We are not here to be bystanders: a memoir of love and resistance
(Book)

In this unforgettable memoir, Women's March co-organizer Sarsour paints a vivid portrait of her life as an activist. Born to Palestinian parents and raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Sarsour grew up proud of her roots as a Palestinian American, a Muslim woman, and a New Yorker. She married soon after high school, gave birth to her children, and began working at the Arab American Association of New York (AAANY). The events of 9/11 altered her understanding of Muslim pride, but only propelled her deeper into the fight for justice. The tragic loss of her mentor was the truest test of Sarsour's commitment to social change. Early in her grief, she was named executive director of the AAANY, at just 25 years old. She vowed to carry her mentor's legacy far into the future. Sarsour has since organized with members of the Black Lives Matter movement, cofounded the Justice League of NYC, and co-organized the Women's March on Washington, the largest single-day protest in U.S. history. An incredible, galvanizing story of the power of participation.--Courtney Eathorne Copyright 2020 Booklist

Civil rights activist Sarsour, cochair of the Women's March on Washington, seeks to "shatter every stereotype... of Muslim women" in this tough, score-settling narrative. A Palestinian-American girl who gets "a secret thrill" in saying "I'm from Brooklyn. Don't mess with Brooklyn," she weds at 17 in an arranged marriage. Pregnant at 19, she starts wearing a hijab, "a visible sign" of "exactly what I was, unapologetically Muslim." Two years later, on September 11, despite warnings that a hijab is "too dangerous," she continues to wear hers "to represent the good in Islam, to act in opposition to the evil." She joins the Arab American Association of New York and fights against the Muslim registry as well as government surveillance of Muslims. Her activist involvement in the Eric Garner and Michael Brown cases and the Black Lives Matter movement elevates her profile, and was asked to help organize the 2017 Women's March, slated to occur the day after Trump's inauguration. In addressing post-event accusations "of anti-Semitism, religious fundamentalism (because I wore a hijab)" that were "driven by white women who claimed that we had hijacked their movement," the tone becomes bitter. Ultimately, Sarsour's passionate memoir powerfully captures a unifying moment of social protest. (Mar.)

A Palestinian Muslim American born and raised in Brooklyn, Sarsour learned about multiple richly intersecting communities while working at her father's bodega and became committed to social justice after 9/11. She has since served as national cochair of the Women's March on Washington and as the executive director of the Arab American Association of New York. Here she tells a vivid personal and political story of faith, feminism, and commitment to activism.