The Expressions Narrative Project is a platform dedicated to the voices and perspectives of Muslim women, from activists and artists to professors and political representatives. This blog showcases personal narratives expressing Muslim women's thoughts, opinions, and lived experiences.
The afternoon of the first general strike in Minnesota since 1934, I stood on the back of a truck. It was January 23rd, and people from across the state of Minnesota poured into the streets of downtown Minneapolis. There were tens of thousands of us. We were there because we were angry, because we had enough of ICE kidnapping our neighbors. Because we were sick of watching masked men and women harass and intimidate our communities.
Read MoreMy father taught me to believe that the only real chains are in our minds, and when I went to college at San Francisco State University, I pursued child psychology because I wanted to help break these chains. I took all my general education courses in Black studies, which meant that whether I was studying economics or public health or literature, the curriculum centered the Black community in the U.S. These classes reaffirmed all the lessons that my father had imparted and reinforced my understanding, empathy, and love for my people. Then I started to ask myself, if this is who we are in spite of white supremacy, who would we be outside of an oppressive system? Who could we become?
Read MoreI’ve never met another Muslim or Bangladeshi woman in this role, so I take my responsibility as a representative of my identities and my culture very seriously. When I studied film, I set out to make stories that people like me can relate to. When a director wants to make their narrative about how Islam oppresses women, for example, I consider it my responsibility to speak up and call out the stereotypes that harm our communities. There’s a misconception that Muslim women don’t have a say, but my voice is always the loudest in any room.
Read MoreWe know our community wants to know more about our recent leadership transition, so we sat down with Nausheena and Malika to talk about transitioning leadership with community trust, support, and love.
Read MoreThe same late-capitalist world that has commodified the language of self-care encourages us to isolate ourselves, to retreat from each other. What if, instead, we took care of ourselves in order to seek camaraderie and companionship with others?
Read MoreWhen my supervisor said that we needed to show up at a rally downtown to support those involved in the Sudan uprising, my initial reaction was not “yes, I finally get to go to a protest” — instead, it was a combination of dread, fear, and insecurity that ran through my system. I had mixed emotions of “should I, or should I not?”
Read MoreI didn’t speak up for the things that mattered to me. I was a good girl. I thought “good” girls endured. “Good” girls didn’t resist. They persevered. They were resilient in the face of all obstacles, no matter how unjust.
Read MoreI recognized my own uniqueness and embraced my responsibility to spread good and justice. A Somali woman, born and raised in the Arab world and having immigrated to America in my teens; I speak three languages and I acquired three different cultures and world views that are crucial to understand the needs of my community.
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