[Music]
the music blasting through my headphones
on the subway comes from lands that
might seem foreign and dangerous to you
but it’s actually my heart’s true home
armor Diab is my favorite singer the
exotic foods that you now love to eat or
what I was once made fun of for bringing
to lunch in elementary school
suddenly Hermosa is interesting in paleo
the beautifully intricate red and black
designs on your festival clothing or a
product of my appropriated heritage
becoming mainstream without proper
recognition
it’s called Tiffany’s and I’d bet that I
most likely have more in common with a
woman wearing a brightly colored
headscarf than I do with the average
woman who looks like me here in my own
country even though I don’t wear hijab
looking at me I bet you didn’t know that
I take more of an interest in politics
than I do in fashion because my entire
existence is political I cannot tell you
who I am without the conversation
becoming uncomfortable for someone oh
you’re Arab why are you white you’re a
feminist man-hating baby-killer
oh you’re Muslim tell me everything you
know about Isis everything I know about
Isis
I blend in well when people ask me where
I’m from I know that they’re expecting a
short answer but I always find myself
fumbling over my words trying to come up
with a quick explanation of well my
family is from Palestine but my
grandfather moved to Brazil accidentally
so my grandmother on my dad’s side is
Brazilian and my mom was born in Jordan
but I guess I’m from New Jersey and
that’s usually cut short by me having to
explain what Palestine is and where it
is on the map you see growing up I never
fit in I’ve been carrying multiple
identities with me through life but I’ve
never been enough of any of them to be
considered whole or a part of any one
community not speaking Arabic well I
meant not fitting in with the Arab
community here in New Jersey didn’t
matter that I could roll you a thousand
grape leaves faster than a walk-off laka
can roll whatever he rolls or that I’ve
perfected my tea making skills even
though I felt Arab enough something was
missing for everyone else being latina
the Brazilian Way meant not fitting in
with the spanish-speaking community
either not covering my hair not praying
five times a day and having enough
dating experience to write the next set
of Bridget Jones movie scripts meant not
being Muslim enough for the community
that I’ve been in a constant love-hate
relationship with an American I am
forever a hyphenated person here a third
culture kid if you will someone raised
with the beliefs and traditions of their
family’s place of origin but
geographically removed from that
homeland and placed in a region of the
world often with conflicting views all
of my identities today are being
challenged by the political climate and
with the immense pressure from society
for people like me to either conform or
get out it is more important than ever
that we acknowledge protect and take
pride in our identities looking back on
everything today I guess it wasn’t so
bad not fitting in although my childhood
was filled with periods of loneliness
and
fusion and some ridiculous internal
struggle because I couldn’t decide who I
want it to be at 13 so I think I turned
out to be a pretty decent human being my
family also think so but I could totally
just be because someone wants to marry
me but it’s because of this lifelong
identity crisis that I find myself in
the position I’m in today here I’m the
TEDx stage talking to you about what it
was like being a confused kid but also
being able to tell you about how much I
loved every part of who I am today and
it’s why I was able to gather up a small
army of like-minded women not a real
army just in case anyone is from
homeland security here and created an
online platform for the people who are
sick of being told who they can and
cannot be and that platform has now
become a global virtual home for third
culture kids in the hyphenated the
online platform is Muslim is a product
of my just struggle to discover who I am
and today this Muslim prize itself on
being a safe space for those who are
struggling to discover who they are
those who have always been never enough
for everyone else but more than enough
for themselves and are demanding that
their voices and their stories be heard
pushing back against your true identity
or only trying to identify with small
pieces of what you believe will be
accepted by everyone else is doing a
disservice with a beautifully complex
and whole person that you can be too
often hyphenated people minorities and
people of color are met with racism
bigotry and claims of you’re not welcome
here when we dare to embrace our true
selves just to remember that those
people who try to silence us censor us
or remove us from the conversation are
only threatened by the power that they
know that lies within those of us who
are strong enough to embrace our
identities and refuse to conform so be
you that’s opposed as they vu
all of you and be proud thank you
[Music]
[Applause]
the music blasting through my headphones
on the subway comes from lands that
might seem foreign and dangerous to you
but it’s actually my heart’s true home
armor Diab is my favorite singer the
exotic foods that you now love to eat or
what I was once made fun of for bringing
to lunch in elementary school
suddenly Hermosa is interesting in paleo
the beautifully intricate red and black
designs on your festival clothing or a
product of my appropriated heritage
becoming mainstream without proper
recognition
it’s called Tiffany’s and I’d bet that I
most likely have more in common with a
woman wearing a brightly colored
headscarf than I do with the average
woman who looks like me here in my own
country even though I don’t wear hijab
looking at me I bet you didn’t know that
I take more of an interest in politics
than I do in fashion because my entire
existence is political I cannot tell you
who I am without the conversation
becoming uncomfortable for someone oh
you’re Arab why are you white you’re a
feminist man-hating baby-killer
oh you’re Muslim tell me everything you
know about Isis everything I know about
Isis
I blend in well when people ask me where
I’m from I know that they’re expecting a
short answer but I always find myself
fumbling over my words trying to come up
with a quick explanation of well my
family is from Palestine but my
grandfather moved to Brazil accidentally
so my grandmother on my dad’s side is
Brazilian and my mom was born in Jordan
but I guess I’m from New Jersey and
that’s usually cut short by me having to
explain what Palestine is and where it
is on the map you see growing up I never
fit in I’ve been carrying multiple
identities with me through life but I’ve
never been enough of any of them to be
considered whole or a part of any one
community not speaking Arabic well I
meant not fitting in with the Arab
community here in New Jersey didn’t
matter that I could roll you a thousand
grape leaves faster than a walk-off laka
can roll whatever he rolls or that I’ve
perfected my tea making skills even
though I felt Arab enough something was
missing for everyone else being latina
the Brazilian Way meant not fitting in
with the spanish-speaking community
either not covering my hair not praying
five times a day and having enough
dating experience to write the next set
of Bridget Jones movie scripts meant not
being Muslim enough for the community
that I’ve been in a constant love-hate
relationship with an American I am
forever a hyphenated person here a third
culture kid if you will someone raised
with the beliefs and traditions of their
family’s place of origin but
geographically removed from that
homeland and placed in a region of the
world often with conflicting views all
of my identities today are being
challenged by the political climate and
with the immense pressure from society
for people like me to either conform or
get out it is more important than ever
that we acknowledge protect and take
pride in our identities looking back on
everything today I guess it wasn’t so
bad not fitting in although my childhood
was filled with periods of loneliness
and
fusion and some ridiculous internal
struggle because I couldn’t decide who I
want it to be at 13 so I think I turned
out to be a pretty decent human being my
family also think so but I could totally
just be because someone wants to marry
me but it’s because of this lifelong
identity crisis that I find myself in
the position I’m in today here I’m the
TEDx stage talking to you about what it
was like being a confused kid but also
being able to tell you about how much I
loved every part of who I am today and
it’s why I was able to gather up a small
army of like-minded women not a real
army just in case anyone is from
homeland security here and created an
online platform for the people who are
sick of being told who they can and
cannot be and that platform has now
become a global virtual home for third
culture kids in the hyphenated the
online platform is Muslim is a product
of my just struggle to discover who I am
and today this Muslim prize itself on
being a safe space for those who are
struggling to discover who they are
those who have always been never enough
for everyone else but more than enough
for themselves and are demanding that
their voices and their stories be heard
pushing back against your true identity
or only trying to identify with small
pieces of what you believe will be
accepted by everyone else is doing a
disservice with a beautifully complex
and whole person that you can be too
often hyphenated people minorities and
people of color are met with racism
bigotry and claims of you’re not welcome
here when we dare to embrace our true
selves just to remember that those
people who try to silence us censor us
or remove us from the conversation are
only threatened by the power that they
know that lies within those of us who
are strong enough to embrace our
identities and refuse to conform so be
you that’s opposed as they vu
all of you and be proud thank you
[Music]
[Applause]
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