TED Salon Doha Debates
Rana Abdelhamid: 3 lessons on starting a movement from a self-defense trailblazer
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At 16, Rana Abdelhamid started teaching self-defense to women and girls in her neighborhood. Almost 10 years later, these community classes have grown into Malikah: a global grassroots network creating safety, power and solidarity for all women. How did she do it? Abdelhamid shares three ingredients for building a movement from the ground up.
Rana Abdelhamid - Community organizer, entrepreneur
Rana Abdelhamid is an internationally acclaimed community organizer, first-degree black belt, public speaker and social entrepreneur focused on mass mobilization, international solidarity and the empowerment of marginalized communities. Full bio
Rana Abdelhamid is an internationally acclaimed community organizer, first-degree black belt, public speaker and social entrepreneur focused on mass mobilization, international solidarity and the empowerment of marginalized communities. Full bio
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00:12
So my story starts on July 4, 1992,
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the day my mother followed
her college sweetheart
her college sweetheart
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to New York City from Egypt.
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As fireworks exploded behind the skyline,
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my father looked
at my mother jokingly and said,
at my mother jokingly and said,
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"Look, habibti,
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Americans are celebrating your arrival."
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(Laughter)
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Unfortunately, it didn't feel
much like a celebration
much like a celebration
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when, growing up, my mother and I
would wander past Queens
would wander past Queens
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into New York City streets,
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and my mother with her hijab
and long flowy dresses
and long flowy dresses
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would tighten her hand
around my small fingers
around my small fingers
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as she stood up
against weathered comments like,
against weathered comments like,
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"Go back to where you came from,"
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"Learn English,"
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"Stupid immigrant."
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These words were meant
to make us feel unsafe, insecure
to make us feel unsafe, insecure
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in our own neighborhoods, in our own skin.
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But it was these same streets
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that made me fall in love with New York.
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01:09
Queens is one of the most
diverse places in the world,
diverse places in the world,
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with immigrant parents
holding stories that always start
holding stories that always start
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with something between three
and 15 dollars in a pocket,
and 15 dollars in a pocket,
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a voyage across a vast sea
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and a cash-only hustle
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sheltering families
in jam-packed, busted apartments.
in jam-packed, busted apartments.
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And it was these same families
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that worked so hard to make sure
that we had safe microcommunities --
that we had safe microcommunities --
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we, as immigrant children,
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to feel affirmed and loved
in our identities.
in our identities.
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But it was mostly the women.
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And these women are the reason why,
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regardless of these statements
that my mom faced,
that my mom faced,
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she remained unapologetic.
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And these women were
some of the most powerful women
some of the most powerful women
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I have ever met in my entire life.
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I mean, they had networks for everything.
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They had rotations
for who watched whose kids when,
for who watched whose kids when,
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for saving extra cash,
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for throwing belly dance parties
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and memorizing Koran and learning English.
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And they would collect small gold tokens
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to fundraise for the local mosque.
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02:13
And it was these same women,
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when I decided to wear my hijab,
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who supported me through it.
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And when I was bullied for being Muslim,
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I always felt like I had an army
of unapologetic North African aunties
of unapologetic North African aunties
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who had my back.
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And so every morning at 15,
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I would wake up
and stand in front of a mirror,
and stand in front of a mirror,
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and wrap beautiful
bright silk around my head
bright silk around my head
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the way my mother does
and my grandmother did.
and my grandmother did.
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02:39
And one day that summer 2009,
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I stepped out into
the streets of New York City
the streets of New York City
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on my way to volunteer
at a domestic violence organization
at a domestic violence organization
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that a woman in
my neighborhood had started.
my neighborhood had started.
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And I remember at that moment
I felt a yank at the back of my head.
I felt a yank at the back of my head.
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Then someone pulled and grabbed me,
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trying to remove my hijab
from off of my head.
from off of my head.
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I turned around
to a tall, broad-shouldered man,
to a tall, broad-shouldered man,
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pure hate in his eyes.
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I struggled and fought back,
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and finally was able to get away,
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hid myself in the bathroom
of that organization and cried and cried.
of that organization and cried and cried.
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I kept thinking to myself,
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"Why does he hate me?
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He doesn't even know me."
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Hate crimes against Muslims in the US
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increased by 1,600 percent post-9/11,
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and one in every four women in the US
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will suffer some form of gender violence.
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And it may not seem like it,
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but Islamophobia and anti-Muslim violence
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is a form of gender violence,
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given the visibility
of Muslim women in our hijabs.
of Muslim women in our hijabs.
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And so I was not alone,
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and that horrified me.
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It made me want to do something.
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It made me want to go out there
and make sure that no one I loved,
and make sure that no one I loved,
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that no woman would have to feel
this insecure in her own skin.
this insecure in her own skin.
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So I started to think about
how the women in my own neighborhood
how the women in my own neighborhood
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were able to build
community for themselves,
community for themselves,
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and how they were able to use
the very little resources they had
the very little resources they had
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to actually offer something.
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And I began to think
about what I could potentially offer
about what I could potentially offer
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to build safety and power for women.
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04:12
And through this journey,
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I learned a couple of things,
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and this is what I want to share
with you today, some of these lessons.
with you today, some of these lessons.
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So lesson number one:
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start with what you know.
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At the time, I had been doing
Shotokan karate
Shotokan karate
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for as long as I could remember,
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and so I had a black belt.
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Yeah. And so, I thought -- surprise.
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(Laughter)
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I thought that maybe
I should go out into my neighborhood
I should go out into my neighborhood
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and teach self-defense to young girls.
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And so I actually went out
and knocked on doors,
and knocked on doors,
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spoke to community leaders,
to parents, to young women,
to parents, to young women,
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and finally was able to secure
a free community center basement
a free community center basement
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and convince enough young women
that they should come to my class.
that they should come to my class.
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And it actually all worked out,
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because when I pitched the idea,
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most of the responses were, like,
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"All right, cute,
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this 5'1" hijabi girl who knows karate.
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How nice."
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But in reality, I became the Queens,
New York version of Mr. Miyagi
New York version of Mr. Miyagi
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at 16 years old,
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and I started teaching 13 young women
in that community center basement
in that community center basement
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self-defense.
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And with every single self-defense move,
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for eight sessions
over the course of that summer,
over the course of that summer,
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we began to understand
the power of our bodies,
the power of our bodies,
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and we began to share our experiences
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about our identities.
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And sometimes there were
shocking realizations,
shocking realizations,
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and other times there were tears,
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but mostly it was laughs.
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And I ended that summer
with this incredible sisterhood,
with this incredible sisterhood,
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and I began to feel
much safer in my own skin.
much safer in my own skin.
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And it was because of these women
that we just kept teaching.
that we just kept teaching.
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I never thought that I would continue,
but we just kept teaching.
but we just kept teaching.
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And today, nine years, 17 cities,
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12 countries, 760 courses
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and thousands of women and girls later,
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I'm still teaching.
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And what started as a self-defense course
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in the basement of a community center
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is now an international
grassroots organization
grassroots organization
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focused on building safety and power
for women around the world:
for women around the world:
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Malikah.
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(Applause)
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Now, for lesson number two:
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start with who you know.
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Oftentimes, it could be quite exciting,
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especially if you're
an expert in something
an expert in something
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and you want to have impact,
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to swoop into a community
and think you have the magic recipe.
and think you have the magic recipe.
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But very early on I learned
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that, as esteemed philosopher
Kendrick Lamar once said,
Kendrick Lamar once said,
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it's really important
to be humble and to sit down.
to be humble and to sit down.
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So, basically, at 15 years old,
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the only community that I had
any business doing work with
any business doing work with
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were the 14-year-old girls
in my neighborhood,
in my neighborhood,
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and that's because
I was friends with them.
I was friends with them.
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Other than that, I didn't know
what it meant to be a child
what it meant to be a child
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of Bengali immigrants in Brooklyn
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or to be Senegalese in the Bronx.
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But I did know young women
who were connected to those communities,
who were connected to those communities,
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and it was quite remarkable
how they already had
how they already had
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these layers of trust and awareness
and relationship with their communities.
and relationship with their communities.
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So like my mother
and the women in her neighborhood,
and the women in her neighborhood,
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they had these really strong
social networks,
social networks,
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and it was about providing capacity
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and believing in other women's
definition of safety.
definition of safety.
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Even though I was
a self-defense instructor,
a self-defense instructor,
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I couldn't come into a community
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and define safety for any other woman
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who was not part of my own community.
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And it was because,
as our network expanded,
as our network expanded,
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I learned that self-defense
is not just physical.
is not just physical.
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It's actually really emotional work.
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I mean, we would do
a 60-minute self-defense class,
a 60-minute self-defense class,
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and then we'd have 30 minutes reserved
for just talking and healing.
for just talking and healing.
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And in those 30 minutes,
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women would share what brought them
to the class to begin with
to the class to begin with
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but also various other
experiences with violence.
experiences with violence.
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And, as an example,
one time in one of those classes,
one time in one of those classes,
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one woman actually started
to talk about the fact
to talk about the fact
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that she had been in a domestic violence
relationship for over 30 years,
relationship for over 30 years,
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and it was her first time
being able to articulate that
being able to articulate that
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because we had established
that safe space for her.
that safe space for her.
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So it's powerful work,
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but it only happens when we believe
in women's agency to define
in women's agency to define
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what safety and what power
looks like for themselves.
looks like for themselves.
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All right, for lesson number three --
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and this was the hardest thing for me --
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the most important thing about this work
is to start with the joy.
is to start with the joy.
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When I started doing this work,
I was reacting to a hate-based attack,
I was reacting to a hate-based attack,
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so I was feeling insecure
and anxious and overwhelmed.
and anxious and overwhelmed.
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I was really afraid.
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And it makes sense,
because if you take a step back,
because if you take a step back,
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and I can imagine that a lot of women
in this room can probably relate to this,
in this room can probably relate to this,
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the feeling, an overwhelming
feeling of insecurity,
feeling of insecurity,
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is oftentimes with us constantly.
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I mean, imagine this:
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walking home late at night,
hearing footsteps behind you.
hearing footsteps behind you.
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You wonder if you should walk faster
or if you should slow down.
or if you should slow down.
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08:55
You keep your keys in your hand
in case you need to use them.
in case you need to use them.
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You say, "Text me when you get home.
I want to make sure you are safe."
I want to make sure you are safe."
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And we mean those words.
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We're afraid to put down our drinks.
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We're afraid to speak
too much or too little in a meeting.
too much or too little in a meeting.
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And imagine being woman and black
and trans and queer and Latinx
and trans and queer and Latinx
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and undocumented and poor and immigrant,
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and you could then only imagine
how overwhelming this work can be,
how overwhelming this work can be,
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especially within the context
of personal safety.
of personal safety.
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However, when I took a step to reflect
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on what brought me
to this work to begin with,
to this work to begin with,
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I began to realize it was actually
the love that I had
the love that I had
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for women in my community.
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It was the way I saw them gather,
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their ability to build for each other,
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that inspired me to keep doing this work
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day in and day out.
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So whether I was in
a refugee camp in Jordan
a refugee camp in Jordan
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or a community center in Dallas, Texas
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or a corporate office in Silicon Valley,
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women gathered in beautifully magical ways
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and they built together
and supported each other
and supported each other
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in ways that shifted culture
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to empower and build safety for women.
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And that is how the change happens.
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It was through those relationships
we built together.
we built together.
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That's why we don't
just teach self-defense,
just teach self-defense,
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but we also throw dance parties
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and host potlucks
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and write love notes to each other
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and sing songs together.
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And it's really about the friendship,
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and it's been so, so fun.
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So the last thing I want to leave you with
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is that the key takeaway for me in
teaching self-defense all of these years
teaching self-defense all of these years
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is that I actually don't want women,
as cool as the self-defense moves are,
as cool as the self-defense moves are,
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to go out and use
these self-defense techniques.
these self-defense techniques.
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I don't want any woman to have to
de-escalate any violent situation.
de-escalate any violent situation.
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But for that to happen,
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the violence shouldn't happen,
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and for the violence not to happen,
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the systems and the cultures
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that allow for this violence
to take place to begin with needs to stop.
to take place to begin with needs to stop.
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And for that to happen,
we need all hands on deck.
we need all hands on deck.
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So I've given you my secret recipe,
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and now it's up to you.
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To start with what you know,
to start with who you know
to start with who you know
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and to start with joy. But just start.
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Thank you so much.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rana Abdelhamid - Community organizer, entrepreneurRana Abdelhamid is an internationally acclaimed community organizer, first-degree black belt, public speaker and social entrepreneur focused on mass mobilization, international solidarity and the empowerment of marginalized communities.
Why you should listen
Rana Abdelhamid is committed to organizing communities around migrant, gender and racial justice. For ten years, Abdelhamid has served as the Executive Director of Malikah, a global grassroots movement committed to building safety and power for all women through self-defense, healing justice, community organizing and financial literacy. She founded Malikah at the age of 16 after being attacked by a stranger, who tried to remove the hijab from her head. Today, Abdelhamid and her volunteer team of women conduct healing spaces and have trained more than 7,000 women in 18 cities across the globe. For the past three years, Malikah has held the National Muslim Women's Summit at Harvard University, training 50 Muslim American women in leadership and community organizing.
Abdelhamid's organizing work has always been rooted in building solidarity across communities domestically and abroad. During the Arab Spring, Abdelhamid was involved in mobilizing diaspora communities in solidarity with grassroots activists in Egypt. After the "Muslim ban" was passed, she helped organize thousands of people across Boston for the 20,000-person Copley Square protest and spoke alongside Senator Elizabeth Warren, among others. After the murder of Nabra Hassanen, Abdelhamid and her team worked to mobilize tens of thousands of people across ten cities in under 24 hours for prayers and vigils in her remembrance.
In 2013, Abdelhamid started Hijabis of NY, an online platform that highlights the stories of hijabi women. In 2017, she also coedited and published Muslim Women's Stories, a collection of narratives from young Muslim women across the US. She is highly committed to the global human rights movement and is one of youngest serving board members of Amnesty International USA. Abdelhamid has a BA from Middlebury in International Politics and Economics and a master's degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, where her research was focused on policy interventions to mitigate the prevalence of domestic violence in Queens, NY and on refugee integration policy in the US.
In 2017, Abdelhamid was named one of the 17 women who "Rocked the Resistance" in 2017 and is frequently called "the Muslim Black Belt." She has been named a Truman Scholar, a Running Start Rising Political Star and has received both a NYC Council Proclamation and an International Youth Advocate award by the UNAUSA Foundation.
Rana Abdelhamid | Speaker | TED.com