What is your first name, occupation, and roles you most identify with? Rania, daughter, sister, trusted friend, and financial advisor.
What is the most positive thing about being a woman now? That anything feels possible! We are in the era of mini computers in our purses, self-driving cars and rockets to the moon. Equality for women is clearly not out of the possibility of our human abilities.
When did you first notice that society treated men and women differently? I noticed this difference at six years old. I have a distinct memory of chasing my brother in a church; he ran onto the alter past a set of big doors. Being the younger sibling and determined to catch him, I followed. I was quickly pulled back and harshly scolded. When I said that I was chasing my brother who was beyond the alter doors my reply was dismissed, and it was reiterated that girls were not allowed on the alter. At that young age, I knew there was a lack of equality in the world, and as I grew, I continued to watch how society treated us differently.
How do you maintain resilience in tough times? Knowing that we owe it to the next generation and the one after to continue to push forward and do our part in continuing to make change.
Why do you think past movements haven‘t moved the needle for women? Or have they? I believe past movements have moved the needle. There was the women’s suffrage movement that gave women the right to vote in 1920. In the 1970s, women were awarded the right to apply for credit cards separate from their husbands. Over the years, women continue to pursue higher education at a more rapid pace than men; they are pursuing their dreams in having careers as doctors, lawyers, law enforcement officers and other professions. There is much work that lays ahead but we cannot deny that progress has been made.
Do you think the current movement will be the one to change things for future generations? Absolutely! I’m an optimist at heart and each generation has the opportunity to change things for the next. I see women opening doors and holding them open for other women to walk through. We are giving women around us a chance to reach their full potential. I am hopeful that we are working towards a time when women don’t need an assist from other women but rather the door has been held open with a figurative doorstop.
What needs to happen for us to move forward? Engage men in the conversation and make space for them. This isn’t a women against men or the world, this is women and men coming together to equalize. Each person is to be treated equally and afforded the same opportunities.
I believe that women need to feel confident that there is enough space for more than one woman on the team, whether it’s on a board or on an executive team. Every woman has a seat at the table. I admire the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who, when asked at what point there would be enough women on the Supreme Court bench replied: “when there are nine.”
What can men do to make it better for women? Speak up when they see other men talking or treating women unequally. It may not be the most comfortable thing to do but men are as responsible as women to create equality. This is a unifying cause.
Were there any influences (people, art, books, songs, movies) you found growing up that inspired or drove you? Given that I have the same birthday as Martin Luther King, Jr. I have always been drawn to his life work. The simplicity of his “I have a dream” speech pulls you out of what is real to what is possible. The speech gives listeners the opportunity to dream along with him. In many ways, I think my desire for equality is my personal dream of how the world can be and will be as we get more individuals to dream along and take the small and steady steps to make progress.
An individual in my world that inspired me is my aunt Rita. At a young age, I knew she was different than my other aunts; she would share pictures of her travels and tell stories of her adventures. She was married but chose not to have children, which was unheard of in the Middle Eastern household I grew up in. She continues to be adamant about her beliefs and fearless in speaking up. To this day, she still inspires me.
Why do you vote? My mother immigrated to the U.S. from the Middle East when I was two and my brother was five. She did it because she valued the opportunities America offered. When she arrived, she endured the eight-year naturalization process so we could be Americans, with all the liberties that came with, including the right to vote.
At 21, I started a career in civil service working for the Department of Justice. I saw firsthand how much power elected officials had; they could shine a spotlight on which crimes to investigate, which to prosecute, and which to deprioritize. It was eye opening!
We contribute every day to our local, state, and federal governments as tax paying citizens. These dollars shape our day-to-day lives, the communities we live in, and the future of our country. This is why voting matters, even in nationwide elections like the presidency. Whether we step into a voting booth every four years or not at all, people will be elected, and they will make choices with the money we give them.
At the end of the day, voting to me is so much more than having a voice or choice over how my hard-earned tax dollars are spent, it honors my mother’s courage and her journey to give me the opportunity.