years of service in the US Army Reserves (1976-1980), Mahdi received an honorable discharge.

Dr. Ibn-Ziyad has been a progressive-minded political activist with a deep interest in peace and justice issues. He has demonstrated an abiding concern for racial justice, humanitarian and environmental issues, and has been active as a member or leader in the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (Washington, D.C.) since 1988. He also serves in the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the National Black Radical Congress (St. Louis and Philadelphia), the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, the Darfur Alert Coalition (Philadelphia), the South Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, and more recently as a member of the Progressive Democracy South Jersey PDA/DFA.

Mahdi has answered our call, He has stepped up to the plate as a candidate running for the 1st congressional seat in NJ against a supporter of Bush's illegal/immoral war for profit, against someone who once was a Democrat, Congressman Rob Andrews.

See: A Battle Brews in the 1st District.

Read Mahdi's responses to the PDA endorsement questionnaire.