Abeer Tijani, who grew up in Irving, Texas, one of the most varied zip codes in the United States, sought a similar network when he arrived at USC. Watching YouTube videos of USC academics such as Katherout and Justin Escalona, he imagined integrating the USC ecosystem as much as possible without delay and fell in love with the campus on his computer screen. When he took his first steps in Trousdale in his senior year of best school, the first word he thought was at home.
When he implemented in December, he received a full merit scholarship, a circumstance he described as the most productive fate and final results imaginable he could have achieved.
“My best year in high school was in this SAT preparation class, and our first project was to find a dream school and a school we knew we could get into,” Tijani said. “And at that moment, I didn’t know where I was looking to run or anything. But something in me was like, “I think living in California would be great.” I visited UCLA for the first time and my mother liked UCLA, but I thought like, “Hey, that’s good, it’s great.” And then I visited the USC and Array … surely he knew this was where he had to be. “
Now a graduate in global health, Tijani said her college delight, though full of friends and non-public expansion, could not fit into the cliché of educational delight seen in the films. However, Tijani thinks the way he grew up would not have been the same if he had attended college.
Two days after The Murder of George Floyd and amid a world record for racism, Tijani sat in front of a camera and asked his non-black fans to teach themselves, introduce themselves to blacks and “do the right thing” even if it makes you uncomfortable. Gathering the courage to deliver a message that would resonate with his friends and colleagues, he recorded 10 times before posting an IGTV video titled “What I Need You”, a video he also recorded in Spanish. Also aimed at his friends and non-black fans on Instagram, a small network of other people in his personal account at the time, Tijani spoke about the urgency of them interacting in anti-racist efforts through conversations they had with the circle of family and friends. , and also within the communities of which they were a part.
“We want to get out of what we think is comfortable to do what is certainly right,” Tijani said. “I’m a little tired of hearing the queryArray” Why is this happening? “O” I don’t perceive how racism still exists in 2020″ — it’s definitely still alive and well on our faces. We want to move this query to “Why does this continue? “A” What can I do about it? “»
In addition to several Tijani videos calling for a change, he has also used social media to teach his fans to interact in an anti-racist life by exchanging infographics and resources, as well as talking on panels and sharing their writings through IGTV. Through his calls to indict or accuse former undergraduate student government president Truman Fritz and Vice President Rose Ritch, Tijani has a more prominent student leader on campus.
“I think most of the time, with social movements and advocacy, other people feel they can’t really do anything, or I think most of the time we can feel really small when we’re looking to tackle very big problems,” Tijani told me. “However, there comes a time when you are forced to act because anything exacerbates you a lot or impacts you so much, or you have, at least for me, a physical and visceral reaction and you” is something like ‘I don’t understand.’ »
An emigrant from Nigeria at the age of three, Tijani lived in a varied neighborhood and attended a high school with 12% whites. When he arrived at USC, it was a culture shock. Although many describe the campus as varied, 29% of the student structure is white, according to USC’s 2019-2020 “facts and figures.”
Learning barriers
From an early age, Tijani said that his commitment to other people’s empathy and love came from his mother, who, above all, taught Tijani to “see other people as other people … to think of preconceived ideas, expectations or stereotypes.” about how someone deserves to be.” Through his devoted and collectivist cultural education, he also said he had learned to value his community.
“The sense of justice and the struggle for what is right is a basic detail of Islam,” Tijani said. “The way they taught me faith is that we are not the only ones on Earth. We do not share the Earth only with ourselves or our families, and it is certainly vital and imperative that we seek help to raise other oppressed people and let them go from their oppressors.”
Although she believes that the network she grew up in was not sometimes anti-racist, Tijani said she was surrounded by other people from other backgrounds who took her to the stories and cases of others to the most productive of her talents in the afterlife. Years. Life.
“I try to be informed as much as I can about other people’s stories and … helped me talk about disorders through other cultural barriers or cultural circumstances,” he said. “We are much more alike than others … there’s not much to separate us as human beings from one user to another. I’d like other people to see more of that.
Wanting to bond more with the other people around him, Tijani will report in Spanish at the age of 14, so he can talk to one of the mothers of his close friend, an undocumented Mexican immigrant. Spanish is now the third language in which Tijani speaks fluently, in addition to his local Nigerian language, Yoruba and English.
“I told myself that “I’ll be able to be informed of this language this way to talk to [her] and reassure myself,” Tijani said. yourself in some other language and you need power and you need to succeed in that other person.”
Tijani continued to meet other people who encouraged her in college. Wanting to attend law school, Tijani was advised by April Yang, a former Gould Law School student who encouraged her and was someone she could recover from. From his friends on campus to his role models such as hounds Anthony Bourdain and Noor Tagouri, Tijani said he could find the courage and strength when he discovered it was difficult to see it in his.
“All my friends, in their own way, have encouraged me because they are other people with which I know that I can have awkward and dynamic conversations and with which we can question the concepts of others and that we can actually push everyone. others to be bigger. Tijani said. “I think it’s actually vital that you surround yourself, not with other people who will agree with what you have to say, but with other people who will make you a better user, even if it gets older it makes you uncomfortable.”
For Tijani, the most attractive facet of attending college are the friends he made.
“I think they were the clearest example for me of the option of an anti-racist global because I can live in this global every day, thanks to the other people I surround myself with,” says Tijani. “I have friends from all over the world, from other backgrounds and who have traveled so many other paths in life, and they have made me a bigger person, a thousand percent.
Alexis Timko, a third-year student with a major in journalism and law, history and culture, recently met Tijani after watching one of her IGTV videos and asked if she could republish it to her account. Since then, they have collaborated in the creation of a list of movements for Greek organizations. Just getting to know herself for three or four months, Timko said Tijani had taken her to a larger user and was delighted to see the adjustments she will continue to make at USC. According to Timko, Tijani has engaged in his activism efforts without reimbursement, when he deserves not to be convicted as a black woman, adding a panel of Greek life that Tijani summoned in June.
“There are no words that describe all the wonders, intelligence and emotion that Abeer Tijani offers,” Timko said. “It simply makes other people need to think about things they didn’t even know existed, and inspires others to teach themselves and those around them. Abeer, without a doubt, in my opinion, is the greatest extraordinary user I have ever seen. Known. “
Boosting campus responsibility
However, Tijani’s educational delight included awkward moments, such as observing the cyclical trend of public outrage over ongoing acts of racism and social media headlines after the murder of a black person. As accusations were revealed against prominent government leaders on campus amid national discussions about race and ongoing police brutality against blacks, Tijani did not begin making easy adjustments on campus.
Anonymous submissions to the page @black_at_usc, an Instagram account that stores unpublished stories of black Trojans, claiming that Fritz made racist and microaggressive comments opposed to black students. Shortly after the messages were transmitted, Tijani created and circulated a petition calling for his resignation from the United States government. Following Fritz and Ritch’s lack of response, Tijani filed a formal complaint against them a few days later, on 1 July. After the report and the greatest student pressure, Fritz resigned in early July. Ritch resigned on August 5.
During her efforts to call for Fritz and Ritch’s political judgment, Tijani consulted with Jaya Hinton, co-executive director of the Black Students Assembly, to learn about U.S. government regulations related to the political trial procedure, as BSA is an organization under the aegis of the Student Government. As Tijani’s casual adviser, Hinton spoke to her several times a day to help her perceive the culture and distribution of the United States government. Hinton said she admired Tijani’s determination and leadership in solving the problems she’s worried about and inspired her through what Tijani has achieved.
“I know a lot of other black people [they turned to her] to find out what they thought their next move was going to be,” said Hinton, a young man in business administration. “He wasn’t arrogant about it … She was looking to improve the school.”
Two days after Ritch’s resignation, Tijani’s social media posts were inundated by harassment of Zionist accounts accusing him of anti-Semitism because of his efforts in Ritch’s political trial process. Although he did not call for Ritch’s dismissal because of his Jewish and Zionist identity, Tijani apologized to pro-Israeli scholars for any damage he may have caused by concentrating on Palestinian considerations and condemned anti-Semitic attacks on Ritch on an Instagram on 27 June. In addition, he published an IGTV on July 7, the same day Fritz resigned, urging academics to focus their power on learning of allegations of racism and micro-aggression that opposed him rather than resorting to bullying.
“I would like to reiterate, once again, that the accusations underlying my calls for political judgment basically concerned microagresions perpetrated through our former president as opposed to some of his [black, indigenous and colored voters], as evidenced through anonymously shared stories. on the Instagram page @black_at_usc, ” wrote Tijani in the statement of August 6, reaffirming his image procedure reflected in his calls for political judgment. “I also called for the dismissal of our vice president, bringing out her inability to protect or take action to help [black, Aboriginal, and colored scholars] at USC as evidence of her complicity in the president’s racially insensitive behavior. difference between discreet compliance and particular approval and I have taken great care to avoid accusing Rose of the latter.
In his statement, Tijani presses the need for an inclusive, non-discriminatory campus that serves all academics regardless of their identity and beliefs.
“In this vision of USC, we are vigilant and protective scholars like Rose who have been persecuted for their ideals and identity, as we diligently integrate nuances and empathy into our understanding of others and our calls to change, leaving no need for these scholars to be wrong scapegoats and leave them to their fate,” Tija wrote. “At the same time, if Rose had spoken out in favor of the black network at USC with the conviction and zeal with which she was so quick to protect herself and her own network, one can only believe how different this scenario could have been. . Array »
At the time of publication, Ritch made some public comment on the doxing and attacks of the pro-Israeli publications that Tijani received.
In its declaration of solidarity with Tijani on 13 August, the BSA reiterated the reasoning of the political trial process, denouncing President Carol Folt for confusing anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, ignoring the anti-black habit that led to calls to political trial and failed to strengthen and protect black and Palestinian students.
“The manipulation of this context [anti-blackness], The victimization of Truman and the martyrdom of Rose that followed have alienated our movement and focused whiteness in the midst of everything,” he reads. “It’s anti-black. This brilliant manifestation of white privilege and bragging contempt for black scholars and black voices has become very evident in the treatment of Abeer Tijani.
Ramata Franklin, an elderly user who studies global health, NGOs and social replacement while pursuing a master’s degree in public health, and friend of Tijani’s, in an article on 8 August, asked the University to include an audience in Tijani’s aid, stating that her Misinterpretation of the occasions that led to Fritz and Ritch’s impeachment caused Tijani and the marginalized students to impeach.
“This letter has led to the avoidance of Abeer’s efforts to denounce injustices; encouraged others to attribute their defense of marginalized academics to Rose’s ad hominem attacks,” Franklin wrote. “False narratives that discredit and forget Abeer’s activism have been used through trolls and thugs to harass and dehumanize her virtually online.”
USC has not yet issued a Tijani of explicit support at the time of publication. A note by Vice President of Student Affairs Winston Crisp and the Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life that Dr. Varun Soni sent on August 24 made an indistinct reference to online harassment and doxxing without just giving up the harassment that opposed her.
Since the beginning of the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, Tijani said the motion had revealed systemic flaws that were not addressed by Americans and institutions, such as racist histories and ideologies. He also said the motion had included the duty of those in power, such as student leaders and campuses, if they do not meet the criteria of excellence that an anti-racist society must have. Tijani expects others to continue exercising their right to protest and make requests to call on leaders to act.
“There are many other people who unconsciously have the idea that “[I] do not discriminate”, yet other people are starting to be really informed and perceive and seek to recognize all the other faces that discrimination can take,” Tijani said. “And that’s why, I think other people have reorganized the spaces they occupy on campus.”
As a user who also attracted public attention because of the attention received by her activism efforts, Tijani said she also sought to harness the weight of her words and have a more intentional form of empathy by inciting action for a specific cause. productive and sustainable. While such conversations would possibly uncomfortable others, he said he thought they were mandatory to make the replacement within establishments such as USC and society at large.
“I don’t think anything smart is easy,” he said, “and I don’t think anything will be done that dismantles the deep-seated systems of racism that exist in our university and beyond in the genuine global world.” we think it’s less difficult or comforting.
As one of the student leaders calling for a systemic replacement on campus, Tijani said the procedure made her uncomfortable and may only find her chances of finding a task or a university. As he presses for responsibility within the U.S. government and its leaders and informs others about racism against blacks, the biggest fight he has faced is to balance his intellectual health.
“I think I’m talking about the mental effects racism can have on you, and that’s what they convey to me,” Tijani said. “By talking, engaging, educating and informing people, I also relive my own traumas simultaneously, but I don’t have as much area and grace to succeed on that.”
Tijani said her efforts had led others to see her as a “face of activism at USC” and turn to her to locate an address. However, she said she and other leaders on campus and across the country are not the only people communities turn to for recommendations and inspire others to get involved.
“People want to perceive that we can’t rely on some other people to use everything. Eventually, those other people will be exhausted and want to pass because they’re all human,” Tijani said. “So it’s just a question of where I can contribute. And how can I use my own talents and skills to bring the legacy of these paintings or start my own business?”
It also encourages academics who are lately concerned about the Black Lives Matter motion, who revel in fatigue, anxiety or exhaustion, not to force themselves to do everything, but also to be complicit in racism.
“I think you have to be ready to give yourself as much constructive grace as possible,” Tijani said. “I think critical grace makes you perceive that you can’t do everything and that you’re not going to do everything right and you’re” he’s going to do a lot of things wrong, yet it drives him into action and allows him to stay under control so he doesn’t become complicit.
An ongoing commitment to Black Lives Matters and other reasons that activist students and Tijani have presented deserve not to take the form of a fleeting moment, a repetition or in an area where there will be no dissent, he not urged.
“If you’re in a club and you’ve republished your club on Black Lives Matter, or if you personally think you believe in Black Lives Matter, you want to sit down with yourself and perceive the seriousness of your words, and perceive that Black Lives Matter is not conditional, and that shouldn’t come through its ease and convenience.” Tijani said. “Isn’t it? For example, there will be many privileges that will have to be sacrificed to be in fact anti-racist. If you find yourself saying that Black Lives Matter, however, [acting accordingly] only in cases where you’re sure you’re comfortable, I don’t think you’ll sense the weight of what you promise.”
Imagine a “new USC”
While Tijani believes there is a “new USC” in the paintings, she may not be one of the academics who sees the culmination of the paintings of existing and former activists.
“I see the beginnings of this new USC, yet there is a long way to go before this new USC can come to fruition,” Tijani said. “However, this USC is one where anti-racism is a staple in all aspects of student, educational and administrative life. It is not indifferent in terms of how we think, how we interact with each other and how we hold each other responsible. »
Tijani sees the long term of the University as a position where the delight of students is based on respect and where [everyone in the community] feels comfortable.
“I need to be back in 20 years. And if my kids need to move on to USC, I shouldn’t hesitate to say “yes,” Tijani said. ‘I shouldn’t hesitate to say, ‘I know it’s someone else because we’ve been running to lay the groundwork for it to be a USC that [I haven’t] experienced, but I should probably do it.'”
While the country’s universities have begun to make small adjustments on their campuses, establishments like USC want to deal with their complicity in racism against blacks, Tijani said. He also said that lately it was successful for establishments to worry about blacks due to the rise in popularity of Black LIves Matter events, adding a marketing component to the motion to have a fundamental empathy for people.
In her senior year as a college student, Tijani said her purpose was not to achieve a replacement for her, but for new academics who looked like her.
“I think of the awkward times I’ve been through or the moments when [I felt small and don’t need [a new student] to feel that way because I don’t think [he] deserves to feel it that way, and [they] certainly don’t deserve to be made to feel that way,” Tijani said. “I think all we can do now … to make everyone as comfortable as possible, it’s definitely necessary.
For academics who are contemplating and looking to make a difference on campus, Tijani said she was proud that they chose to do so, because taking action requires courage and courage. Encourage academics to participate in their cause, even if they don’t get immediate support.
“If you think it’s the fact and that it’s justice, that’s all you’ll surely want to get you up and running and …” If your cause is smart and your paintings are smart, other people will get it started by validating that, “Tijani said.” In the end, other people will come and help you. And realize you don’t have to do it all by yourself. But sometimes, like, you just have to be the one to get going … doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be the one to finish it. “
It turns out that many USC academics returning to off-campus housing have chosen to prioritize social capital over social distance.
Upon entering her senior year, Tijani will perform a replacement on campus, not for her, but for academics attending college after her.
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