WE ARE AUTOMATICALLY LOOKED AT DIFFERENTLY

Iwas born in Los Angeles to an Arab Jordanian father and an Iranian mother and, in 2006, we moved to San Diego. I grew up in a neighborhood where mine was the only Middle Eastern family and I was always the one of the very few students of Arab or Iranian descent in my schools. As I have gotten older and explored different facets of my identity and upbringing, I have seen and experienced a starkly different version of Middle Eastern culture and heritage compared to the images put out by the media which only focus on the violence and trauma of this region in the world.

My dad says the reaction to our identity always varies upon the time and political atmosphere. When asked where he is from, he sometimes senses a feeling of disappointment in his conversation companion. He, and even I, have noticed that when there is a bombing or terror attack somewhere in the world, we get strange looks the next day at school or at work. We are often viewed with eyes of suspicion. My mom’s experience is related more to

Al-naser is a senior at Francis Parker School and lives in Del Cerro. her nationality as Iranian. She moved to the United States in 1982, a time when Iranians were generally viewed negatively, and even today, still are. Even with her American passport, she has noticed that once the officer at the airport sees her country of birth, she is automatically looked at differently. Although she is a naturalized citizen, she still often wonders whether this will pose an issue. When she went to vote in the primaries, she was asked to fill out her country of birth and she couldn’t help but think, “Ugh, here we go again.” My uncle was living in Long Island when 9/11 happened. My mom distinctly recalls telling my dad that his brother should keep a low profile and avoid engaging in any discussions regarding the attack. Although they were as horrified as anyone else about the event, they felt they had to keep quiet to avoid potential backlash.

Growing up, I have always known I was culturally different from most of my peers at school. When I first started elementary school, I did not speak much English because it made me uncomfortable. My mom always spoke to me in Farsi even in public and in school. She would translate into

NANCEE E. LEWIS