 So my name is Usman Alou, and I am the program's coordinator at CARE SFBA, Council of American Islamic Relations. I will be everyone's main point of contact throughout the entirety of the program. So remember me, and I'll be here every week also for each session. And then I'm joined by my colleague Aisha, Fiona. Good to meet you. Sure. Salute everyone. I'm Aisha Hamid. I've been with this program since it got launched, like five, six years ago. So it's always a privilege to come back and do the opening session. And I came to the US about 12 years ago. I'll tell a little bit about myself, but there's an exercise we're going to do together so I can speak a little bit more about myself. But from a statistics perspective, I work for a company called Genentech in the Bay Area. Some of you may have heard about it. Some of you may have not. And one of the head of informatics, I've been with a company for 12 years, and it's always like a set of privilege to come back and work with you all, looking forward to this session. Yeah, awesome. And just a few kind of ground rules here. So in everybody's binders, we should have quite a few materials in there. If everyone can open them up to the first page there, inshallah. So that first page is kind of our general list of sessions that we will be having the different topics for them. I just want to note that July 10th is Eid, inshallah. So that's the one day that we won't be meeting. But for these other sessions, they're all listed there. And I also want to list out that the fourth session on June 26th, I want to make sure everyone knows it's going to be a field trip that we have. So I'll send out materials for that next week, inshallah. I just want to make sure everybody knows. And then we also have our attendance policy, I believe, in the binder as well. And for that, please, if you are, if you find that you can't make a session, please let me know. Please contact me and just let me know from beforehand. And then we also have a form on here as well for you and your parents as well. It's a media form. And for that, we just have to make sure that everyone signs it. That way we can record media and we can post as well, so also important. And who else we've got? And then a little bit of introduction for the program. So Muslim Game Changers Network was created in 2014. So it's been quite a few years now. And it was created in LA with our care branch there. And our curriculum was developed by young professionals and activists from our community who wanted to pass on the knowledge they gained through their organizing experience to prepare the next generation of Muslim activists to be smarter, better, and more grounded in faith. And the goal is to help participants understand the social and political context of their own experiences, to explore their community history, and gain practical tools to develop Muslim servant leaders who are equipped to challenge status quo. And then yeah, I'm going to go ahead and give everyone a, and now we're going to go ahead and have everyone introduce themselves for me really quick too. I know there's quite a few of us, so just name a little bit of background and why you decided to join MGM this year. So I'll hand the microphone to everybody. Sure. I mean, you can start there, then we can pass it down. Yeah. Yeah? Okay. Are you ready? Just introduce yourself. Assalamu alaikum. My name is Nuhama Flahi. I'm a freshman and the reason why I joined is because I'm interested in activism, but I just don't know where to start. Thank you. Assalamu alaikum. My name is also Nuhat. It's Nuhat Fayaz. And I'm a sophomore and I joined MGM because I wanted to do something productive with my summer and I felt that this program was it. My name is Janna and I'm going to be in ninth grade. And I joined MGM because I wanted to develop some skills that could help me in the future. Yeah. And I'm going to go to ninth grade and I just want to learn more about how I can help community. Thank you. Assalamu alaikum. My name is Aisha. I'm a freshman and I wanted to join this program because I wanted to, you know, do something with my summer and I wanted to learn more about my religion. So my name is Anaya and I'm a sophomore and I joined MGM. And I joined MGM because I wanted to be more knowledgeable about activism. My name is Madiha and I just completed my ninth grade year. I joined this program because my mom's a lawyer and I've always wanted to be a lawyer and I feel that social justice is the root of it. So. Assalamu alaikum. My name is Safon. I just graduated from Cal High and I'll be starting college in the fall. So I wanted to develop my identity and make sure that I have a toolbox of stuff to do when I have to be on my own there. So congratulations. Assalamu alaikum. My name is Omar. I'm a freshman and I joined because I figured that I could learn some skills that could be useful in the future. Awesome. Assalamu alaikum. My name is David. I'm a junior and I joined because I wanted to learn more about Muslim activism. Great. Thank you. Assalamu alaikum. My name is Rizwan. I'm a junior also and I joined MGM because I wanted to stand up for what's right in the community. Thank you. Assalamu alaikum. My name is Rayon. I'm a freshman and I joined because I wanted to do something with my summer and learn. Assalamu alaikum. I'm a sophomore from Dublin and I joined because I want to do something productive for the summer. Assalamu alaikum. My name is Hassan. I am going into ninth grade. I joined because I want to have some leadership skills. Assalamu alaikum. My name is Hoon and I joined because my current summer plans are kind of boring so I might as well spice things up. Assalamu alaikum. My name is Jabrio and I joined. I'm going to be a sophomore. I joined because I want to learn more about Muslim rights. Assalamu alaikum. My name is Hanzo. I'm going into tenth grade. I joined because it sounded interesting. My name is Yusuf. I just finished ninth grade. I joined because I'm interested in politics and I thought this was a good way to explore that. My name is, my name is Aiz and I'm a junior and I joined because I wanted to make good use of my free time. My name is Nuho. I'm going into ninth grade and I joined because I wanted to learn more about current issues and had help from the community. Assalamu alaikum. My name is Zahra and I'm going to be a senior and I wanted to join to learn more about like social justice and like trying to be more productive over the summer. My name is Reina. I'm going to be a freshman and I joined because I'm interested in activism. My name is Halima. I'm going to be a senior and I joined because I just wanted to get more involved in the community. My name is Jenna. I'm also going to be a senior and I joined because pretty much all the topics covered in here sounded really interesting. My name is Hamza. I'm going to 10th grade and I joined here because I wanted to meet new people. We're just doing a quick round of intros. Why did you join? I'm Hannah and I did this because oh I'm 14 years old and I did this because I wanted to do something productive. My name is Zade. I'm 16 years old. I'm a rising senior in high school and I also wanted to do something productive this summer. We have a packed house here today. Thank you all so much for your quick intros. I'm going to be a facilitator for today and every week there's going to be a new facilitator as much as I would love to stay throughout the journey with you guys. It's going to be a new facilitator each week. I'm very honored and humbled to be here with all of you. I'm going to spend the next roughly 90 minutes with you all. The first part of this whole session is whenever we come together, especially in a community that's new to us, I personally like to set up some ground rules. Not just for the sake of having the discipline in the class, but just the respect we have for each other. You're all going to be working together for quite some time now. That's why it's good to set those rules up in advance so you would know when you're walking in what stays in this room, stays in this room. It's a safe space. So before we get into the actual work that we have to do here, I'm going to help, if you all can help me create what we call the being. This is definitely not the being. I'm not an artist, guys. I try my best. So this is the closest I can get to the being, but if anybody can help me fill this in, it would be very helpful. And what I'm looking for is, let's start from the inside. What do you all think you will need for the next couple of weeks while you're together to be productive, to grow together, and to make them most of this time? And if I can get a volunteer to help me fill that up, that would be awesome. Thank you. I was still going to say I would have asked someone, but thank you. Do you mind coming up? Yeah. Thanks so much. Yes. Thank you. So you can take any marker if you want to. Yeah. All right. So let's help you. So fill this one in. What attitudes or behaviors do you think would be helpful to create a safe space for this group? I can get the first one if that's okay. Respect. Think there might be anywhere inside. Yeah. You took another one. It's all dried up. Sorry. Thank you. This one too. Really? Okay. You can go with this one. I think these two are working. So what else do you all think we need? Yes. An open mind. Thank you. What else? Yes. Diverse perspectives. I love that. Thank you. What else? Yes. Kindness. Thank you. I love that. Yes. Positivity. Okay. We got two. Awesome. What else? Curiosity. I'm sure there's something else you guys would like. Anything? I love that. Thank you. Anything else? Welcome. Sorry. We're just going to send some ground rules. So you just walked in. Just wanted to let you know. Empathy. Yes. No judgment. I love that. Thank you. Welcome. So we're just saying some ground rules. You haven't missed much. And those who walked in maybe can get to a couple of minutes just to introduce yourselves. Is that okay? Yes. Collaboration. Thank you. And those who are not comfortable saying out loud, it's completely okay. You guys can fill it up during your lunch break or anything. You feel like you need to add in there. It's all good. Before we go to what you do not want to come into this room, is there anything else you want to add? I'll take that as a no for now. But like I said, you're more than welcome to come up and write whatever you like just to help you, you know, make these next couple of weeks more and more productive. All right. So let's go on to the second part of this exercise. What would you like not to come into this room when you guys are together? Animosity. So it's going to be outside the being. Yeah. You can use any other color. There are more markets here if you like. Yes. I love that. Thank you. I like that. Yes. Bad manners. Thank you. What else? Yes. I love that. Thank you. What else? Yes. Thank you. Yes. Eight. What else? Anything else you'd like to add to this? You said would you like to add anything to it? Okay. And like I said, this will evolve, right? This will grow over time. You don't need to fill up the whole being right now. But this will stay up. You'll most likely see this one up throughout the classes. So feel free to come up, write it on your own. But it's kind of setting the context on that this is a safe space. Respect is something nobody will tolerate. And you guys will be working along together for the next couple of weeks. So it will really help grow that relationship as well. Thank you, Yusef, so much. Really appreciate it. Awesome. All right. So we'll go on to the next part of this exercise. This is one of my favorite ones, by the way. It's called the Journey Maps. And if you open up your binders, there's going to be a page there that's completely blank and it's labeled as Journey Maps. And on this, what we're hoping is either you can draw, you can write, whatever helps you express those three moments in your life. It can be even more than three. I don't think I want to quit three. It can be even more than three moments in your life, defining moments in your life that have helped you to be the person you are today. Those can be moments of defeat, empowerment, or just moments that change your course in life. I'll be happy to share a couple of mine. And those are probably the most defeatful moments in my life, but yet the most powerful one, and I won't change a thing about it. So as I was introducing myself, before I do, I want to hear from you guys first because you guys just joined us. And you guys are going to be here with us for a couple of weeks. Would you like to quickly introduce yourself and just to your name, age, and why did you join MGM? My name is Mohammed, I'm 17, and I'll be doing senior year next year, inshallah. I joined, my parents signed me up obviously, but to just learn something new. That's so great. Welcome on, Beth. Sorry, my name is Eunice, and I'm 15. I joined as well because there's stuff that I just don't know about this area. Well, let's go. Can you join us on your hand? Would you like to quickly introduce yourself? I'm Aya, I'm 13, and I joined because I want to learn more about this and try to make a change. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you guys, really appreciate it. As I was saying, so I'll share a couple of my defining moments, and then I would love to hear from, I would say all of you, but we'll see. We'll see how we're doing with time. And then we can try to get through as much as possible. So when I was introducing myself earlier, yes, titles do matter. So like I had said, I work with a company called Genentech. I've been with the company for now almost 12 years. I'm one of the heads of Informatics, a very male dominated department, I must say. So it's an honor as a woman of color, as a Muslim woman to be one of the leaders there. But that's just my title. To get there, it's been quite a remarkable journey. And every time, you know, when I've asked that, do I feel any fear coming up when you're speaking about yourself? And I will say every time, even though I've spoken quite a few times, every time I have fear coming up, even right now, I can hear my heart beating. And it's common. It's normal. It's a human reaction. But I was talking to my mom early this morning and I was like, oh gosh, what am I going to talk to them about? And all she said to me, there are people just like you, just like me. And I'm not going to talk about my accomplishments and all my education, how I did this and that. Now, I think I want to talk to you about one of the most strongest emotion I still have a challenge with at this age and time and that's fear and how courage was one of the pillars I had to embrace to these defining moments I'm going to share with all of you. So imagine a girl who was quite opposite to what her culture expected her to be. A girl that was told that a woman can never be a leader and that education was something that she can dream of. And yes, I'm not in my 50s or 40s, I'm in my early 30s, but I lived through those times. And imagine this girl who had to stand before paternal grandfather was told that education is known, there's no use for her and her sisters. And imagine this girl as a young adult who was called out in her college back home in a class of almost 80 men and five girls in an engineering class and she was told that she was wasting her time here. Her kind should be at home cooking and cleaning. But you know life has different plans for you and life and a lot of sense people towards you that you never imagine having and they help you be the person that you are today and those two remarkable human beings have been my mother and my grandmother. I don't think I'll ever be able to find the right words to express what my mother has done for me and my sisters, but just in short that she has saved me in every possible way a girl can be saved. And my grandmother, all I'm going to say is that she is my best friend. She'll always be my best friend. And she always reminded me that I am the son that my mother never had, the warrior that she never had in my lowest points in my life. And I held those words and my mother's commitment to my education very close to my heart. So this girl did finally get to go to college and I think it was my final year. Yeah, it was in my final year when my marriage was arranged. And I'm going to be honest, I was so excited, so excited that I'm going to get to have my fairy tale wedding and my fairy tale marriage. I know guys, I was very young. I was 21 when that happened and it was far from fairy tale. That's all I'm going to say. It was far from fairy tale because it was the beginning of quite an abusive marriage. I tried my best in every possible way I could to save that marriage first of all and career and ambition. Oh, that was not even in my mind at that point. And every time something fell apart, I always used to lay the blame on myself that I need to fix this. It's my responsibility. I need to put this together. Yet it was something that wasn't just my own or something that I had to fix. But that's how I was. And I believe it was in 2008 when Fear and I came face to get face after quite some time and it was with the news that my best friend, my grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. And I still remember that moment that it was hard to accept. It was hard to understand when you have so much of the losses going on, especially that time my marriage, so to accept that somebody who you love so much is going through this. But you know how we, just like everybody who's desperate to find cure for cancer for their loved ones, we were desperate. We tried to get her right treatments. We tried everything. And we defeated cancer, just like I had read in books. I was a warrior that she always imagined me to be. And we defeated cancer. And that was for a very limited time for, it was in 2009 when I was sitting by myself in my home after I had faced not such a good scenario with my husband with an ice pack to my face. And I remember my aunt called me in the late hour. It was, I think, around 1 a.m. in the morning. And she, all I heard the words, it's back. It's back. The cancer was back six months after she got her first, after the first time we actually defeated it. And I just couldn't comprehend what was going on. I just kept repeating these words to myself over and over again, that why her? She promised she'll be with me. Why is this happening to her? Why is this happening to me? Haven't I faced enough? And I still remember the last time when I spoke to her, she said something to me quite profounding, which I still look and go like, I don't know how or where she knew that from. She said that God took something from you that you never imagined losing. It's because something so much better for you that you never imagined happening. It was the very next day at 5.11 a.m. the cancer one and took my best, best friend away from me, the great Suriya Eunice. We talk about mental health. We talk about societal thoughts, depression, clinical depression. There's women right here faced through all of that, including suicide thoughts. And I'm not ashamed to say it out loud. But I had choices. Either I could let that darkness consume me completely, or I would do something about it. And I'm so glad I chose the latter. So, in order to do something about it, and in order to save my marriage that was completely falling apart, in 2010, my husband and I, we at that time were called to this fascinating country, a country that was foreign to us at this language, and that's the United States. And when we got here, this woman right here never held a job in her life, because I got married in my final year of graduation, never ever had a job in her life, never held a job in her life. So for her to even face a world that's called corporate world, no way, there's no way. I can't even do that. So imagine how much fear and I were like this at that time. But I had to because we were living in the Bay Area. It's not easy. It's expensive here. So I knew I had to get out there and get the right job. And it was the summer of 2010 when I got a call from this quite a fascinating company called Genentech. I was beyond surprised. You're inviting somebody who has no experience, nothing whatsoever, but you want me to come for an interview. Okay. And at that time, I think they had a campus building in Redwood City. It's no longer there anymore, unfortunately. But I remember I was standing outside the building, constantly fixing my scarf, brushing my pants, and just making sure that I look okay. And I remember I took a couple of deep breaths, opened the door and went inside the building. And I was greeted by this remarkably human being by the name Bob Albert, who I did know at that time was going to be my manager. And he welcomed me with a big smile and warmth and said, welcome to Genentech. And I didn't realize that was the beginning of a whole new journey because after that, speaking the way I grew and evolved and was surrounded by people who uplifted me up, bold enough, empowered me enough to walk away from marriage that was never meant to be saved. After that, I swear I thought this was it. I've conquered all my fears. I have empowered myself. Yay, this is it. Still did I know that life had other plans for me. Life always is mystery, right? And it has always other plans for you. And this time, you all might remember this time as well. Remember 2016, when this entire country was shaken by a growing hostile political movement and rise of anti-migration. And this time, my safety and my family safety, people like me and their safety, was getting questioned. My identity, how I appeared, was turning into shame. I was ashamed of being seen as a Muslim. I was ashamed of showing up at work and being seen as a Muslim, even though that environment there was far from what I had imagined. The openness, the warmth, the welcome, the acceptance I always felt there. But there's a psychological thing in your mind, right? You start questioning yourself, your being, my identity, my customs. Everything was just turning into shame. I started standing behind folks at the train station, so I was just so afraid. Some psychotic person or lunatic would just push me in front of it. And that's because those were the scenarios I was getting to hear across the globe. And I remember it was such a heartbreaking conversation with my mother who wanted nothing more than the well-being of her daughters and the safety of their daughters when she was honestly being very open that we do not wear what we call this, that's our headscarf. Just so that we can be safe and seen as Muslims. And that was the first time that I really just paused and questioned myself, why am I shamed of who I am? And that was the start of a whole other journey that I embarked on becoming a clinical psychologist because I wanted to work with men, women, teenagers, children, whether it's from our background or from our community or outside of a community, just to help them accept their fear and face that fear and not be ashamed of who they are and challenge the surrounding, the thinking of the people around them. And it's amazing, right? When you help someone in that capacity, you also find questions, the answers to the questions that you're seeking, just like I was around shame and fear. Being able to reimagine yourself beyond what other people see, it's the most difficult task of all. It's the most rewarding thing if you can. Because we all come into this world in a body, people with neurological difficulties, environmental or more impacted communities, boys, girls, boys who want to dress up as girls, girls who wear wheels, athletes who bend their knees and sign or protest, sexually assaulted victims, black, white, Asian, Latinos, us as a community right now as Muslims, Native Americans, you or me, we all want what everybody wants and that is to dream and to achieve. But sometimes the society tells us and we tell ourselves that we don't fit the mold. But the very limited time I've been in this country, and that's going to be close to now 12 years, is that we all have one thing in common and that's being human. So we all should be fighting towards one race and that's the human race. And you all might be wondering, why am I telling you all of this? Number one, I never imagined myself standing before wonderful people like you, adults like you, and sharing this part about my life 12 years ago. And two, these 12 years, if I look back, wow, it's been a long journey, but it's been worth it. And this girl who has just lived her life in fear is now a woman who's beginning to embrace and face that fear. So I hope by sharing this, I get to learn a little bit about all of you and don't just to hear my story, listen and try to listen to each other's stories, just like I hope I listen to yours. And our stories have no ending. They have chapters, sequels, pages upon pages and our stories must go on and that can only happen if we help each other write it together. Thank you for listening about myself and with that, I would love to listen to yours. So take a couple of minutes. We'll give each other like about 15 minutes. Would that be a good time? Then I would love to hear. I would love to have volunteers. I don't want to call you on out, but if I can have volunteers who can just share a bit of their own defining moments, that would be amazing. Okay, so go ahead. You got one more minute and then I will be looking for seven remarkable, I think you all are remarkable, seven remarkable young men and seven remarkable young women who can share some of those defining moments for me. Volunteers are always welcome and if I don't see anyone then please don't hate me. I might ask myself then who can actually share some of their defining moments. Sometimes a mic can be a little overwhelming. You have a choice. If you guys don't want to use the mic, you can use the microphone with it to be honest. And if you want to, the mic is right here. Okay, so I'm going to share a short story that's not nearly as impacting as yours, but this story takes place when I first started practicing hijab, which was at the age of I would say around 11. So I grew up in a community where all my friends and aunties I know are wearing the hijab. However, my family was I would say not as practicing as my immediate family. And so not many of my aunts wore hijab and they did not believe in it either. So my mom started wearing hijab in her 30s and when I started wearing hijab, I guess I could say that the reaction I got from my family members was a mix of many things. They were surprised. They thought I was too young that these are my prime years to show my hair. They thought there was no proof in the Quran that hijab is necessary to wear. And many times from close family members, I was told that it's best if I just take it off since they did not see it necessary. Now, I thought this was really tough because it's one thing to have friends or aunties in the community say that, but when it's family members who you really care about and they're the closest thing to you, it makes everything so much more difficult because I have to keep my respect that I have and I can't lash out at them even if I'm frustrated. So it took a lot of patience, but throughout this whole journey, I had my mom with me and that was really special because she had gone through all of the same things despite starting the hijab when she was in her mid-30s. And I did eventually get over it, but it took a lot of confidence and really getting comfortable with who I have decided to be. And I think when my family members realize that I'm doing everything like everyone else and still wearing hijab, it made them look at it in another way. And I would go to family events or weddings where all the girl cousins are getting their hair done or dancing and doing things that I myself do not practice. Well, I do get my hair done, but I don't show my hair. So I was always kind of the odd one out and I learned to accept it. And when I did, it made them comfortable with who I've decided to become. Thank you. Thank you, Madhya. That was just, wow. You said you were not powered. Yeah, clap. I was not powered. Yes, thank you. So that was not powerful, my dear. I wish I had that my courage at your age. Amazing, Masha'Allah. That's amazing. So since you were so brave and so bold to be the first one, how about you decide who will be the next one to actually speak up and share their journey moments? Yeah, so this story takes place during my freshman year of high school. I joined the journalism team this year because I'm interested in that. I thought it was a good experience. So I write for the school paper. And the first issue we printed, I got front page, and my article was about the... I don't know if you guys are familiar, but the calls to genocide of Muslims in Haridwar in India, right? So I wrote an article on that and it got front page and it was delivered to a bunch of classrooms. So I walk into my English class, right? And the front page cover, the picture on the front page was of Modi, right? The idea being that he's the person who's perpetuating all this. And a couple of Hindu classmates come up to me and they start congratulating me. I was like, hey, that's cool. We're Indian. We got that. But then they start chanting, B-E-J-P. And I don't know if you guys are familiar, but B-J-P is the party which is essentially condoning the lynching, the genocide, and the general hate against Muslims in India, right? And they started chanting it. I mean, it's just interesting because they hadn't read the article. They didn't realize that I was even talking about... against the B-J-P, you know, and how they were oppressing Muslims in India. But I also don't think that they meant any mouths behind it because I honestly do not think that they understood anything about the B-J-P as a party or what they stand for. I think it's probably just their parents, you know, support it so they support it, right? Almost like a sports team that way, you know? Not really like a political party. So I think that moment was interesting because it kind of shows that, you know, a lot of people don't understand politics in the way that they should. They don't give it the weight that it should deserve, right? Like I said, it's treated like a sports team, right? You know, like you were born into a family that votes Democrat or Green or Republican or whatever, right? And you don't actually do any critical thinking. And I mean, at that point, if you're just going to vote for a single party without actually thinking about it, you might as well just not be in a democracy, right? Because that's kind of the point of a democracy is that everybody has their individual opinions. So I mean, yeah, that's why... I thought it was an interesting experience. Thank you. That was awesome. Kudos to you for being so brave to actually write that article. It's not easy. It's not easy at any time and age. Thank you. Ladies, do I have a volunteer? Anyone? Yes. Honey, I'll always forget your name. I'm sorry. So one of the big moments in my life was when I was six years old. So I was born in England. And when I was six in 2013, my whole family decided to move to America. And that was just a really difficult thing for me because my whole family... Well, my dad's side is in Yemen, but all of my mom's side is in England. So we had to leave everyone. And I was six years old. I didn't really understand what was going on. I didn't realize we were staying in America forever. And I don't know, when I got older, I realized how isolating it was for me because in England we had a big Yemeni community. We had strong Arab community. And when we moved, I didn't really have that. I didn't have any other family friends. No, extended family. It was just me and my siblings and parents. And that was really tough for me because I realized I'm a very quiet person. I was like, I think maybe that's why because I don't... I don't know because I didn't have any, like a big community surrounding me and I didn't feel connected to my culture. I have no Arab friends and it was really difficult for me once I realized that. Also, when I was even in America, I moved around a lot and that was really tough because I would make friends in a new school and then I just leave right over again, make new friends, leave. And so I only really had one constant friend over the times that I've moved. I don't know. It was just a very tough thing for me and it's like this year that I was really coming to... I was really coming to terms with how that affected me like moving because it really sucked for me, especially with moving countries. Thank you. Thank you so much. I can't imagine. I can only imagine. That sense of belonging, right? Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for being so brave. Gentlemen, volunteers. This was a time, I think, how many years ago, like four or five years ago? Maybe three. I really didn't care, right? So my dad, she really just... I didn't really want to go too much. I just wanted to stay home. So one day I was just walking down the street. I almost got run over. I didn't really know why. The car just swerved. And then from that day on, I really thanked the Lord. Great. Thank you. Thank you. It takes courage. It takes courage to speak about that. So thank you. Thank you for that. So we've got two boys and two women, two men, sorry, young men and women who have spoken up about their experiences. Peace. You've got time. You're doing with time. Any volunteers? Yes. I see you. I'm sorry. I moved to the United States in 2019. And that's kind of where my life, you know, toppled over because I lived in Dubai my whole life. And, you know, Dubai is a predominantly Muslim area where, you know, it's the Middle East. So I lived there my entire life. And when I moved to the United States in 2019, sixth grade right in the middle, I knew no one. And so it was kind of like coming from a predominantly Muslim area and moving to the United States where, you know, it's I'm like, there's two Muslim girls in my entire school. So that was like a big change for me. And, you know, getting to know people and really staying in touch with my religion, that was, that was quite hard for me, especially when after I moved, I, you know, became, I luckily, I met a lot of new friends and accepting friends. But there were people that were like, you know, the occasional, oh, you're Muslim and kind of like the sketchy look and people who like were rude to me about it. And that was a new thing because I wasn't used to that coming from a predominantly Muslim area. So I think it took a lot of like courage to like actually stay with my religion and not just like trying to, you know, leave it in order to fit in. So that's, I feel like that's like growing up. That's kind of like a big thing fitting in because when you're like the odd, like, I guess the odd ball, I guess, it's kind of hard because you want to, you know, relate to other people and you want to fit in with other people and you want to do things that, you know, maybe it doesn't feel right to you, but you just want to do it for the sake of fitting in. But, you know, luckily I found a really good community that I could be a part of and I made a lot of good friends that accepted me for being Muslim. And yeah, that's my story. Thank you, Aisha. Beautiful. And what a coincidence. We'd only shared the name. We came from the same country, which is, yeah. Abu Dhabi right here, Shahamah. That's where I'm from. Yeah, trying to come from Pakistan, but that's where I grew up. Coincidence. Coincidence. Wow. This is getting so unique. I love it. Thank you so much. Thank you. I love it. I'm loving the stories, by the way, so far. Wow. Really, I was having not, I'm going to be honest, I wasn't having a very good morning. I wasn't having a very good morning, but you all really bright up my day. Thank you. Thank you all so much for sharing this. We do have time for a couple more folks. Seriously, I just feel like doing this for the rest of the session, but I know we have one more activity to do because it's so amazing hearing your stories. Yes. Awesome. Your name? I can read from here. Sorry. Okay. Awesome. Would you prefer a mic or would you like to speak to it? Okay. That's fine too. Thank you. All right. So like a few years ago, my family and I decided to take on some foster brothers for two weeks because their parents were traveling internationally. And like for safety reasons, they weren't allowed to go. And that was just an incredible experience for me and my family. You know, we heard their stories, which were very sad. They were like tortured and they had to run away and caught and run away again, homelessness. But eventually they were saved and brought here. And they grew up Muslim in Burma, but it's hard for them to keep their religion because they're not in a Muslim family anymore with their foster parents. But it's nice to still be connected with them. And my family and I like to show our religion to them and remind them of what it's like. And we recently just spent a read with them and prayed in front of them. And it's just nice to remind them of that and keep that connection with them. Thank you. Thank you so much. That's amazing. There you go. Yeah, so the summer before I went to fifth grade, I spent all my summer in Texas where my mom's family lives. And so after I came back, it was about a week after and school was going to start in a few days. And then we got the news that my grandfather was in the hospital and that he wasn't in a good condition. So my mom left immediately, obviously, because it's her father. And then we're just waiting, really nervous, like what's going to happen, right? And we hear that he's on the ventilator. So he's on life support. And I always say he's probably not going to live. And it was just so scary. And two days later, my dad's like, we got to go, we got to go. My dad doesn't tell us anything. He's probably going to miss school. So we make it there. And once we're at the airport, my mom tells me and my younger brother, he's gone, he's gone, he's gone. And my sister, she was so quiet the whole way there because she already knew my dad already told her. And it was really hard for me, mainly just because he was blind. So it's like he kind of lived life, not seeing the world. And just gave me so much thankfulness for being able to see, to speak, to hear. And it just kind of taught me the value of life and how to live every moment and not to waste life. So yeah, thank you. Thank you. There are some very special people in our lives, right? They teach us so much and they leave us with so much wisdom. Thank you. Wow. You all are just really cool, really amazing. I just absolutely loved each and every one of your stories. Those who did not get to share it, it's okay. I'm sure it's equally powerful than I've heard before. So thank you all to those who spoke up and shared theirs. And I hope I get to hear others as well one day. I think a round of applause for all of you guys. Really, really love it. All right, so we'll move on to our last activity and it's called the Identity Corners. We got an opportunity to learn a little bit about each other more deeply. But now in small groups, what we're going to do is we're going to contour this process in a bigger audience. And around you, you might be seeing some themes, some stickies or post-its, whatever you want to call it, on the wall. And the idea is we're exploring these categories in a little bit more detail. And I'll speak a little bit about each category, those who want some clarity on what each category stands for. I'll read out the description they have on this page. So race, a category that was socially and historically created based on the way people look. This category has a lot of social, political, and economic importance. Race is often tied to people's physical characteristics, example, skin, color, hair types, eye shape, eye color, et cetera, especially of different races, which include white, black, Asian, Latino, et cetera. Ethnicity, where's ethnicity right there? It refers to a group of people of the same nationality or land of origin who share a distinct and or common culture. Example of ethnicities include Pakistani, Mexican, Egyptian, or Arab, et cetera. Gender refers to the individual's biological sex and the social roles, behaviors, and characteristics associated with either males or females. Class, a social ranking or category that's based on income, financial resources, education, status, and or power. Ability, possession of the capacity requires physical, mental, and psychological capabilities required to do something or get something done. Citizenship, right there, okay, refers to the country in which you have documentation and legal rights as a citizen. In the U.S., having citizenship grants individuals the ability to vote, travel freely within the U.S. and access all kinds of social services. Language, where are you language? Right there, okay. Language gives us access to different social spaces. Language is deeply tied to our culture, politics, and perceptions of different people. And I think this last one, religion, refers to an organized system of beliefs about human existence and the divine. There's a lot of diversity within religious groups too. Most people here are Muslim, but if you look more closely, we'll see that there are many different ways in which people practice and express their Islam. So here's what we're going to do. Hopefully that gives a context of each definition in the category. If it's not clear, you can ask me again. There's no wrong question here. There's no stupid question in this room, okay? Don't ever feel that way. So what I want you all to do is, and this will require you all to get up. I'm sorry, this cannot be done while you're sitting. So, Ken, the first part of this activity is, which category you identify with most on day-to-day basis? As you heard the descriptions, which category do you feel connected with most on day-to-day basis? And you can go ahead and stand next to it. And then we will watch the part B exercise. I'll give you a last couple of seconds if you want to move around, but I'm assuming starting from this gentleman right here all the way to you, we are with religion? Wow, religion. Lots of group. Who would like to tell me why they chose this category? Well, that was the most one that you think on day-to-day basis. Now, I'm going to flip the question. Which category do you think about least on day-to-day basis? Okay, so just to be clear, we've got language, three ladies right here. Gentleman class, right? Gender. Ability status. Honey, we're starting with you all the way. No, okay. So you guys are citizens, right? Okay. Honey, all the way to you. That's where the ability status is ending. Okay, awesome. Alrighty. Okay, so now, same question. Why? Why do you guys chose this category? I'll start with language. That's okay. Alrighty. Who would like to share their thoughts? So, you know, often we think about identity categories with which we struggle the most. Like, if we have to work two jobs to support our families, then our classes are something we get to ignore. And some of you also describe, you know, ways in which an aspect of your identity makes you feel proud and empowered. For the second question, we can see that it's easy to forget about the identity categories where we represent the norm or a more powerful group in society. For example, it's easy to forget about ability, right? And if you have no trouble walking, seeing, hearing, or thinking on a daily base, which category do you think should have been up there or should be added there that I have missed out? Is it any category you all can think of? There's one that's coming to my mind, but yes, honey. Education, okay. There's that one. What about privilege? A special benefit or advantage enjoyed by the members are for more powerful identity groups. Privilege is often invisible to those who possess it. I spoke about gender. That's something I think about on a day-to-day basis. Privilege is something, to be honest, I do forget about. I have family back home. We're not as privileged as I am. I have cousins, distant family, friends. That is something, to be honest. I don't think about very often. And it's something that I should be extremely grateful about because I think in one way or the other, all of us have that, right? In some capacity, whatever we feel like it's the right one, but it's there. So we'll be talking about this concept in more detail in the sessions to come, not in this one, but we'll be unpacking some elements of identity. So next week, when you guys will be back again, we'll be building on some of the themes we touched on today with a new, of course, facilitator. As much as I would love to be with all of you, it will be somebody new, amazing. So as we break down stereotypes, how we experience them, how to recognize them in the media, and the consequences of stereotypes in the world. So we're talking about that in the next session. And with that, as much as I would hate to say, we're almost at time. And I believe lunch is almost here or... Okay. So I want to make sure you guys get fed. But like I said, this was such an honor, really such an honor to be with all of you for this couple of hours only. But I'm really looking forward to what you all will explore in the upcoming session. And hopefully, I'll see you all on the graduation day. It should be nice. Yeah. So thank you everyone so much for your time today. I really appreciate it.