United States of America
Attiya Latif is a third-year Jefferson Scholar at the University of Virginia. Originally from Maryland, Attiya is majoring in Political and Social Thought with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies. Attiya is a TEDx speaker on women's rights and the hijab, as well as a contributor to the Huffington Post. At UVA, Attiya is Chair of the Minority Rights Coalition, Chair of the Eliminate the Hate Campaign, Chair of World Hijab Day, Ambassador for the Middle Eastern Leadership Council, a recipient of the two-year Meriwether Lewis Fellowship, and an intern at both the UVA IDEA Fund and the UVA Center for Politics, run by esteemed Professor Larry Sabato. Attiya is passionate about voting rights and the rate of hate crimes against Muslims in the United States, and has conducted extensive research on the effects of Islamophobia on the voting rates of American Muslims. She hopes to write her thesis on the aforementioned topic. After graduation, Attiya hopes to attend law-school.
At 9 p.m. Friday, the lights in Ern Commons dimmed and the loud chatter became a hush as the culminating event of Black Culture Week was set to begin. The poetry slam, "A Tribute To Our Stars," showcased the talent and passion poets from B.E.A.T.S., or the Black Expression Awareness and Thought Society, and Nauhtal, an award winning slam team from Virginia Commonwealth University.
An air of solidarity and compassion filled the room as University student poets and singers shared their perspectives in the Voices For Empowerment open mic night Tuesday.Queer and Allied Activism organized this event together with the University's Global Health Week as a means to facilitate conversation about mental health issues and resources on Grounds, as well as to promote creative self-expression by University students.
Life as a Muslim growing up in a post-9/11 society has been far from easy. Our religion has been co-opted by both radical terror groups and politicians alike, all of whom contribute to rhetoric that claims Islam is intrinsically opposed to Western values.
When Kendall Jenner decides to wear pants with a dress, she makes a statement about the way modest apparel, and indeed cultural dress in general, is perceived based upon the wearer. A brief scroll through my facebook feed the other day brought me to a post about Kendall Jenner in her latest round of "fashion pioneering."Consistency doesn't count for everything, but it sure counts for a whole lot.
Sandra Bland was twenty-eight years old, young, with a bright smile and an even brighter future. She was headed to Texas to begin a new job at her alma mater, Texas Prairie View A&M, working in student outreach. On July 10th, she was arrested. On July 13th, she was found dead in a jail cell.
Two years ago, I attended a mock-government conference that changed my life. After spending months crafting legislation, running for the office of Senator in a mock election, and preparing myself to represent Maryland at the Girl's Nation civic program, I found myself standing before a group of empowered young women who had decided that I was fit to be their President and the representative of every branch of the National and State programs created by the American Legion Auxiliary.
At the Democratic National Convention last week, American Muslim Khizr Khan, father of fallen U.S. soldier, Capt. Humayun Khan, gave a powerful speech criticizing Donald Trump. Khan spoke of his family's unwavering patriotism in light of their son's service in the 2004 Iraq War.