“Can You Hear Us Now” (Panel)

Can You Hear Us Now? What is it like being a Muslim in America? How are our opportunities different being a Muslim and woman? Join us for our panel discussion, and dive into a video of a spoken word poem written and performed by a young Muslim woman named, Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan. In her poem she speaks of what it is like being a Muslim woman who wears the hijab in the 21st century, she speaks on the constant pressure that not only hijab wearing Muslim women face, but any identity that does not conform to this picture painted with one brush on how everyone should be. Followed by an introduction of each panel member and their hijab stories. Lastly, the panelists will talk about being Muslim in the Brockport community, and on campus as a whole. To conclude we will be opening up the floor for questions and comments. We want our audience to have the desire to want to educate themselves, and would like them to walk away being more comfortable around individuals that they do not identify with, as well as, initiating conversations that are outside their comfort zone with people from a different identity then them. GOAL/OUTCOME #1 For the participants to be receptive of identities they don’t identify with. GOAL/OUTCOME #2 A desire to want to educate themselves on things they weren’t open to learning about prior to this discussion. GOAL/OUTCOME #3 Initiating conversations that are outside their comfort zone with people from a different identity than them