Nadia Berry (C) with her brother , Mike Jaafar, and his wife Angela.

DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Crestwood School Board race will go down in the books as a notable one, as Nadia Berry becomes the first Arab American resident to be elected to the board. 

Berry bolted into first place against her opponents, two of whom were incumbents. She had a commanding lead with 5,429 votes, or 38.1 percent. The second open seat went to incumbent Ed Garcia, who paced far behind with 3,456 votes, at 24.3 percent. 

“I was very humbled by the outpouring of support,” Berry told The AANews. “The whole Crestwood community putting their trust in me means so much to me. This is a historic time for us and I am just ecstatic. I can’t believe it happened the way and it did.” 

Berry’s victory was nonetheless a stunning one for the community. A slew of Arab American candidates have attempted to run in the district in the last several years and came up short of the necessary votes on Election Day.

But Berry’s run seems to have seized the support of the majority of parents at Crestwood. She believes residents are ready for a change and have put their faith in her to be their voice. 

“They are ready for fresh ideas and transparency,” Berry said. “They want to know more about what’s happening. That’s at least the feedback I got. Our schools are failing. When I was knocking on doors, residents said they are embarrassed to be a part of the district because the schools aren’t doing as well as they should.”

Berry said voters did not look at her as an Arab candidate, but rather as a concerned parent who wants to put students’ needs at the top of the agenda. Berry has spent years attending school board meetings and being vocal about issues detrimental to both students and parents— garnering her support and recognition from early on. 

“I have to tell you that I had a lot of non-Arab support,” she said. “I think yes, the Arab community came out in large numbers because they feel they aren’t being represented. But parents really wanted someone who was going to ask the questions and do what’s right for the students and the teachers.” 

Rashid Baydoun, an organizer on Berry’s campaign, said that months of preparing and reaching out to voters resulted in her successful bid. Berry’s campaign analyzed which neighborhoods previous Arab American candidates had lost and reached out to them directly.

“Nadia Berry’s campaign wasn’t about an Arab American candidate so much as it was as an issue candidate,” Baydoun said. “Nadia Berry is not a politician, she is a parent. And that message was clear. What that means is if you do the right campaign and have a strong message, you will get elected.”

Hassan Bazzi, president of the Dearborn Heights Community Organization (DHCO), a group compromised of residents who lobby the district with issues pertaining to the community, said Berry’s victory was the result of years of persistence.

The DHCO has previously addressed several issues at the district, including implementing halal food and being properly equipped in the ESL department to cater to a growing immigrant student body.

“We feel it’s a big victory for all of us, especially for the parents and us as a group,” Bazzi said. “We’ve been trying to take this community and district to another level.”

Bazzi noted that while Berry’s victory is a sign of progress for Crestwood, there is still a lot of work to do. He is urging parents to get involved, because there are programs that need enhancements.

“We’ve now shown that we are capable,” Bazzi said. “With Nadia now being on the board and being a huge asset to the community, parents now need to take this opportunity to stay focused, get involved and come to the schools to meet the teachers and attend the meetings. There are issues we should be aware of. We need to speak up and raise our voice to see where we can fit in.”