Ibtihaj Muhammad

The competition to become an Olympic athlete is grueling. To rise to be among the world’s elite in any sport is a feat to be admired. And Ibtihaj Muhammad reached that exceptional goal: earning an Olympic medal in fencing.

But in addition to the physical demands on this young athlete were social and religious demands unequaled by any before her. Yet, Muhammad’s truly unique American and Olympic dreams were realized and now are related in her new book: Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream. And what a fight it was!

At 13, Muhammad joined her high school fencing team in New Jersey. From there she continued to develop her skills. She graduated from Duke University. Muhammad has been a member of the US Fencing Team since 2010.

Muhammad is a practicing Muslim. There was plenty of pushback as she pursued her athletic career. Yet her faith was a priority. Accordingly, she was the first Muslim-American woman to compete in a hijab.

Moderating the program will be Luvvie Ajayi, New York Times bestselling author (I’m Judging You: The Do Better Manual), hugely popular blogger and personality.

About the Authors: Ibtihaj Muhammad is best known for being the first Muslim American woman to wear a hijab while competing for the United States in the Olympics and the first female Muslim-American athlete to medal in the Olympics, winning bronze with Team USA’s Team Sabre. She grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey, the daughter of a retired police officer and an elementary school special education teacher. She lives in New York City.

Lori L. Tharps is an associate professor of journalism at Temple University and the coauthor of Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America and Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love & Spain. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Glamour and Essence magazines. She lives in Philadelphia with her family. Please note, Tharps will not be appearing at the Anderson’s Bookshop event.