It’s been an emotionally taxing week for journalists everywhere, definitely for journalists who have even a semblance of fear re: their government coming after them. This weekend, Jennifer and I attended the #sajaawards2018, where our work was nominated for awards! It was an honor to be there but we were the ONLY two Bangladeshis there — at an event geared specifically towards the South Asian community. The minority within a minority myth is REAL and we need more Bangladeshi voices out there. At the end of the event, I was chatting with the Vice President of SAJA who herself said, “Please run for the board. We NEED more people beyond the India/Pakistan I circle.” Do you see where the problem is? There is room for us — it’s upto us to go claim that space. It’s not an easy time to be a journalist, definitely not a journalist reporting on Bangladesh (another common theme this weekend, the number of non-Bangladeshi ppl who seemed aware of the stifling press freedom in the country), but that’s probably all the more reason we need more Bangladeshi voices out there. So, if you’re wondering if your sorry matters or not, chances are - it does (even if it doesn’t, email me we’ll make it into a poem). But join us, claim this space, there’s more room for us than we were taught to believe. I promise. Thanks SAJA for an amazing evening, panelists, and stories! #southasianjournalists #southasianwomenwriters #bangladeshijournos (at National Press Club) https://www.instagram.com/p/Borg4W3HklK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=bz32k7cih7mh