Ghazala Hashmi

Hashmi was born in Hyderabad, India in 1964 to Tanveer and Zia Hashmi. She lived at her maternal grandparents home in Malakpet during her childhood. Her maternal grandfather, Raja Sahib Mohiuddin completed a B.A. from Aligarh Muslim University and served as assistant secretary in the finance department of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Hashmi's paternal grandfather, Mohammed Rauf, had a law degree. Her family moved to the United States in 1969.[1][2]

Hashmi completed a B.A. in English at Georgia Southern University where she was a member of the honors program. She earned a Ph.D. in English from Emory University on a full scholarship.[3][1] Her 1992 dissertation was titled William Carlos Williams and the American ground of "In the American Grain" and "Paterson."[4]

Hashmi was an educator and academic administrator for 25 years.[1] She received awards and medals for diversity, inclusion, and multicultural enrichment as an administrator[5] at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College where she served as the founding director of the center for excellence in teaching and learning.[1] In the 2019 Virginia Senate election, Democrat Hashmi won Virginia's 10th Senate district, defeating incumbent Republican Glen Sturtevant. She is the first Muslim woman elected to the Senate of Virginia.[6] She was officially sworn into office on January 8, 2020.[7][8][9]

Hashmi moved to Richmond in 1991 with her husband Azhar Rafiq, an associate professor at VCU School of Medicine. They have two daughters, one of whom completed a masters in public health administration and works in Washington, D.C. As of 2019, her younger daughter is a second year engineering student.[1] Hashmi resides in Midlothian, Virginia.[3] Her father is an academic. He completed a M.A. and LL.B. at Aligarh Muslim University where he served as president of the student union in 1954. He earned a Ph.D. in international relations from University of South Carolina and was the founding director of its center for international studies. Hashmi's mother completed a B.A. and B.Ed. from University College for Women, Koti.[1]

Hashmi's older brother, Sohail H. Hashmi is a professor in Massachusetts. He completed a Ph.D. in international relations at Harvard University. Hashmi's younger sister, Saira Alikhan is a practicing physician at Viera Hospital in Florida.[1]

• Official website
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Ghazala Hashmi at the Virginia Public Access Project