"The US should be a model for all nations by recognizing and welcoming immigrants as essential to the strength and vitality of our country. We can only truly prosper as a nation when we finally fulfill our promise of equality for all people. Second Generation builds power for immigrant communities to thrive as full members of our society with political, social, and economic stake in our communities, and our communities will reap the rich benefits as a result of this critical work."
- Tarik Khan
ENDORSED FOR Pennsylvania State Representative, 194th District
Tarik is a frontline nurse practitioner, community health advocate, and the son of a Pakistani immigrant.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Tarik's father immigrated from Pakistan in the 1960's and his mother is a nurse from Northwest Philadelphia. He has spent over a decade and a half as a frontline nurse solving problems and advocating for patients and workers alike. While completing his PhD in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, Tarik lectures on primary care for patients with developmental disabilities and health policy advocacy at the School of Nursing, and his current research focuses on improving health care outcomes for vulnerable populations. Tarik is the former president of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association and currently serves as Chairperson of Enabling Minds, a non-profit in Haiti that serves children with developmental disabilities.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tarik has served the Philadelphia community on the frontlines. At the onset, Tarik volunteered with the Philadelphia Medical Reserve Corps to help administer mass drive-through coronavirus tests at the Citizens Bank Park. Since then, Tarik has also worked with the Family Practice and Counseling Network to provide COVID-19 testing in Philadelphia’s underserved neighborhoods. Since vaccines have become available, Tarik has worked tirelessly to vaccinate the community, even going so far as to spend many of his evenings delivering and administering leftover doses of the vaccine — dubbed “Angel Doses” — to hundreds of Philadelphia's homebound residents.
For his service and advocacy, Tarik has won several awards including NACDD’s Champions of Equal Opportunity Award for Advocacy, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Influencers of Healthcare Award, and Billy Penn’s Who’s Next: Community Leader Award. Tarik has been cited by Philadelphia City Council and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and has provided analysis on topics ranging from health disparities to nursing advocacy for the White House and outlets ranging from BBC News, CNN, Good Morning America, AM Joy, The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell, Healthline, Politico, and The Joe Madison Show.
As a State Representative, Tarik will fight for:
Quality Education for All — Many of the children in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania receive their education in oversized classrooms in toxic schools with lead, mold, and asbestos. Meanwhile, PA taxpayers spend hundreds of millions a year on underperforming charter schools that bleed money from our already underfunded public school system. Tarik will support legislation to ensure that schools are fairly and fully funded, including a state-wide moratorium on new charter schools.
Quality Health Care for All and Protections for Patients and Staff — Tarik believes that healthcare is a human right, and he supports a Medicare-for-all system to ensure all people receive quality healthcare regardless of their income. Additionally, safe staffing has been the top issue for Tarik and other frontline nurses for decades. Safe staffing leads to decreased patient deaths, less nursing injuries, and lower costs, but unfortunately, administrators and some legislators continue to oppose common sense, evidence-based solutions. Tarik will co-sponsor and lead the passage of the Patient Safety Act (HB 106/ SB 240), a bill that he helped to write in a historic collaboration with nursing unions and professional nursing organizations. Once passed, the Patient Safety Act will establish minimum safe staffing standards for nurses working on the frontlines in hospitals across the state.
Workers' Rights and Fair Wage for Work — Having treated many patients who work long and stressful hours at jobs that do not pay them enough to adequately provide housing, food, medical costs, and leisure for themselves and their families, Tarik understands the need for better work conditions and compensation. He will co-sponsor and fight for passage of Minimum Wage Act (HB 15) which will raise the current poverty minimum wage in Pennsylvania workers to a living wage of $15 per hour. Tarik also supports a worker's right to organize in the workplace and will fight alongside unions to ensure workers are treated with dignity and respect.
Visit tarikforpa.com for more info.