Personal Narrative-Racism

History is said to repeat itself, but in my opinion that theory is an easy out. It is an easy way to excuse inexcusable behavior. It’s a way for the common person to justify their unwillingness to change for the better.

I once sat down with my Palestinian-born grandmother and inquired about her life as a child. I had always been aware that she was not a natural-born American citizen, and I was intrigued by her upbringing and how exactly she ended up in Cleveland, Ohio. As the conversation developed I found there were details that stuck out to me more than others. As a child, my grandmother wanted to learn English so that if she ever came over to the United States she would not be questioned by other citizens in regards to the authenticity of her citizenship. She also explained to me that she had a rather difficult time securing the correct paperwork and necessary legal components to obtain her citizenship.

Her store was very important to her identity because it was her version of the American dream. As a Muslim, she wore a hijab (head veil) as part of her faith. Her hijab was always present and this included when she was in her store. After the tragedies of 9/11 people started to boycott her store. If they entered the store they would refer to her as a terrorist and a traitor to the country. As a Palestinian-American, she was faced with racism and bigotry which she described as painful to her heart. I vowed from that day on to dedicate my life to ending discrimination and racism from the legal