If there's anything New Yorkers know how to do, it's hustle, I was no exception to that. So, at the ripe age of 12, I began my first job as a tutor. After much hard work, I finally earned 1k and decided that I needed to buy a name necklace with it. Paid for with my own money (with a small contribution from my parents), made in my home country, Pakistan, and written in Arabic, the language of the Quran, Islam’s holy scripture. To me, this necklace is as multi-faceted as the city I grew up in. My name, Safia, was telling of my gender and religion, the gold material,  a symbol of wealth and tradition as many Desi parents gave gold to their daughters.       As someone who has often moved residences and travels a lot, I don’t always have objects that remind me of home, or even a set image of home in mind. Being able to wear this necklace is like having a representation of home to me. Furthermore, it allows me to express my religious identity, as guaranteed in the First Amendment. I acknowledge that my ability to travel is a privilege especially considering the Muslim Travel Ban executive orders that were established in 2017. At this point in my life, my necklace has traveled with me everywhere, despite changing circumstances it remained with me through everything. All in all, my necklace demonstrates the overlaps in my intersectional identity and holds deep personal meaning to me, and I could not be more grateful to have it.
 

– ST

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant