When we were first introduced to Praxis Two, I reached out (cold-emailed really) to multiple external individuals and art collectives that I thought would fit well. However, as many of them turned down the interview request due to scheduling unavailabilities, I thought about change that was happening in my immediate communities, one being USC. This past summer, many USC students saw changes happening on the campus level in accordance and in response to the movements occurring at a national level. One of the largest movements was the Instagram account called @black_at_usc that anonymously shared the unheard stories of Black Trojans. From this account, many posts spoke to the actions and words of the USC USG President-elect and VP-elect and multiple USG Senator-elects as well. I remember how fast this account grew and one of the biggest changes that came about was the push for the impeachment of the USG President-elect and VP-elect. I remember that one account kept showing up on people's stories and that was Abeer Tijani's. She was the first person to openly call out the USG Executive cabinet and ask for more accountability and a discussion to be held. During this whole process that was unfolding on social media, it really felt like every student at USC's eyes were on Abeer and what her next move would be and how we can take action and support her - she really became the "face" of the movement over social media. In that sense, everyone who viewed her social media posts bore witness to her actions.

Without ever meeting her in person, when I reached out to her on Instagram she was more than happy to talk to me. My conversation with her was so informative and eye-opening. Her energy was so warm and welcoming which is why I call it more of a conversation than an interview. Our conversation veered a lot from what she did this summer to her background and what informs her work which was actually bell hooks. She said that she was currently reading All About Love and was reading a couple of her other books over the summer, but she said she loves the way hooks centers love and empathy. She said that she has always been in love with love and when she writes and speaks, it is coming from a place of deep consideration for emotion and empathy. I felt that she was a great example of someone who embodied the love ethic that hooks speaks about. She also had a lot to say about the different things to say about the different aspects that go into social justice that is not just the activist front, but also about well-being and embracing discomfort. I felt that this was super important to include in the zine because that is often overlooked. I was also really interested in her take on the role of social media as much of what occurred over the summer unfolded on Instagram and over the web. She spoke alot about the importance of taking the conversation off of social media and talking to people in real life and having these nuanced conversations because it is so difficult to have nuanced conversations over the internet. 

This conversation and process of documentation of our conversation was a process of reckoning for me as well. It made me realize that I should be holding those around me accountable for the actions and words they say and to not be so passive on the issues that directly affect me. I am always grappling with my apolitical and passive stance on topics that I attribute to my cultural background of “staying out of politics,” however talking to Abeer and listening to her speak and hearing her deep conviction in what she believes in was so inspiring, and that translated very well even over the phone and on social media- which is why I believe so many people were drawn to her. I really enjoyed this project because I learned a lot about the work that was done this summer, about USC, and about myself. I hope to continue to create intentional work and work towards implementing the love ethic in my own work and actions.