If you've been following U.S. Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad on social media, you would know that she has made an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," given Michelle Obama fencing lessons and launched her own clothing line since competing in the Rio Olympics last summer.
But the bronze medalist has another important project in the works. Muhammad, who became the first American to wear a hijab while competing in the Olympics, is working on a memoir -- her journey as a black Muslim female athlete in America -- set to be released next year.
In a recent candid interview with espnW.com ahead of the World Fencing Championships (beginning July 19 in Leipzig, Germany), Muhammad opens up about her recent work with Kids Play International, a nonprofit organization that uses sports to promote gender equity in communities affected by genocide, teaching children to play the sport she loves, and her plans for Tokyo 2020.
How did the fencing clinic in Rwanda come about?
I was invited down to Rwanda through Kids Play International. When I read about what they were doing there, I jumped on board. I was able to engage and interact with over 600 Rwandan kids.
I got to actually meet the first Rwandan Olympian at the National Memorial. I know what it's like to get to the Olympics as an American, and I know all of my individual struggles, and to see someone qualifying for the Olympic Games from a developing country, and being able to do that after such a horrific national incident -- the genocide -- is truly inspiring.
When you interact with Rwandans in 2017, you are dealing with children of orphans or who are orphans themselves. You may even be dealing with someone who partook in helping make the genocide happen. It is a community that is open about talking about the genocide, takes measures to make sure that the children understand what happened and why it happened to prevent it from happening again. The fabric of Rwanda today is forgiveness, because you have victims and perpetrators living side-by-side and that's hard for anyone to do.
Also, my own kind of lineage and my own history as an African-American, what my ancestors had to go through in the United States and how they were also able to survive and come out on top in the face of struggle - the Rwandan genocide reminded me of my own life history.
What were some of the other highlights of your time in Rwanda?
Rwanda is called a country of a 1,000 hills, so you're driving through these beautiful routes and sometimes in rough terrain to get to events or to visit a home. We helped build homes out of mud. When you go to the rural villages, the community effort that happens in building homes is incredible. I don't think the community gets paid to do it.
We visited this woman's home -- there were three rooms, no furniture -- and she had a chicken, a rabbit and a turkey, and all of these animals live in the home with this woman and her children. It was very humbling experience, because we, as Americans, the things we think of being a problem in our day-to-day lives just become insignificant.
While we were there, I had an empty water bottle in my hand, and one of the kids asked me for the bottle, and me being a silly American thought that they're going to recycle it to get money. And I learned from one of the KPI volunteers that they don't recycle to get money. They have something to show off to their friends. It was just a very eye-opening experience and, at the same time, it makes you want to give more -- as an American Olympian, as a black Olympian, provide a source of inspiration for children.
How did the kids take to fencing?
A lot of the kids hadn't experienced fencing before. I started by showing them a photo of me from the Olympic Games, and we started with really simple techniques. We had some equipment, so they were able to try it out and they took to it really well, because they get to wear a mask and carry a weapon, and they enjoy that.
You spoke out on social media about the Nabra Hassanen, the American Muslim teen whose death is still being investigated. What was it like waking up in the morning and watching that news break?
It is heartbreaking that it has become acceptable to express your hate. [Editor's note: Authorities have said Hassanen's death was a result of road rage, not a hate crime.] Every single Muslim can see themselves doing the exact same thing: walking late at night with friends to go get food and then go back to prayer. Now this will change the way Muslim teens socialize. It will change how Muslim parents take care of their children. If I had children, and if they would want to go to out to eat and then to prayer, I would tell them, "Excuse me, I don't think so."
I remember almost a year ago I did an interview, and the reporter asked me if I felt unsafe, and my response was "all the time." This is the result of hate. This is what happens when there is a lack of understanding of someone who doesn't look like you.
This is really about changing how we operate as Americans. This is something I learned in Rwanda. There was a movement by the government to instill fascism among people during colonialism, and it resurfaced because of the current government. It is important for us to look at not just our history as Americans. When you start to look at Muslims as terrorists, when you start to look at black men as criminals, you start to dehumanize people. It's a short ride into something that happened in Rwanda.
It's easy to say that what happened to her was road rage, but when you look at what happened to her memorial -- someone lit her memorial on fire. Was that also road rage?
What are you working on between now and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
I am not entirely sure if I will be in the Olympics in 2020; I haven't really decided yet. But, right now, I am working on a few things. I have the World Championships.
I am currently writing a book ... I decided that I wanted to tell my story. I know that for myself, just growing up, I didn't have many athletes to look up to. I don't want to give across the perception that my journey was easy. I know how difficult it was to get where I am, but I also want other people to know that it's possible. Throughout my career, I was told that it wasn't possible to be black in the sport of fencing. I was told I was a strong athlete, but I could never think tactically. Or being a Muslim athlete -- they don't even want to think of you as an athlete capable of doing what you do wearing a hijab. I want to break the cultural misconceptions through this book -- as a woman you can be an athlete; you can be strong and there's nothing wrong with that.
Sport has taught me so much even from the time that I was really young: appreciation of your own strength, of your competitors and your teammates. That's why I am such a strong advocate for not just children playing sports, but girls specifically. They look at all the images of white, skinny women and they're told, "This is what beautiful looks like," and 99 percent of us don't fit under that category.