Iranian-American English teacher Solmaaz Yazdiha has worked at the high school since 2018. Each year she shares her story from Sep. 11, 2001 and is always open about her Iranian identity with her students. Yazdiha said literature depends on storytelling, and she hopes sharing her stories will encourage students to share their own. She said that, in order to fight discrimination, it is important to start conversations in the Brookline community around Muslim, North African and Middle Eastern identities.

What do you remember from 9/11?

I remember 9/11 vividly. I was attending middle school in a predominantly white town in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C. Because of the location, many of my classmates’ parents happened to work in government roles in and around D.C, and my best friend’s father worked in the Pentagon. Luckily, he survived the attack, but it was an incredibly emotional time for her and her family. Because of my physical proximity to the Pentagon attack, I felt a deep sense of closeness to the event. After 9/11, I spent time processing and mourning the senseless violence that had occurred in my backyard. I was raised in a nonreligious household, but I found myself praying for the first time.

As an Iranian-American, how did you feel knowing the terrorists were from the Middle East?

I felt both exposed and completely misunderstood. Patriotism seemed to demand a pro-America, anti-Middle East attitude, and I found myself at a crossroads with my identity. Despite being born in America and spending much of my younger years trying to fit in with my white friends, I had never felt more like an outsider. My hair was too dark and my nose too big. My parents’ accents were too thick. I’d never be able to hide my seeming connection to “those terrorists” that had committed the ultimate evil. My friends, teachers and community did not see me, or my family, as American, and we were treated as such: dangerous, outsiders, unwelcome. That year, my school put on a patriotic play called “This is Still America.” I still vividly remember the anxiety I felt over the potential of being cast as the terrorist. Luckily, my drama teacher had more tact than to create a terrorist role.

How did 9/11 impact Islamaphobic and anti-Middle Eastern sentiments in your experience?

In Virginia, the shift was palpable, at least to me. Many talk about 9/11 as a moment that shifted America’s perception of the Middle East, but this is inaccurate; anti-Middle East sentiment was deeply embedded in the culture of America long before 9/11 and has only grown deeper since. We need to acknowledge this as part of our 9/11 story, or we risk perpetuating a single story and alienating our students and families.

What anti-Muslim sentiments have you heard of in the Brookline community?

I know from speaking with my Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) students that despite not even being alive at the time of 9/11, they have experienced moments of exclusion and name-calling by their classmates: terrorist, Osama, towelhead, the list goes on. From my own experience, anti-Muslim or anti-Middle East sentiment can be overt like name-calling, stereotyping, discrimination or violence, but also, many times, much more invisible.

What makes these sentiments more hidden?

I am most bothered by the subtle exclusion of Middle Eastern stories in our curriculum, the lack of acknowledgement of MENA identity in schoolwide conversations around diversity and racism, and a lack of conversation about the endless wars waged by the American government on Middle Eastern people. It is this subtle exclusion – in schools, in the news, on the Census – that many times has me feeling like we are the forgotten minority, and that term alone is problematic. Just because MENA students don’t make up a majority, or even a majority minority in Brookline, doesn’t mean their stories don’t matter. The less we have exposure to a certain culture or group of people, the more important it is we work to bring their stories to light, to understand and be aware of both their beauty and their struggle. Otherwise, we risk further division and misunderstanding.

How do you think Brookline could improve in terms of preventing anti-Muslim sentiments? What are realistic steps the high school could take?

Brookline could improve, first and foremost, by hiring more teachers of color, including those of Middle Eastern, North African and Muslim descent. Increased staff diversity will lead to a multitude of improvements for students, staff and the community as a whole. This involves a true commitment from not only school administration, but even more so from those in Town Hall and on the School Committee. If we, as a district, truly value a diverse faculty, we must be willing to recognize and count diverse professional experiences, such as teaching outside of Massachusetts and teaching in different types of schools, in our hiring methods.

How can all schools take steps to end anti-Muslim sentiment?

A realistic step that all schools can take is to first, ask important questions. Questions like: whose stories are and aren’t being told in our curriculum? Are we dangerously perpetuating single stories? Stereotypical stories? Orientalist stories? Or are we showing the full humanity and multidimensionality of all people? Are we telling the truth about history? Are we talking about the ugly truths of today? Are we acknowledging current events in and outside of America? Are we, as teachers, staying informed and dedicated to lifelong learning? Are we looking inward at our own biases? Are we helping our students look inward as well?

How can we improve the high school to become a more welcoming environment for MENA students, faculty and families?

Specific to improving conditions for MENA students and families, there is a lack of acknowledgement of MENA identity in schoolwide conversations around diversity and racism and a lack of acknowledgement or conversation about the endless wars waged by the American government on Middle Eastern people. Our MENA students and families are just as important as all others and should not be made to feel invisible in our schools.