KENT, Wash. – Muslim families in Kent gathered on Saturday to celebrate a groundbreaking win, as the Kent School District is set to become the first district in Washington State to provide certified halal meals to students.

The menu option is the result of months advocacy from local Muslim community leaders along with organizing from OneAmerica. The introduction of halal meals will affect hundreds of students in Kent, which has one of the largest Muslim populations in the state, by percentage.

“It feels absolutely amazing to walk into the cafeteria and see meals that actually fit my life and culture,” said Kent high school freshman Safa Malekzai. “Knowing that our school went out of its way to include us makes me incredibly proud to be a student here every single day.”

Organizing began in December 2025, when OneAmerica met with Muslim community members across Kent to discuss emerging issues and solutions to make Washington State a more welcoming home. Ensuring certified halal meals were available for students in public schools emerged as a clear priority. In January 2026, OneAmerica gathered ten local parent leaders who drove the effort. Parents, students, and supporters joined monthly Kent School Board Meetings to testify about the need for halal meals. Through door-to-door canvassing and attending religious events in Kent, OneAmerica members collected over 350 signatures urging the Kent School District to commit to providing its students with certified halal meals.

Once the school district decided to take action, volunteer leaders and OneAmerica partnered with the Kent School District’s nutrition team to develop a halal plan and identify a trusted vendor, based in part on the few other school districts around the country that also provide certified halal meals. The halal option is now set to roll out to all Kent schools by the end of October.

“This was a true ground-up effort driven by hundreds of people in Kent’s Muslim community who said that halal meals were a priority and made their voices heard”, said Ziauddin Baraki, King County Organizer for OneAmerica. “When immigrants organize for the solutions we’ve identified, everyone wins.”

Over 60 community members—primarily parents and children—attended Saturday’s event, along with OneAmerica staff members and representatives from the Kent School District. In speeches to attendees, students shared their pride in their school district for standing with Muslim students and their excitement with having certified halal meals to eat. Volunteers also spoke about their pride in the advocacy process, and the school district voiced their appreciation of the community’s engagement.

“You model very well for our students how to engage in kind but very strong advocacy,” said Spencer Pan, Executive Director of Technology and Partnerships at Kent School District. “This is a win for the Muslim community and students, but I think it’s also a win for all students.”