EMAN KHATRI, 18

Eman Khatri is a Pakistani, Muslim American activist from Alameda, California. Last year, she started a Muslim Student Association at her high school because she saw the crucial need to amplify the Muslim community's voice. Later that year, when a student threatened to shoot Muslim students, Khatri knew how important it was to be an advocate. She worked with her high school to introduce new curriculum, adding three new books to the system.

Khatri has also worked to organize a lunch event to educate and discuss the rise of Islamophobia. At her high school, she has worked as Co-President of Girl Up, a United Nations Foundation, to organize toiletry drives and fundraisers for girls education to ensure that women everywhere are given the resources they need to succeed. In 2017, she had the honor of interning at Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s District Office where she wrote a research paper about women in congress and learned about constituent services. In the summer of 2018, Khatri traveled to Washing D.C. for the Girl Up Leadership Summit where she lobbied at the Capitol.

Khatri hopes to study international relations with a focus in political science. She will continue her activism work in college, and hopes to one day be a Congresswoman.

Enough

by Eman Khatri

Person:

Your skin is too dark

Me:

Too dark?!

Not white enough

Not blonde enough

Not perfect enough

How can I be who I want to be when all I hear are these echoes

I can feel my confidence shattering around me

Dreams of who I can be are defined by white women I see around me

Person:

Asian women are docile.

Me:

Docile?!

Not strong enough

Not powerful enough

Not perfect enough

I don’t understand why I can scream and shout and not be heard

Dreams of who I want to be are restricted by the views society has shown me

But I know I can shatter stereotypes around me

Person:

Muslims are terrorists and Sharia Law is taking over.

Me:

Taking Over?!

The only thing that’s taking over is my

Anxiety and fears

My Disappointment and Shame

Words curling and steaming around me

Every word creates another tear in the very fabric of what makes us human

Every word creates another doubt in what it means to be a part of this society

So OPEN your ears to the words

The screams

The shouts

The echoes

(pause)

And make it count