Vote for El Hottie - Snap Classic

0:00Snaps videos This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try it at Progressive.com Progressive cash is to insurance company and affiliates, potential savings will vary, not available in all states. Let me tell you about the online cannabis company revolutionizing how we deal with life's challenges from the stress-filled days of sleepless nights. Moved.com has created an entire line of functional gummies targeting specific health concerns with 100% federally legal THC blends to live it discreetly right to your door. And you can get 20% off your first order at Moved.com with promo code SNAP. And it's wild how different each one feels like the Epic Euphoria gummy. Preferred those days when nothing's going right and you just need to hit the reset button,

1:03what makes these different is how they've paired THC and other cannibolids with herbs and adaptogens, create something you're just not going to find anywhere else. And Moved has gummies for almost everything, immune support, mental post-release, mental clarity, best of all, everything's backed by Moved's 100-day set of satisfaction guarantee. Like I said, you can get 20% off with code SNAP. So head to Moved.com and get 20% off your first order now, code SNAP. Okay, so I'm going to break the first rule of book club, which of course is whatever happens in the book club stays in the book club. Do this to tell you that me, the members of my book club have been members now for the majority of our adult lives. Before marriages, before children, before divorces,

2:05and that's what makes it special. I'm reading books. It's put the tiniest portion of what this club is about, almost an afterthought. First there's the food. The host really goes all out, the drinks, the overnight trips together, the histories, the break-off groups, the holidays, but all of it, all of it is just trappings for the big show. Because after the discussion of the book, we pick which book we're going to read next. One person, one boat. Get the advocate for your selection, whoever garners the most votes. Their book is chosen. A pure democracy. And here emerges the ever-evolving coalitions, the factions, the threats, the coercion, the favors and treachery. Often I will throw a thoughtful, readable selection into the voting pool

3:10to be foiled by Amanda Brown-Stevens, who will enter a lesser book into voting just to mess with me. Then, within she advocates with such passion, such verve, such antagonistic greed, and hurtful personal infective that many times the gullible are swayed into choosing her suggestion instead of mine. Fine, Amanda. Amanda, I get that Tommy Orange is a claim new book. He's actually based in our neighborhood, Amanda, but that still doesn't mean anyone who picks a science fiction space opera is three kinds of stupid. How dare you? Our prize. The prize, honor and distinction of having your book chosen. A life-changing event to be sure, but what if you decide to enter an election?

4:12For much higher stakes. In fact, despite of the vitriol, the name calling the accusations you determine the time is now for you to take a stand and run for president of your high school. Today on Snap Judgment, we proudly present Vote for El Hite. When it was from Washington and book clubs in high schools, have a lot in common when you're listening to Snap Judgment. Yes, yesterday's story takes us all the way back to cafeteria, blockers, home rooms, back to high school.

5:12Where there are the chosen ones, the cheerleaders and the jocks on whom the sudden never sets. They're the ones just hanging on. At the other end of the high school tolem pole, there are the nerds. One nerd's numbers has a plan. Snap Judgment. I was born in Cairo in 1985, and my mom's Egyptian, but my dad isn't. My father is Libyan, and my father was in the Kedafi regime. He saw how bad it was, and he morally abstained against that government. He sought asylum in Egypt, and he meets my mom, and she's super hot. They fell in love, and after a year they got married, and they had my brother, and then they had me.

6:13Everything seemed to be fine, but the 1989 Lockerbie bombings changed everything. I was just four years old. Libyans became pariah. They became a problem that every country wanted to get rid of. So one night my dad wakes me up in the middle of the night and he's like, we're going on a vacation. I'm like, where are we going? He's like, let me do that. I'm like, what do you mean we're not going together? He's like, yeah, yeah, we're going to go separate, but together. But separate, it's going to be fun. I'm like, why? He's like, yes, it's going to be a journey of a lifetime. My dad went to Germany, we ended up going to Jordan, we split up, and then we started a country hobby. Morocco, Saudi Arabia, London, just trying to find a place to seek asylum, and everyone's like, no, no, can't have you here. So we ended up in JFK. We got asylum on the spot. And then my dad took a zoo place where it made sense if you're Libyan, an Egyptian, Alabama.

7:19Not realizing anything about Alabama. My dad is like the biggest hippie. He was like, there's lots of green mountain and lots of farmed animal. Okay, let's go. Once more is a beautiful town sits between what they call the green mountains. It's just the Appalachians, but they call them the green mountains in Alabama. It's got a valley, it's got lakes, it's got the Mississippi River running and throw at it. It's a very calming, peaceful place. So I show up to school and I am one of two Muslims in the entire school. This is a school of about 500 kids at that time. It would feed into a very large high school of over 3,000 students. And I remember a young girl that was there who was the only other Muslim, and her name was Esma, but they call her Asma. So then I immediately became Yasma. That's not my name. My name is Yasmine. The English-ized version of my name is Yasmine, but I just became her like, oh my god, there's Asma.

8:23Then there's her ugly little sister, Yasma. Look at them. They're so weird. So one of the reasons that I didn't exactly fit in in Alabama, people looked at me funny, was because I wear a headscarf. Much of the sugar in my mother and father, they did not want me to wear a headscarf. They were like, what are you doing? You're losing your entire childhood. I was eight years old. I viewed the headscarf and covering in modesty as beautiful. The people that I looked up to and wanted to be like and role model myself after all wore headscarves. And I was committed. Like I never took it off. So there was a kid in school and he was very popular. So much taller than everybody else. And he had a beautiful girlfriend. She was the captain of the cheerleading squad. This is in eighth grade. And this kid I think, he thought it would be really funny if he pinched my butt in front of people,

9:27because I was kind of untouchable. But this was like, this was like, red line. And so the minute he pinched me, I like flipped around very quickly and I slapped him. Full force with my entire hand. I never even talked to him. And he was shocked. He immediately just, like you could tell, like jaw drop. It was not funny. No one laughed. And I just turned around and left him standing there in disbelief. So as I moved into high school, I think I was tough. And people knew that I was tough. I had stood up to bullies. I'm totally content with being one of the geeks. I had been in Alabama at that point for almost six years. I was 15. So one day in high school, I'm sitting in our AP English class. And the principal came on the intercom. Please, teachers, stop your lessons. America's under attack. Please turn on your televisions. And so we go, what?

10:28Everyone turned it on to CNN. It was like billowing smoke that were coming from the buildings, the twin towers. I remember our teacher just like immediately bursting out into tears. And then yeah, that I had that sinking feeling and the pit of my stomach. I said, if this is not the end of the world, then man, I hope that Muslims didn't do this. Please, God, don't make it Muslim. Don't make these people Muslim. So I get home that day and my parents are both sitting at the kitchen table. They both have really a sad, sad look on their face. They're like, oh, today is a sad day. Not just for the entire country, but for you in particular. Could you please just take off your headscarf? I'm like, what are you doing? Why are you saying this? You really ask me to take off my headscarf? He's like, yes, please. What a very serious. It's very dangerous. It was such a shattering for me. Because I'm 15 and I'm seeing the hero of my life.

11:28My father is the hero, the man who risks his life for what he believed in. And so he's very big about coming to your own conclusions and being true to yourself. And for Muslims, we call that the Fithra, which is like the natural state that you were born in. The way I saw him was this person who did not compromise doing what was right. And it's why he stood up against Gaddafi. It's why he lost everything. And now he was telling me to go against my faith. And he's so vulnerable in this moment. He's saying things that I know he doesn't even believe it. It felt like such a deeply compromised moment for him. It broke my heart. I was like, I got to fix this. I don't like seeing my dad like this. This is unnatural. This is weird. So I was like, what are you talking about, dad? There's no way I'm going to take it off. Who's speaking up from Muslim women? If I don't wear my headscarf proudly, who's going to talk for me? Who's going to speak for me? Who's going to defend me?

12:30I was very adamant. It was like a light went on in his eyes. It was like a strange light went on for him. It was nodding his head. It was like I was saying something profound or remarkable and heavy. And he just looked off into the distance. You could see he went from feeling like I couldn't wear a headscarf or hold my own to being like, no, she is actually going to the top. And he was like, perfect. I knew you were my daughter. That's when my mom cut in. And she's like, no, I raised her too. Not just you. You're not the only one. You weren't even here. He's like, yes, I was. How dare you? She's my daughter too. And they instantly go into this beast competition mode. And you see my dad, his head is just turning. And he's concocting something. He's like, no, no. She's my daughter. And she will run for president. And I go, dad, there's a constitution. You know, I was born in Cairo. It won't work. He's like, of your class.

13:33You will run for president of your class. Yes? He's now signing me up for my class election. My mom was like, what are you doing? What are you saying? She got out of her president. And I'm like, if I do this, then it's going to be social suicide. But I can't let my dad down. I can't let him down. My brother was in the other room listening to us. And I walk in and he was like, are you insane? And I'm like, I know. And he was like, man, I've seen people up there. Once they call up there, they say anything. People are like, you suck. No one likes you. Not even your mom likes you. And he was like, how are you going to do this? And I'm like, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. He's like, do you have an opponent? Like, does anyone know who's going against you? I'm like, there's this one guy who's been saying he's a senior class president since August. Mike Green. This kid played three sports. He would later get early decision into Duke. Because he ace the ACT. He was like six two.

14:33All the girls wanted to date him. All the guys wanted to be him. And my brother was like, this guy is everything that you're not. What were you thinking? Promising Baba, this thing. Like, it's going to be a bloodbath, dude. It's going to be a bloodbath. I knew I was going to run. My name was going to be on the ballot. But like, was I actually going to do a campaign? So I was trying to think how in the world do I get these people on my side? How do I navigate a post 9-11 reality? Knowing very well that there are some people in the school, a lot of people in this over 3,300 student school, that see me as personally responsible for the biggest tragedy in American soil. There's two ways. You can either really run away from who you are or you can really lean in 100% until you are. And I was like, yep, I'm doing it. So I started making posters like vote for El Hathi. And it sounds like El Hathi in English.

15:35And I put flames on there. The promises of my campaigners that I'm fun, that I'm reliable, that I am really smart, that I will give voice to people who have maybe been ignored. I wanted people to feel like they had access and I wanted them to feel encouraged to participate. So I had made a poster that said vote for the rising Muslim star. Yes, me and El Hathi. And it was in between a stairwell and it was right there in the center. And I remember walking up the stairs and like anticipation to see my poster and my whole heart just sank. It was torn down the middle and thrown on the ground, face up. I mean, it was really painful to see it on the ground. But it was almost as though it was like my insecurity being confirmed.

16:35Which is really hard for one of your insecurities to be like, well, I told you so. Not just that I would lose, but I would lose in a spectacular fashion. Or I would lose in a way where Muslims were hated even more. When we return, what just means campaign strategy to lean into who she is, a proud Muslim teenager in the job, will it ultimately cost her? Stay tuned. I haven't seen my son since 2012. This is Deborah Tice. The disappearance of her son Austin is one of the biggest missing person cases in the world. What do you want from me? Why should I have that mystery?

17:35I know that my son is somewhere alive. Listen to Where is Austin Tice from MPR's embedded and BBC Radio 4 on the MPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. The way I grew up, like a lot of folk, money was something to be afraid of. And this is my son crazy, but I recently discovered something about money. It doesn't have to be that hard. You just need the right goals and the right tools like monarch. Which helped me answer the age old perennial question, where is my money going? The most asked stop there and only tell you what you've already spent. Monarch helps set goals, map out big purchases and see if you're actually on track before it's too late to adjust. Ask real questions like, can I actually afford this vacation without touching my savings? Or do I have enough to get a dog? Come on. I do, right? Come on, I got to be right. Write your own money story with monarch.

18:36Use code snap at monarch.com to get your first year of monarch core, half off at just $50. That's 50% off your first year at monarch.com with code snap. If you're an independent artist, there's a new way to start selling merch without dealing with inventory or running an online store. Distro kid direct automatically turns your existing album artwork into products like t-shirts, hoodies, posters, totes, mugs. You choose what to sell. You set your prices, connect PayPal and distro kid handles the printing, the shipping, the customer support. There are no commissions on your sale so you keep 100% of your merch earnings. It's a simple way to turn your music into another revenue stream without adding more work to your play. Artists can learn more and launch a merch store at distro kid.com slash direct. Welcome back to snap judgment. The vote for El Hathi episode will last be left.

19:38Just mean decided to run for president of her high school despite all the odds. My 11th just happened and she's a her job wearing Muslim teenager in Alabama. A campaign is off to a rocky star one day at school. She sees her poster torn in half and tossed on the ground. It read vote for the rising Muslim star. Snap judgment. I picked it up off the ground. As I walked over to my locker, my head was hanging pretty low. A student came by, a young man, and he stopped beside me. He looked at me and said, I was like, oh, hey, it's like, yeah, I heard you were running. He was a white guy. I'm pretty strong conservative. I was like, yeah, it's long shot. And he was like, I wanted you to know that I'm actually the one who tore down the poster.

20:42And I'm like, really sorry about that. I was like, oh, whoa, okay. And he was like, I just, I felt bad. I felt like I had to tell you. I know that it probably took a lot for you to put up the poster. And I'm like, why did you tear it down? And like, why would you do that? He's like, I just think it's like a little bit sacrilegious to put up the poster and using your religion in this way. Like, why do you have to make it about religion? Why do you have to say that? I was like, well, other people have used my religion in ways that I don't sanction. And he was like, okay. He was like, I get it. I get it. Well, you know, I want to help you like put it back up. Like, let's just put it back up. And I was like, I don't know. And he was like, no, like, let's put it back up. So we put it back up. I didn't know how to feel whether good or bad about it. I kind of felt sad. So I come home that night after the poster got torn down and I'm looking pretty sullen. My dad's like, hey, what happened? What's wrong? I'm like, well, this kid tore down my poster.

21:48And he's like, look, people are going to try to tear you down because you're doing something. If you don't know, buddy, nobody cares. But you're a somebody. Get back up. And I was like, thanks, dad. And I knew I was going to do something, but I think that something was fail miserably. I wouldn't have talked to my brother. My brother is lounging on his bed in his bedroom. He was like, what are you going to do? And I was like, I was hoping that we could talk about it. And he was like, this is the most unpopular time probably in history to be Muslim. Like, yeah, I know, I know, but like, what else do I got? He's like, you just kind of like do the thing that you're good at that no one else is good at. I was like, all right, wear a headscarf. And he's like, no, no, you need to just like, you're going to wrap your election speech. That's what you're going to do. And I was like, what? Okay, we're going to wrap. Like, it's a one way rap battle, but you're the only one waging war. And my brother's name was Hussein. Okay, so do you think he was bullied a little bit in school? And I'm like, I don't think what you're talking about waging war, Hussein.

22:53He's like, look, it's going to be all like these really cool songs. It's going to be fast. You got to dish your opponent in the first 30 seconds. That's the key. And you got to move it along every 30 seconds you cut into a new song. I can't use like, you got to hit every demographic like there has to be some alternative. There has to be some classic rock. There has to be some rap. There has to be some pop. Some of my brothers like, I believe in you, you got to just try to be cool. But I'm like, even I both know I'm not cool. He's like, you got a two minute pretend and then get off stage as quick as possible. I was thinking about my election campaign and I like really started believing that maybe this was the right thing for me to do. Maybe I really should rap my election speech as wild as it may have seemed. Maybe I could do the thing that was unique. This is something I've been doing for years. And I think it's going to come out of left field for people because no one knows that I do this. So I was like, you know what? I'm going to lean into what my brother said. So I tutored a guy named Mark and he happened to be Mike Green's best friend. Mark is terrible at math. And he's like two years behind where he needs to be.

24:02Mark's on the football team. He wanted the only jocks that actually talks to me because I've helped him. And he just happens to be great at music. I didn't know anyone else that used Napster more than this guy. So I'm like, this is the guy that has to cut me this music from my rap. He is so close to the enemy that it is a problem if he leaks this. And I remember walking into the public library, we usually do our tutoring sessions. I kind of told him I'm like, can I tell you something like super secret like, yeah, girl, you've done to me. Right. If you can please just not tell anyone that I'm going to be wrapping my election speech. He's like, what did you just say? I'm like, I'm going to wrap my election speech. And he was like, oh, that's going to be funny. I said, well, you're going to you're going to help me make it happen. Mark. And he's like, well, how so? Like, well, I've got this music that needs a bit cut. And look, I've been helping you now for a year, man. I'll help you with throughout senior year. I'll throw in some free tutoring sessions. If you could just please cut this music and you'd like, girl, for you, anything. I got you.

25:02My green head, no campaign. He had posters that said vote for Mike. I mean, that was all it was. He did not make shirts or buttons or stickers or basically none of the election campaigning that any other regular human beings would do. I had very little interaction outside of AP courses. He was very dismissive. He's just like, oh, I heard you were running good luck with that. All the people like on the football team and the track team and the basketball team, they would not talk to me. Jocks would also give me dirty looks. They kind of gave me like, side eye when they'd walk by me in the hallways. And I think it's because they were like, who is this loser who think she's going to win against my green? Okay, so I'm thinking, how do I make hijab cool? All right. How do I make it ubiquitous? How do I make it a symbol of leadership or power or goodness? Who is the most powerful influencer in our school? Like who is the most powerful voting block? Who does everyone want to be? I was like, wait a second. The cheerleaders.

26:06The cheerleaders run our school. They get automatic bids into our high school sorority. And yes, we had high school sororities in Huntsville, Alabama. I think it was insane that I thought they weren't going to listen to me. But I did have one in back in the day. It was the captain's boyfriend that had slapped across the face who had tried to pinch my butt and make me a joke. One instead, I made him look like the biggest jackass in the room. So I'm thinking, okay, women support women. I'm going to go in here and lead with that foot. So I go up to the cheerleaders rather practicing in the gym and I'm hoping, praying that they just give me an audience. You know, because these girls, first of all, they're beautiful. They like wake up two hours before school. They go to sleep in rollers. Like they're always wearing the most beautiful clothing, they're rich.

27:10They were the goddesses of our school. And I walk up to them and I'm like, hey guys, hey. They're like, oh my god, hey, what's up? Yeah, where are you? Oh my god, I heard you're running. I'm like, yeah, yeah, I can't believe it either. I'm running for her. See, God, they're like, it's going to be hard. You run against my coming, everybody likes my. Do you think? And I'm like, well, yeah, I know they do. But you know, I am a woman like you. Okay, I've got your back. I've shown that. Haven't I? Like, well, yeah, you have actually, that's actually true. And I'm like, yeah, and I'm not going to let some guy disrespect women. And I'm not going to be busy with sports and all these other things. I'm going to be available. Okay, to listen to what you need. Yeah, I mean, we can do this together. Don't you think women should be supporting women? Don't you think it would be really interesting if y'all like came to school? You know, looking like me one day, wouldn't that be weird? What do you mean? You know, like wearing like a head scarf, like a head job, like me.

28:16They're like, oh my god. Could we wear one of those? And I'm like, yep. And it'd be like, like kind of weird, I know, but like, well, slimy. Would you do that? And they're like, well, how long would we do it? Just for the morning, really just until home room. I need you at home room with those on. And they're like, looking like you all like wrapped up like a little present. I'm like, yeah, like a little Muslim present. They were like, hmm, I'm not. Let's see. And wait a second. Can we just really wear whatever color we want? And I'm like, whatever color you want. They're like, that is so like interesting. They were like, okay, we'll do it. In that morning, I got them all the hijabs in a box and I came to school and I had a safety pin piece of paper to them. They said, funny slogans like, can't scarf this. Scarf gold to the rescue is getting hot in here. So put on a scarf scarf down and I safely pinned them to the backs of their heads and said they'd put it on and they were like, oh my god, this is so cute. This is adorable.

29:22There were 10 cheerleaders who wore the headscarves and that everybody showed up in home room with them on. They were wearing their sleeveless cheerleaders tops and there were many skirts and they were like, I had a job on their head. Like, people gasped when they saw them and they were like, oh my god, they're like, well, we just want you to know that like we support Yasmin and we really think that she should win. She'll really listen to y'all and I think she's just kind of cool. She's kind of funny. I was like, did you say, I'm cool? It was weird that they said I was cool. But I think it's because that he job was a novelty cool thing. I felt excited that I had convinced these very powerful women to support me and I realized that some people may see it as disrespectful or sacrilegious or offensive in some way but this was high school. And the women who chose to show up for me in that way were doing it out of love and support. It was one more step to normalizing wearing a headscarf.

30:22Afterwards, they thank me, gave me back my headscarves and honestly, I felt like maybe I have a chance. But I knew that the election speech was where I was going to make it or break it. When we return, will Yasmin make it or break it? Say tune. Comprehensive. Whitty. Speculative. Critical. Insightful. Profound. Wide-ranging. Hopefully it doesn't take itself too too seriously. I hope you've enjoyed it and you've made a fantastic workout every week on the New Yorker Radio Hour. My colleagues and I try to make sense of what's happening in this chaotic world. I hope you'll join us for the New Yorker Radio Hour wherever you listen to podcasts. The thoughtful. Exquisite. Just, you know, real. You've seen it.

31:24All the stuff, all the news, eat plants, eat protein, eat right every day, but how? Are you going to do all of that? When inside, there's a part of you that just wants to chill in front of the cartoons and drink that milk at the bottom of a ball of cereal, right? Well, just two scoops of Cachava provides nutrition your body craves with protein, fiber, greens, and so much more clean nutrition to fuel wherever your day takes you. No fillers, no nonsense, Cachava, no artificial flavors, colors, sweetness, non-GMO, no soy, no animal products, and here's a good part. There's so many flavors to choose from. Chocolate, vanilla, chai, matcha, strawberry, coffee, and of course drum roll please, my personal favorite. I did the most cinnamon, French toast, the taste of cartoon Saturday morning, cinnamon, French toast, treat yourself to a childhood favorite. Go to Cachava.com and use code judgment for 15% off your first order.

32:28That's Cachava, k-a-c-h-a-v-a.com code judgment. Did you make that promise yourself back in January to read more books this year? Well good news, it is not too late. Leavenreeder is a new award-winning audio app for iOS, Android, the web, built by 11 labs. It brings together over 200,000 premium audiobooks and e-books from top publishers, plus the ability to turn anything that you bring. PDFs, docs, fanfiction into stunningly natural audio for your own uploads, you choose the voice over 1,000 voices across over 99 languages. And 11reeder's voices sound so realistic with moments of breathing, a subtle sigh, the hush whisper, listening to these voices feels next level. And it feels like just me, a deep narrator, the thriller, pulling me into the story like

33:28nothing else right now, 11reeder has a special offer for snap touchment listeners. Your first two months for only $1. Download the 11reeder app or sign up on the web today and use promo code podcast at checkout. Teach your first two months for only $1. 11reeder, promo code podcast. Welcome back to snap judgment, the vote for El Hathi episode. My name is Kim Washington and last we left. This me had pulled up all the stops in her campaign for high school president. Who else could have convinced 10 cheerleaders to wear headscars and proclaim their support for the rising Muslim star. But no election day, it's right around the corner. The question is, it just means battle rap, ready. Snap touchment. So I've been practicing the rap to my friends, to my cat, to the shower at night.

34:30I was performing the battle rap everywhere I went for a solid two weeks. That included a depth disappointment or a doctor appointment or a grocery run. So it's election day and I'm thinking, I can't mess up, I can't screw this up. I am nervous beyond belief and I prepped all of my outfits the night before. So I pick up my dress, it's like a shirt dress that has an Oxford collar and I wanted to look like a business minded rap mogul. I was wearing a ski cap that had taped a little piece of paper on there and it said MCY Asmond the night before I made tin foil chains. So just like chains made out of tin foil with a medallion at the bottom and it said yo, yo, yes, me. I am feeling like I'm dressed for success, but I don't know how it's going to go. So each candidate has to run their election speech and it's in front of the entire school

35:31in our huge auditorium. Then we have a voting that occurs and the results come in the next day. I was sweating through my clothing. I had pit stains from my pit all the way to my ribcage. It was embarrassing and I just kept my arms really close, really tight close to me. This was the moment of truth. It comes down to whether you sink or swim on this morning. So I get to school. I'm already looking kind of crazy because I'm wearing a ski cap over my hijab and I'm holding a huge boom box on my shoulder and everyone is intrigued. One term is full of kids and it's me and Mike Green up on the stage and the principal and the current CD class president is also there. Although I was sweating, I was kind of feeling swaggy a little bit. The boom box is on my lap at this point and it feels heavy.

36:34Like the boom box feels heavy on my lap so I take it off and like I put it next to me. Everyone is staring at the boom box because they want to know what is going to come out of that boom box. So the principal goes up there and it's like, yeah, it's time for us. We're going to have to do it today. We're going to lose or add a dessert spirit. We're going to be respectful. You know what I mean by that? Because people were not usually respectful. People would cry. There was always complaints. He's like, we've got a big relation to you. We've got a president from this class who's here to represent how important the position will be. It's about the future of school. I just want you all to know that everybody here, we're going to lose or still going on a win. But it is kind of a big deal. We can't be contradicting himself. Look at these tires up here. Compete here for your vote. I got lucky to be first. Do you understand this? Because of the alphabet. So he's like, all right, time to be on this.

37:34You want to lay your hair? Bless your heart. Missy has not a hard time going up here. I'm trying to do the thing. So I go up there. I'm walking with a limp with the boom box on my shoulder. I want to kind of swaggy. So I turn on the music and it goes straight into vanilla ice. Oh, she stopped. Collaborate and listen. Here's his back with a brand new election. This school. It's got to hold on me tight. Ask me questions. I won't bite white. Is the color my scarf green? Is the color what you barf? And then I pointed to my green. And you could see he goes, his mouth is gaping open. What? Like as if I really hurt him. And then it went into, welcome to Atlanta. Welcome to Greece.

38:35I want to students saying we go out to the flagpole. We want to pray, we want to skip ticket because the gods are Roman and the gates be closed after eight in the moon. And then all three black students just get up abruptly. They could have off their chairs. And that just changes the dynamic in the room because they just feel seen. And they feel excited. And everyone's like, oh, man, this is actually cool. And then it goes into a Litter Skinner. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Sweet home, Gris, some high school. Where the ceilings are greenish blue. Sweet home, Gris, some high school. Lord, I'm coming home with the flu. Thanks to you. People loved it. No one knew that I was going to do this. The only person in the crowd who knows this is Mark. Mark is the only one. And you could just see him.

39:36He was not just happy for me. He was jumping up and down. It was so great to see Mark who's a bigger man, a bigger football guy. Just jumping up and down like, yes! But it was like he was risking it all doing that because that's his friend up there. And he's cheering for me. I'm hitting every single demographic and then I'm coming right now for the cheerleaders. I want to win so you better get the voting started. Get the voting started. I want to win so you better get the voting started. Get this voting started on that Tuesday. It was principal Drake would be here update. He talks, we just slow on the income. And then he's like, oh, on stage, you can see his mouth drop. And he was like, oh my god. He claps his hand, his knees goes up, and he slaps his knee. Raking up until after.

40:37He can't believe that he's been inserted into the song. And the cheerleaders was like, oh my god. You know, they loved it. Huntsville City knows how to party. This is my Huntsville. Now how to party in the Huntsville City. This city of India. Huntsville City. This city of rockets. Then I heard, I just can't get this friendsy out of my head. No, it's just what I've always been waiting for. I just can't get this car off of my head. No, it's just baby what I stand for. And then I remove my ski cap. And underneath is a short blonde wig from Kylie Minogue's video.

41:37And people lose their minds. They lose their mouth. Oh my god. They don't know if I'm going to take out my job. They don't know what is going on. That was a big reveal. Came off the stage to roaring the applause. Everyone starts standing up. It's a standing ovation. Every single auditorium seat is empty because people are standing up. It is the most fabulous experience, like the biggest dopamine rush on my life. You can see my green melting in that moment. And the principal goes up after me and he was like, well, well, well. That was unexpected. I'm telling you what. All right, ready for her minutes, Canada. My green. And so Mike goes up there. I could see that he was teary. And then when he went up to do his election speech, he was shaky. And he's like, I don't know why she spoke for me. I'm going to vote for her.

42:39Was this entire election speech? He just folded. And then he just gets off stage. And I look at him. I'm like shocked. And I'm like, hey, man, I'm going to vote for you. He's like, I'm going to vote for you. I was serious. You know, Mike didn't have to do that. Like, I feel like he and his heart of hearts actually felt like I maybe deserved to win, which was huge and unexpected. Very big hearted of him. You know, it's like in your defeat when you concede to the other person, it shows your lack of arrogance. It shows your ability to put down your ego. It shows your humility even in the defeat. And that to me is like good sportsmanship. It's like good humanness. There's something really beautiful about that. It made me really see him as fully human and complicated and layered and made me respect

43:39him so much more. He wasn't a villain in my story. But I was still nervous about whether that actually was going to translate into votes. Just entertaining people should not mean that they should vote for you to lead them. And so I wasn't secure that I had it in the bag. I went home that night. My dad was like on edge like, so when do you know if you want or not? And I'm like, that will find out tomorrow. He's like, OK, no big deal. All right, that's fine. And next morning, everyone that sees me walking in the school was like, hey, great speech. Hey, great speech. Oh my god, that speech was so much fun. So I was like sitting and waiting and the intercom goes off. It was principal Drake and area is like, good morning, Tigers. Oh, Chris and Tigers, we have a beautiful day and day. Look outside. It's got a nice sun. And we've got a lot to talk about today because we have our lecture results, but I just

44:42want you to know that no matter what, we're all in the spirit together and we're all students. And everyone's like, come on, come on, principal Drake. And he's like, I got a couple other announcements. Listen, parking lot sees gotta be empty because we're going to do renovations. We're like, shut up. Shut up about parking lot see. And then finally he's like, all right, the moment you've been waiting for here are your senior class results. And he starts with, you know, the secretary treasure vice president. He's like, and you're present for your senior class is. Yes, man. Oh, honey. He had pronounced my name correctly and it was amazing. And the entire home room is like erupting. Like I'm saying, you deserve it. You deserve it. And I was like, I don't, okay, thank you. I don't do anything. I really deserve anything. But okay, I want to like a landslide victory. It was like one of the largest voting turnouts in the history of the school. Mike sees me in the hallway afterwards, right for home room.

45:44And he gives me a very firm handshake. He's like, congratulations. So I go home, but I was like, so what did they say? And I'm like, I won. You know, he's like, oh my god. That was like feeling all the warmth in the world cast on my heart. It was really important to make my dad prep. I felt like it was the only way to make up for what happened on 9-11. His life got turned upside down. And I think that he felt guilty about bringing me to the United States. I don't really tell this part, but like the next day after September 11th, on September 12th, you meet my mom or booed out of a Walmart. We walked in and literally the cash register was like, get out of here, boo. Go back to your country's boo. And then the customer started booing us out of that Walmart. And it was so traumatic. It was so bad.

46:46And I won two months after September 11th. He's like so happy. He gave me the biggest hug. He kissed me on the cheek. He's like, first of all, it's confirmed you are my daughter. Mom was like, rolls her eyes. And she's like, no way you won. I'm like, I know I can't even believe it. I don't know what they were thinking. But what he for me and then my dad said, but also second of all, I want you to know you, my dear daughter, are worth a thousand sons. A very, very big thank you. Thank you. Yes, me. Elhadi. Yes, me. It's a comedian and storyteller. I'm going to have her socials at snapjudgment.org. She first told this story, a version of it at Story District in Washington, DC. Big thanks to them as well. And now I'm going to hand the mic over real quick to the producer of this story, Justin

47:51Kramer and a very special guest. So first time just tell me who I'm talking to. My name is Muhammad Duik. Father of Yasmin. She's my baby. He's the youngest of my children. Do you remember when she ran for the election? Of course, go ahead. I know you will do it, Yasmin. And I'm thank you for supporting me. Of course. Because I believe in you. Do you remember anything about the campaign that she ran? I told her this would be an excellent idea. Scarfit. Scarfit make it as your motto. Scarfit. Scarfit. I had it down. Do you ever want me to take off my hijab? Maybe just for hesitation. But after I came to my senses, I said no. We shouldn't. We should be proud of what we are and we should be proud of how our heritage is.

48:55When you think about it, you can tell me when you're going to work. You know, we came as strangers to this country. This land is a land of chances. And it takes time to believe in yourself and to have confidence in yourself and that you can believe that you will do an achieve. I remember once I decided to defect. This is true. This is honestly when I try to step inside the airplane that will take me away. It's just like I'm climbing, climbing a mountain. Like something heavy in my feet. Because I know this is the moment where my life would be completely different. And I know always who do the right thing, they have to pay a price. And I paid a price. But now I'm happy that my children, they did what I couldn't do.

49:58No, no, no. You did amazing things and I'm proud of you. Thanks Dad. Always, always. I look deep inside her. I know she's so much grateful to me. I really feel her. Regardless if she talk or not, I can feel it. Thanks again, the original score for this piece was by Renssel Goria. It was produced by Justin Kramer. Believe it or not, that story was produced by Stephanie Fu. The recent release paperback edition of her best selling memoir, What My Bones Know is available in stores everywhere. Oh yes, another adventure and sound and snappes. It's not fair to keep it all to yourself if you dig it.

51:03Spread the word, let somebody know. And if you need more, know get more. Snap journeys away wherever you get your podcast, snap judgment. Snap was brought to you by the team that was never part of the cheerleading squad. Except for the Uber Ruser, Mr. Mark Wistich. I mean, he wasn't part of the squad either, but he brought snacks and did whatever other chores they told him to do. There's Nancy Lopez, Pat Masini Miller, Anna Susman, Franzel Goria John Faseel, Shayna Shealy, Taylor Ducat, Flo Wiley, Bo Walsh, Rissa Dodge, David XM, Regina Beliaco. And this, this is not the news. No way is this the news. In fact, you could drive a DeLorean back in time for high school. And jeopardize your very existence by having your own mother fall in love with you instead of your father. What? What? And you could then turn this twisted notion into a blackbuster Hollywood film and you would steal.

52:10Still. Not to get far away from the news as this is, but this is PRX.