March 28, 2002
Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
On March 28, 2002, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "six months after Sept. 11, Clarkston [GA] voters ignored ethnic stereotypes and elected an American Muslim of African and Middle Eastern ancestry to fill a seat on the Clarkston City Council... Abdul Akbar won 66 percent of the votes cast for an at-large seat on the six-member council during a special election last week... Akbar's long-term goal is a modest one. 'I want to be remembered as the regular person who connects with everyone, who will make sure that their trash gets picked up, the potholes get filled,' he said. 'I want to be one of the regular people who solve problems.'"