Wednesday, March 30, 2016

MAPLEWOODIAN OLYMPIC FENCER GETS NEW YORKER ATTENTION

Photo: New Yorker
We told you last month about Maplewoodian fencer and Columbia High School graduate Ibtihaj Muhammad making the 2016 U.S. Olympic team.

Now her fame and ability have caught the attention of The New Yorker, which published a great piece on her this month. It not only notes her success but also her groundbreaking placement on the team as a Muslim and the first Olympian to wear a hijab, or Muslim head dress.

It states, in part:

Her achievements have not eased the challenges. “I’ve flown to domestic competitions,” Muhammad said, “and T.S.A. agents at airports have spoken to me in demeaning ways, as if I’m foreign, because I wear hijab: ‘Do—you—speak—English?’
“How do people like this exist?” she asked, more in disbelief than in anger. “I’m productive, educated, and representing my country at the Olympics, but they question where I belong.” She continued, “People regularly avoid eye contact. Imagine walking into a room and someone avoids looking at you. As a religious and ethnic minority, I never know what the hangup is. It happens all the time. It’s the norm.”

See the entire story HERE.