house and you've been in the basic chinese villages before. and the basic economics are if you can send somebody out there to a big city to make some money and send it back, then the village stays alive, otherwise it doesn't. .. . [inaudible conversation][inaudi]

[inaudible conversation] >> welcome to the bookstore. my name is nancy. i am the owner of the strand. for history, it was founded in 1927 by my grandfather. it was finally called fourth avenue book world which is located around the corner from us from union square to asher place along fourth avenue. it housed 48 bookstores in the 91 year since then, all but one of the stores have shuttered leading this we passed down to my father who just died in january. tonight, it's a special night. we are excited to have you here and to have book tv with us.

at the 2016 rio olympics, this year's olympics smashed barriers as the first american to complete wearing a he job. the made history of the first muslim american woman to metal. as a young woman, he thought out sports as a means to fund college and fencing was one of the only sports in which she could participate in modest stress. she was fast, hard-working and devoted to her faith. in a sport populated privilege of the white people she often felt out of place. she rose above the bigotry another struggles on the path to historical success. named one of "time" magazine's 100 most influential people in the world.

she serves as an ambassador for the u.s. state department, cofounded athletes for impact in the clothing company, luella. she inspired the first he job barbie in her likeness. she is here to share her story and her memoir, proud it is worth noting that this has an adult edition and young readers addition. both versions are out today and for sale. she'll be joined in conversation by jacqueline woodson, an award-winning author of books including d foster, feathers, and stowaway. she was named the national ambassador for young people

please join me and given a warm welcome to jacqueline. [applause] >> hello. thank you so much for coming. i see so many familiar faces. i'm very appreciative of this moment. i'm happy to share with everyone today. i'm going to read a few paragraphs from my book.

>> her voice trailed off, the substitute teacher squinted and brought the list of names closer to her face. she was stuck and i could guess why. she was looking at the seven letters of my first name and wondering how to pronounce it. is your last name mohammed chess? her eyes fixed on me. the only fourth-grader in the classroom wearing a hijab. yes, not a. my eyes glued in front of me. and how do you pronounce your first mate? it's in p hodge. it's pronounced like it is written. that helped people understand my name but it didn't help her. she made another face, the kind you make when your mouth plans on something better.

oh, that's too hard she said shaking her head no and scribbling something down. were going to call you it be. [applause] >> thank you so much for that reading. i'm so excited about this book in the world. i was really excited about you being in the world when i first started following u.s. an athlete. then when i found out you had written proud which is a phenomenal book i was excited that your story was going to get into the world. just looking around the world, it is so beautiful to me. being able to see this diverse room and see so many people in h-- i wanted to start by talking

to about your activism. welcome everybody. i am jacqueline and i'm glad you are here. in terms of being an athlete and being an activist, what came first and how? >> in some ways i feel as an african-american i was born in activists. there are so many parts of my childhood that i feel my parents reminded us to be conscious of, where we came from, lineage and to be proud of that. then, on the other hand i grew up with a ball in my hand in a sense where we were not given the option to play sport it was a matter of which sport you want

to play. we were encouraged to be active. we stayed outside until the streetlights came on. there was an importance but i'm not just being active, but also being healthy. >> in that, how did you find fencing? >> again, we were playing different sports is again and we had a hard time finding longsleeve tops and spandex to go under team uniforms. i remember from an early age spending time with my mom and be like know that doesn't match or fit. we happened to be at a stoplight in my home time in new jersey. we saw fencing at the local high school. at the time we were not familiar with the sport, but we saw the athletes had on long jackets and pants. she said i don't know what it is but i want you to try it out.

so that is how i started fencing. my mom signed me up for a lesson. she found a fencing club which turned out not to be a club, it was a guys crutch. he was like the premier coach in our town. my dad took me to my first lesson and we came home and he said no. was just where there is a random guy and a crowds teaching me how to balance. but, i also being resourceful like my mom went online and googled the top ten schools in the country and had fencing teams. and from a large family, one of five kids. my dad is a retired drug detective and my dad retire teacher. i had to be resourceful on how to pay for school.

it was really a means to an end in the beginning. >> did you come to love it? >> i'm not sure if i have ever loved fencing. i get that question in a lot, cannot say that i have loved it. the parts that i have grown an affinity for. i've always been drawn to the people. i was head over heels for my high school fencing team. we were winning all of the time. it's easy to be happy when you are winning. we had ups the entire time i was on the team. we won state championships and everybody was supportive. whether you are on the strip actually providing tangible windsor a cheerleader on the sidelines first three years i was just cheering my teammates on. either way it was supportive and

inclusive. after high school i discovered that a nonprofit which really has become more family than anything. a lot of that has to do with the nurturing environment it has created. i discovered the foundation at 16. someone told me there were black people who fenced in new york city. i was like that's offensive, but i googled it and found them. that's how i joined that foundation. it was out of necessity. i needed to be around people who look like me in order to grow in the sport. it is hard to have that sensation of being ostracized and being labeled as different day in and day out. [applause] thank you. >> as you know both my kids are

fencers. it is very rare in their fencing clubs to see kids of color fencing. i know one thing you talk about in the book is when you get to the u.s. team and people think you slid in. anyone who knows about fencing knows it is a very intellectual sport as well as physical sport. i'd like you to talk about that experience and making the team, your feelings about making the olympic team and what you went in with and what you came away with. >> i qualify for my first team in 2010. when i graduated from college i was graduated in 2007, i had a

hard time finding a job. at the same time i was part of the foundation, i was training. somehow i convinced my parents to pay for world cup. i remember taking a good look at the team usa fencing team. to me it was not diverse enough. i do not see someone who look like me. even with a women's team there had never been a woman of color on the team. so i was going against what everyone around me was telling me. i was 23 when i went to my first international competition. i had no world ranking, had no national ranking. i never had a senior competition before. there were a lot of naysayers tell me what was impossible. in olympic team was not in my future because i had never been on a cadet or junior team.

i do not have the tactical training or skills to ever make a national team or qualify for an olympic team. a lot of my journey as an athlete is about challenging what people around me think about me. i feel like society tries to put you in a box even in the fencing community. there's an idea that people who excel us kids were thought of as olympic hopefuls and people who don't have a spot on these teams are the ones who will not make it. they will fall off if they don't have the skill set to make it. there is also a layer, i don't know what to call it. but to be different in a sport that is predominantly white is difficult. there is a lot to push back in wanting you to occupy that space. on the national team, there was

a lot of commentary around the team that never included me even while i was on the team. i was seen as a placeholder than anything else. there was a hopeful rhetoric that somehow i would not qualify the next year. imagine having to carry that baggage every competition and year. and compete. a lot of athletes of color in similar situations experience that. you feel that pressure to be exceptional in order to be accepted. >> and similar stuff happened at duke in terms of trying to occupy that space and getting the push back. what would you say to young people who are athletes now, especially young girls who may be our feeling lesser than, or are getting pigeonholed in some

way. >> there is something to be said to be strong, confident in yourself and not rely on people around you to encourage and motivate you. for a long time i felt like i needed my sister and my mom. every moment i was sad or felt this struggles especially well on team usa. at some point i started to rely on myself. i did not allow these negative words coming from the national coach or coming from teammates, some of my training partners to affect how i felt about myself. i had to consciously tell my self that i'm amazing, great, can do this. it was on and off the strip and in competitions.

this is not something i set out loud. i felt like i constantly had to contradict the things i was hearing around me. i didn't want to subconsciously affect how i felt about myself. >> i don't know if anyone has gone online and see new fence, if you haven't, you must. your magic. you completely defy gravity, you're beautiful. >> where you so nice? >> i would make my daughter watch these videos will be screaming and i'm like you have to learn that move. >> you're the best fencing mom. it's funny, when i came home from the olympics i had people i don't know who know nothing about fencing and asked me about the commentary they heard and they said what was that guy's problem, what did and he like

about your fencing are you? i know the guy who commentator the olympic games. i have never got good vibes from him. but it's so funny to hear you say you loved to watch me fence. i felt like i've combated the notion that is a black athlete all i can bring to the table is strength. one of my strongest things is my sense of timing. i've been told your points are lucky, that's something i've heard throughout my career that i've been riding this wave of luck. to be black and fencing, to be a muslim woman and not only go to the olympics for team usa in metal, there is nothing lucky about that. [applause] [applause] >> it is so true. do you want to talk about

writing? >> let's talk about the writing process. at one point did you decide you are going to write proud and what was it like? >> to be honest, i never thought about writing a book. when the idea came about to tell my story is like way, this has to happen because i think if i was a kid and i had read the story of struggle, try out and all the obstacles and saw that it's possible to come out on top, i think it would have changed how i saw myself. i thought it was necessary special in this moment. i also didn't realize it would be so hard. i wish someone would tell me how difficult it would be. in some it's all so therapeutic

to talk to her and talk packed the moments throughout my career that they have happens and they feel like blips on the radar. their speed bumps that you have to climb. through having a strong faith and believing in my purpose and having faith in god, i know that i have been able to overcome things that i have seen other people not make it out of, especially in this board as people of color. to be honest i did not know it would be so hard. i don't know why i would think writing 300 pages would be easy. it was difficult. to me it felt timely. everything about my journey felt timely. all around the discussion of zero tolerance, the muslim band,

the videos being released with police brutality and black people losing their lives. just challenging these things. to challenge the misconceptions people have about people who look like me. and to dispel the stereotypes and change the narratives felt timely. >> it is so tight. i'm going to ask three more questions before we open it to the audience. i feel like i am hogging you. i think about the black community and mental health a lot. and the kind of stigma that we have around it. i also think working-class for white communities have it as well. and i remember being in college and my sport was track. we would guitar competitions and everyone is sick and literally losing it. when i read about you and the

team and actually getting someone who you could talk to, i thought about what a difference that would have made for me as young person. therapy wasn't on the radar. you go to the track meet, you get sick and you win or lose and you repeated again. but let's talk about mental health and the fatigue you have felt. sounds like the fatigue was a reaction and a reaction to be so tired of having to do so much more work from the other athletes. >> i was experiencing a paralyzing fatigue. i did not even know exactly what that meant. all i knew is that when it was go time i had spent hours, almost 24 hours trying to get to

the world cup after training for the last few months. i would get there in the morning of i would wake up, after going to sleep early, having a great eating welling getting a good night sleep. i would wake up tired. i would get to the fencing hall to the venue very be so tired. i cannot explain the fatigue. we cannot understand why when i got on the strip my feet felt like lead and i cannot move. i was losing in the first round. this is like numbers six and seven in the world. i cannot figure out why am going out in the first round of competition. i don't remember why we had a team psychologist all of a sudden. i know i personally was dealing with a lot we had won a world

championship and that felt like pressure. in our team was having issues. whenever we lost it was always my fault according to the coach anyway. so, i felt the pressure. i was succumbing to the pressure mentally. in talking to the sports psychologist she help me talk myself off of the ledge. i remember having a conversation with no one other than my sister my mom about the sadness i was feeling. i was feeling this overwhelming sadness. i couldn't explain it. i love my parents so much but they're trying to say you have to pray more. and i know a lot of muslims will attest to this, if you pray on time this won't happen to. for me, it wasn't as simple as just praying more.

there is something to be said about addressing sadness, depression and anxiety and not just in the muslim and black community, their stigma around these issues. for whatever reasons we don't discuss them. for me, i didn't know that i needed to ask for help. my asking for help was like mom, what why do. because everybody's mom is a director. and she's like you got a pray and i'm like that's not it. thankfully the sports psychologist is there and she help me figure out. imagine having to go to local competitions to fence with kids to try to work your way and iron out these anxiety. i literally had to figure it out. so much of my life changed when not when i started to go through

these mohammed ali mantras on the strip, i was reciting verses from the ground that slowed down this heavy breathing. it almost felt like a panic attack. but then also, i chose happiness. i decided i was no longer going to allow my teammates and coaches to dictate how i felt about myself. i did not get that from the sports psychologist, i just thank god arrived and i had this epiphany and i feel like i took control of my emotions. as like nick went to give you that power to make me feel inadequate as an athlete or person. and i can give you that power. i thought you know what, i'm happy that kills people who don't like you. they don't like that. >> that is the best ammunition for haters.

two more questions, talk about visiting the border in california that was early july. >> a few weeks ago i went with revolt impact, a nonprofit who i cofounded called athletes for impact. we went to the border. you know this mission to try to understand what is going on and like all of us, were confused and horrified and then also like what can i do to help. for me the best way to understand what was going on was to see it firsthand. that came in the form of visiting the u.s. and mexico border which i have been to before. it's bizarre to see because there's two fences, the the mexican fence, the u.s. fence and then a space in between that is federal property. in the federal property you have friendship park were ten or 20

people from either side can go visit their family members for a few minutes. it's interesting to see this huge massive walls that are there. i've seen them years ago. when i hear about needing to build a wall unlike how high is it going if it's already there. but then to learn about who is being detained and separated. i think there are misconceptions about what's going on. most of us we think about the families we think of latinos in particular, there are so many caribbean's, so many black people experiencing the same thing. a lot of nonprofits i met with when i was there. there somali immigrants and to

hear about the way haitians get to the united states via the u.s. border is to take a boat from haiti to brazil and then walk for five months from brazil to the mexico border. it is heart wrenching to understand the link that people go to to risk their lives to flee domestic violence and wars, to seek a better life. for us to turn people away or to writ peoples children's from their arms to never see them again it's heartbreaking. what each of us can do is try to learn more and see what we can do, also vote. it's something simple that everybody can do. [applause] >> i was going to ask what we can do but you answered it so now i think now we can ask the audience if they have any questions. here's a microphone coming

around. if you could tell us your name. >> good evening. my name is gail davis carter. we are un partners. i have to tell you, i love you. because you are so straightforward. and i'm a fellow december baby too. we are straightforward. what i love about what you shared about is the differences of people that are still the same. i have two questions, when you went to the border, i noticed there were two people who flew the entire wall of the border in mexico. in some places where there is no wall and you can walk through the pond over and across from each other. did you experience any of them? and did you experience what people are dealing with on-site as you're watching it on full?

and then being a woman of color and doing the work that you're doing, what has been your biggest challenge to overcome stereotypically? >> can everyone hear the questions in the back? >> the biggest challenge to overcome,. >> what has been one that you've had to overcome. >> i'm not sure what the stereotypical challenge would be, but i know that there were some point in my career when i made the decision that i'm not going to continue to explain myself or feel the pressure to do that. i think that's a burden on minorities to somehow try to make yourself more acceptable in some way.

to think where the saying and i feel like when i was younger my earlier moments and team usa i kind of felt that but there's a sensation or a feeling that my teammates filling different from them so let me try to help ease them into dealing with the muslim or show them that black women are not super aggressive. all the stereotypes that people have. let me try to help them interact with people who look like me in a more meaningful and normal way as opposed to them thinking of me as other. i cannot even tell you the people have said to me. not one team or two teams like eight. to say what country are your parents from? it's like we have known each other forever and were on together on team usa, where would they be from.

but to asked someone in the middle of a team dinner, do you have your magic carpet to go pray? to me that's the crazy experiences i have had. at some point i went through faces where i feel like i tried, as like i want to be accepted by them because their teammates and when you make a team is like were in this together, were gonna win together and you're working for that inclusive space. as you know, fencing is individual first and then the team. so there are very few spots to qualify for team usa. when it's a dog eat dog environment to get there, there are people who literally hope you have broken your foot to get there so they can pass you and that's the energy i felt for eight years.

>> so, i went to the border i don't even remember the name of the city, it is literally where the you see the fence trail offer quarter of a mile into the ocean. i did not come across any part of the fence that was broken and or an interruption in the fence. >> it's good to see you and to be here. i have a question about interactions you may have had with other muslim athletes from around the world or the states. in the course of your journey and what takeaways you got from that, was there any comfort or positive energy that came from that? >> i think like only at world

championships when people from maybe the smaller countries were egypt or tunisia showed up. there's a sense of sisterhood or brotherhood when there's a muslim or black athlete. all of the black fencers are friends. there's an unspoken like we hope that we are but were not energy you feel when it comes to black athletes and fencing. aside from us being if you on our team, there is a sense of friendship. one french fencer i'm friends with his half algerian and also black. when i first met her she didn't speak any english books big three words of english. we have been friends for years.

it's because we have this sense of friendship and also this family sisterhood that's dams from having arabic last names and muslim family also been the only two black girl fencing and a tournament i don't know about other sports. i have friends who run tracker play in the nfl, that's different. the disparity is not there like it is fencing. >> my name is edith, i'm a single parent and i believe my children attended the westbrook foundation with you, my daughter is not here i just wanted to say that peter was the surrogate father that i needed and the olympic teachers, and help me to raise my children.

i like that you mentioned mental health, i'm a social worker. have you ever thought about starting programs in schools? fencing programs and then having maybe a mental health piece? >> that's a great question. i agree with you that peter does become like a father figure for kids at the foundation. it's nice to hear that that helped you as a single parent. i know what it was like to see olympic athletes and mentalists who are of the same skin complexion for the first time. and how transformative that was. one of my sister who sitting behind you, she and her husband have talked about this. hopefully in the future we hope to start some sports programming maybe not fencing but to help

serve the communities in ways that include outlets for speaking with social workers even is important. >> hello. my question speaks to the idea of being a muslim woman in an area that you don't see a lot of muslim women in. i'm not an athlete but i'm going into academia in the world of politics and that can be a scary place. why would be her biggest take away or nugget of advice. >> not to be afraid of being yourself in existing as you are. there's something to be said for those of us who have courage in moments like this and not feel fear or feel like we have to change parts of our self to conform to an administration that is bigoted, racist and

doesn't want people to exist in the spaces. the best form of resistance is to be unapologetic of who you are not feel pressure to change parts of yourself. [applause] >> your my biggest inspiration. i want to know what inspired you. [applause] >> my question is, do you have advice for young people who want to go to the olympics young hijab a's who want to go to the olympics i would say continue to work hard. i have fenced with --'s older

brother, there are so many hours in the gym that i'm the only one there. i have my sister, my teammates can attest to that where you are the first one in the gym but if you have a goal in mind and work hard, you believe you can accomplish it, you can make it happen. [applause] >> how did you feel when barbie asked you to be the first muslim barbie? [applause] >> the most important question of the night. i have played with barbies for

the longest in an uncomfortably long time. i was like 15 when i stopped playing with barbies. i had a three-story dollhouse, we had a pool on the roof, corvette, a jeep, my barbie did. my parents only bought us black and brown dolls so if we went down the toy aisles and we are ready had if we already had those two brown dolls we didn't get when that day. that was their effort for us to see ourselves represented even in something as simple as stall play. for me, to become barbie or to have a barbie made in my likeness i feel like my life has come full circle. i can't even tell you how much i love barbie. is coming out soon. that's all i can say. but the packaging is amazing. >> there is one in the way back.

>> were here from los angeles. i'm here at my two daughters. my question is twofold. it piggybacks on another question. i'm wondering, who are the most influential people in your life when you're growing up? and who do you consider to be the most influential now? >> i feel like i have so many different people in my life who helped me believe that i could arrive at this moment in time. that have planted the seeds and have also watered it to help it grow to what it is today. when i think of athletes like cream actual the bar, i remember

thinking how are they playing, i could barely make it to lunch time. i thought i was dying. but to see these athletes into see how they can compete at the highest level of sport and fast, to see athletes like serena and venus williams and to be on unapologetic of who they were as black athletes in the tennis world. there are many parallels. wasn't something i could directly relate to because i was not even a blip on the map when they were starting to ascend in tennis. watching them allowed me to grab my aspirations as an athlete. i have always wanted -- i want this generation to see a muslim athlete be successful. i want our generation to continue to see black athletes do well and transcend this board in a way that transcends the

sport to be inspired to see themselves in spaces were even now were being pushed out and told you are not welcome. this is not a place for you. there is that idea that i'm not waiting for a seat at the table. not waiting for someone to say we want this to be inclusive. pulling up a chair and taking the see and i'm saying hello. >> my name is mary mona. my question for you is during your fencing career did your fencing or -- ever impact or inspire you to come closer to your faith? >> yes. i feel like when i did not qualify for the olympic team in

2012, i feel like nobody wanted to talk with me about it especially my family. and for me i felt like i didn't make it because it wasn't meant for me to make. i always feel like the way god has it written is the way supposed to happen. some like it in qualify, that's okay. but what help me continue in the sport and not be truly affected by not qualifying for this huge sporting event, arguably the most important sporting tournament is my faith. i have teammates in my opinion who were not as lucky. still to this day have a hard time accepting not making teams and feeling affected by that. i believe that my faith and my faith has allowed me to become a greater athlete because i do not

hang on to a loss the way my teammates do. i don't think that makes me less competitive, i think that is my understanding is in the sense that it's temporary. i cannot get so caught up in something as simple as a loss. i know as an athlete that i can go back to the gym, i can continue to train in hopes of performing better the next competition. there are people who things are way more important than sport and people are fighting for their lives, they don't have access to clean drinking water, those are things that would be more hurtful and dire then losing a match or not qualifying for an olympic team. >> that's funny because were trying to teach her children

about the. >> have a question, like what you say to the people who try to put you down in your career? >> i have a game plan, everybody should take out a plan pen. i don't listen to haters. i have so many trolls on social media and i'm a big fan of blocking and deleting. so i have the most positive social channels. everyone is supportive and i know it's because i have deleted everybody. so my trolls are making new accounts because i'm quick. we go through my comments so fast. i don't even see the hater comments. and not necessarily for me but the young kid to read them. nobody needs to read those comments meant to be hurtful.

>> we have time for one more question. >> i have a question, more like a statement also. i have experience where people judge me based on may be an outspoken and friendly and stuff. that i don't behavior act like a muslim. i was wondering how do you recommend i respond to that. like i don't want to react in a bad manner but it's quite offensive. slick telling someone how is a muslim woman expected to behave. >> 's are you getting these comments from fellow muslims? are people are saying you're not representing muslims in a positive light? >> mostly but not most of the

time from muslims. people from work, school or just out in the street people would hear me speaking away and they would make the comment. i just want to know how i should react to that. >> the thing i always think about on this ted talk, the single story of how people think there is a single-story for the mexican dishwasher were the black domestic or different people, we are many stories, there are many layers to us. there's not a single way. you are different from you and me. i do not think there's a single way to be. at the same time people have an expectation based on stereotype. and they refuse to see people as their individual self.

what we have been talking about this night is the importance of being who you are. and having a deep respect for that. i tell my kids that when you go outside you are ambassadors for the family. for the black community, there are ways in which we walk out in the world will be judged by many. i think it's a complicated narrative. at the same time people have an idea of who we are supposed to be we might not necessarily be. >> that makes a lot of sense. something i carry with me every day. i always feel like an ambassador to the black community especially since i muslim i feel that pressure all of the time.

not because i'm a public figure but because my face reminds me of the way in my mind i would like to behave. feel like i have a long legacy of people that i would like to live up to. like jaclyn said, it's most important that you feel comfortable with yourself. >> thank you. what an inspirational evening. we have copies of the book for sale. [applause] you can stick around to sign copies thank you all for being here and think you see spend. [applause]

[inaudible conversation] [inaudible conversation] [inaudible conversation] [inaudible conversation] >> here's a look for an upcoming book fairs and festivals happening around the country. on august 18, will be live at the mississippi book festival in jackson. jon meacham and others will be

there. from august 31 until september 2, it is the aj decatur book festival in atlanta. on september 1 will be live for the 18th year for the national book festival in washington, d.c. was supreme court justice, former secretary of state and many others. later, the baltimore book festival held that the city's inner harbor. for more information on upcoming fairs and festivals and to watch our previous coverage click the book fairs tab on the website. >> so, what was it like for you to work with adam who has a conservative reputation? >> adam has a great reputation as an editor. he had worked with one of my favorite writers. someone named barry lynn. it was one of the first to really punch through a consensus and economic thinking