A teenager facing institutional power can find unexpected assertiveness from within

Evidence

Yasmin was about to say no—she even felt the n on her teeth—but out of nowhere she said, “Yeah, I’ll want a recount. And when you do the recount, I want to be there, and I want either my lawyer or my father there, too.” She didn’t know where these words came from, but the COSA looked at her with a smile on his lips. Okay, he said, but he didn’t know about having her lawyer or father present. — Moustafa Bayoumi, How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being…, 447

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the chapter’s broader theme of young Arab Americans demanding rights through institutional channels rather than accepting marginalization. — connects to: The girl’s marginalized situation deepens her interior life and critical clarity — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 904