‘I don’t even question what they do or say to me’: UofM student talks about her experiences with racial discrimination at airports

It's no secret that every flyer must arrive approximately two hours before their designated flight time in case of long security lines and/or other unforeseen circumstances that could prevent them from boarding. But, recently, other factors like racial profiling could also contribute to delays in traveling.

When flying from Paris to Detroit, I noticed airport security "randomly checking" peoples' passports on my flight, and, even though I was prepared to be addressed, oddly, they only checked two families: one Spanish and one Arabic.

The Tab spoke with Amira Mandwee, a rising sophomore at the University of Michigan, about her experiences with racial discrimination at airports, even at a young age.

Amira Mandwee is no stranger to racial discrimination. She remembers a time when she was just six years old and her mother was pulled aside for a random search. "I didn't understand what was happening," Mandwee said, "[Airport security] took us to the side and asked my mom a bunch of questions for a long time, made her open her bags, and searched her."

The random search took so much time that she and her mother almost missed their flight. Mandwee was confused and asked her mom, "why that happened and why it was only us that had to do that." According to Mandwee, "[Her mom] didn't have an answer."

"I get so nervous and scared around airport security to the point where I don't even question what they do or say to me: I just want to get through as quickly as possible," says Mandwee.

Mandwee has been traveling for many years, and these unfriendly, stereotyped harassments have occurred internationally as well.

"Crossing the boarder to the USA back from Canada is always the hardest," explained Mandwee, "they always ask so many unnecessary questions and I always have to told my breath and hope they'll let us through smoothly."

The interactions have an impact on the way Mandwee views herself as a traveler, "I always feel bad after and ask myself 'what did I do for them to be so mean to me?'"

When asked about Trump's presidency and its aftereffects relating to racial discrimination, she shared, "I don't think the discrimination at airport or boarder security has increased as a result of Trump's presidency — I think 9/11 did that and it has remained at the same level ever since."

Mandwee explained that her fear of descrimination at airports "has always been high growing up and it remains at this level to this day."

She doesn't believe that his presidency caused increased discrimination at the airport, but she does believe "increased discrimination among the citizens to people like me has skyrocketed due to his presidency."

Mandwee also commented about domestic discrimination compared to international experiences. She explained that she feels "more discriminated against in the USA, because abroad I'm known as the American, but in the USA I'm the Arab."

Whereas people abroad seem to be more interested in Mandwee's culture and experiences, she said "domestically, [she is] thought of as the outsider who doesn't belong here — even though [she] was born here and knows more about American culture than any other culture."

Mandwee seems to be hyperaware of the stereotypes that exist around minorites in America. "There are so many bad stereotypes associated with my culture," said Mandwee, "I happen to be a citizen of the one country that hates my culture the most. Most of my experiences being discriminated against have been in the USA."

Of course, discrimination and racism are not unique to America. They are things that she, and many others, have experienced everywhere. "That's not to say I haven't had experiences with discrimination abroad, because, sadly, I have."

Unfortunately, Mandwee's experiences at airports are not unique. Racial profiling occurs everyday, and can inhibit as well as harm the individuals discriminated against.