Author: Alba Ibraj
When I was a little girl, I was afraid to speak up. I lived with it under the guise of shyness, but I knew that shyness stemmed from knowing I was different. Sometimes, I confused words from my native tongue with English words. Sometimes, I would pack my lunch box with foods the other classmates thought were odd. Sometimes, my cheeks turned red during the long, dreaded pause that indicated my name was next on the attendance sheet but my teacher didn’t know how to pronounce my name.
There are so many things I wish I could go back in time to tell that little girl who was too embarrassed to hear her own name being read out loud - but the most important thing is that the world needs to hear that girl's voice. I wrote this open letter with that girl in mind. Wherever you may be in the world, and wherever your country of origin is, as daughters of immigrants, we are unified in an unbreakable bond of knowledge, experiences, and passions that the world desperately needs to hear.
Dear Immigrant Girls,
Your voice and perspective are CRITICALLY needed. Do not worry about the way you pronounce your words, or the way your voice trembles, or how you may look different from everyone else in the room. The things that make you different are the reasons it is even more critical that the world hears your perspective.
You are allowed to be passionate about anything that ignites you. You are allowed to advocate for girls back in your native country. You are allowed to advocate for girls in your current country. Quite frankly, you are allowed to advocate for anything that fuels your passion.
You do not have to be embarrassed or ashamed of where you come from. Some of us come from parts of the world where regimes intentionally attempt to silence women and girls. Sometimes, the societies in which we reside use these shortcomings as fuel for xenophobia and bigotry against us. Do NOT feel shame for where you come from. Do not feel shame for desiring to make it better. Diaspora communities of the world play an essential role in elevating the voices of others who cannot speak out.
Elevate the voices of others; elevate the voices of other immigrant girls, elevate the voices of girls in your home country, elevate the voices of friends in your life with different backgrounds and life experiences from you. The battle for universal human rights such as education and gender equality is a borderless one.
Choose your advocacy method, and help make it accessible to other girls. We all have the ability to be an advocate. Whether it is by speaking up in class, posting on social media, or attending protests. The advocacy space can sometimes feel large and overwhelming, so focus on building community with other fellow advocates. Organizations such as She’s the First can greatly help amplify your voice and connect you with resources to be a strong advocate, in whichever space you choose.
Alba Ibraj, 22, is an advocate, writer, and first-generation American. While studying at the University of Michigan, she interned at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, where she learned about the disproportionate impact that violent conflict has on women and girls. She advocates for the voices of children and youth to be included in policy-making and peace-building decisions.
Header image by Louis Hansel.