I am not like the rest

Rabia Syed
Ann Arbor, MI
Understanding Race Project- University of Michigan

These six words represent how I feel about myself when people make assumptions as to the kind of person that I am. Being brown and Muslim makes me easy to lump with a large number of people, whom I do not necessarily see myself being similar to. When people see me and assume that any positive intellect that I have is due to my skin color, and any negative behaviors I have are due to my religion, it makes me feel like I am not an individual. This grouping, and any generalizations made for people is the reason that there is so much discrimination and assumptions. ‘I am not like the rest’ of the people that may look like me. ‘I am not like the rest’ of the people that talk like me. ‘I am not like the rest’ of the people that dress like me. I am my own person and I make my own choices.