About
Nadia Rahman - Communicator, Activist and Organizer
I am a communicator, organizer and activist based in San Francisco. I am from Texas and made my way home to the Bay Area after living in Washington, D.C. for nearly a decade. I’ve also worked and lived abroad in the Arabian Gulf.
I am the Principal Consultant at Rahman Consulting where I focus on strategic and digital communications, building strong teams, and coaching and advising leaders.
Civic engagement, human rights, and justice are my passions. The main issues I focus on are intersectional feminism, SWANA and Muslim identity, and social and racial justice. I currently serve as an advisor to the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee (SFWPC).
A vocal advocate for the causes and candidates I believe in, I am active in local politics in San Francisco. I have run for office here (SF Democratic County Central Committee - March 2020 ballot), and have also worked on local political campaigns.
Rahman Consulting
In 2021, I founded a consultancy focused on digital communications with the mission of winning hearts and changing minds by helping leaders and organizations dedicated to social good communicate effectively. Rahman Consulting is rooted in the belief that effective communication is transformative and essential for any movement to inspire great change.
Today, that consultancy has evolved to specialize in digital strategy and executive communications for leaders and executives in addition to project management, operationalizing goals, and team building and alignment.
Learn more about Rahman Consulting’s mission, vision and values here; services here; and read testimonials from clients here.
Activism
My personal endorsements for the 2024 election
November 2024 San Francisco Election Endorsements
This election cycle, after a year of genocide in Gaza, I made endorsements for the first time to create some measure of accountability and memorialization of the damaging rhetoric and actions that negatively impacted both the Muslim and Arab communities here in San Francisco in 2023 and 2024.
San Francisco Chronicle Op-Ed
Op-Ed: How San Francisco’s Toxic Political Culture Enables Abusers
After investigative reporting from the SF Standard detailed multiple accounts of alleged sexual and domestic violence at the hands of a former rising political star, I wrote an op-ed explaining exactly how the toxic culture of San Francisco politics enables abusers to evade accountability.
The arc that informed this op-ed began when I was President of the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee (SFWPC) in 2021 when the organization took a strong stance against sexual abuse in local politics. Since then, more women have come forward regarding the harassment and abuse they have experienced in local political circles. The work to change the culture is ongoing.
Ceasefire advocates in San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco Calls for a Ceasefire in Gaza
I contributed to an organizing effort that resulted in San Francisco becoming the largest city to call for a sustained ceasefire in Gaza. The support from San Francisco residents for this effort was unprecedented with thousands of people coming to City Hall to give public comment in support of a ceasefire.
The resolution was introduced at the Board of Supervisors in early December, receiving ~7 hours of public comment from hundreds of San Franciscans. The resolution was then heard in committee on January 8, 2024, receiving ~5 more hours of comment. Finally, the resolution passed the Board of Supervisors in a supermajority 8-3 vote on January 9, 2024.
Although the resolution was then threatened by a potential veto by the Mayor, a last minute advocacy and organizing campaign successfully averted a veto, and countered inaccurate and inflammatory statements made by the Mayor.
San Francisco Chronicle Op-Ed
Op-Ed: Muslim & Jewish Safety in San Francisco After 10/7
I co-wrote an op-ed with my friend Ruth Ferguson on our fears for our respective communities as Muslims and Jews living in San Francisco following the 10/7 attack in Israel and the resulting siege and bombardment of Gaza. This piece was driven by the need to uplift both of our communities in shared solidarity at a time when there was a lack of leadership on this front.
Read the op-ed here and listen to our KQED Forum podcast episode here.
San Francisco Chronicle SFNext: Fixing Our City
SFNext Podcast: Finding Common Ground on Housing
Housing is the third rail of San Francisco politics. The lack of it is the central driver of the city’s most concerning issues, including homelessness and cost of living, but many can’t agree on how, what, or where to build it. I joined this episode to find common ground on housing with someone on the opposite side of the housing spectrum.
Listen to the episode here.
Nadia Rahman at the Separation Wall in Bethlehem, Occupied Palestine
Israel & Palestine Essays
In July 2022, I spent a week in both Israel and Palestine on a self-financed and self-planned trip to inform my human rights advocacy. Following the trip, I wrote five essays on my experience and what I saw and learned. The essays include: an introduction on American responsibility, an overview of the military occupation in Hebron, my experience with surveillance, policing and profiling in Jerusalem, my visit to the separation wall and a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, and my thoughts on justice being freedom for the Palestinians.
Nadia Rahman with SFWPC Board Members
Co-President: San Francisco Women’s Political Committee
For two years (2021-2022), I served as Co-President of SFWPC and led an internal and external transformation of the organization. During this time, SFWPC shifted its focus to intersectional feminism; redefined its mission, vision, and values; established its first ever policy agenda; and developed systems, processes, and ways of working to make the org more impactful. Highlights of this work included calling out sexual abuse and sexual harassment in local and state politics and championing women for elected office.
YouTube Recording: Activating Your Network to GOTV
Presentation: Activate Your Network to GOTV
During this salon, I walked through simple and tangible steps on how to activate personal networks to get out the vote in the 2020 election.
Watch the salon here.
Nadia Rahman - Her Zindagi
Her Zindagi Podcast: How to Follow Your Intuition
Her Zindagi is a podcast dedicated to sharing the untold stories of Muslim and/or South Asian women. In this episode, we discussed getting ready for the 2020 election, the importance of voting, and I shared a bit of my personal story.
Listen to the episode here.
SF DCCC campaign kick-off in January 2020
Candidate: SF Democratic County Central Committee - March 2020
I ran to serve as a member of the local San Francisco Democratic Party with a slate of candidates for one of 10 seats in Assembly District 19 in the 2020 California primary election.
Although I did not win a seat, I earned 10,542 votes from my fellow westside San Franciscans, and raised $18K+ campaigning while working full-time. I donated leftover campaign funds to Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign and two local non-profits.
Nadia Rahman speaking at City Hall in San Francisco
Women’s History Month 2020: Valiant Women of the Vote
In March 2020, I was recognized for my civic engagement work by San Francisco Mayor London Breed as part of the city's Women's History Month celebration.
Watch my speech from the event here.
Nadia Rahman on Frane 24
France 24 Interview: Kamala Harris
I spoke to the French public broadcasting service about the significance of Kamala Harris being selected as Joe Biden’s Vice President.
Watch the video here.
Nadia Rahman with Women’s March San Francisco
Slate France: In the United States, the Long Road of Women in Democracy
I was interviewed by journalist Caroline Ernesty for a piece on the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, the progress made for women in our democracy in that time, and the work that still needs to be done in the lead up to Election 2020 and beyond.
Read the article here.
