Historians have a word for Germans who joined the Nazi party, not because they hated Jews, but out of a hope for restored patriotism, or a sense of economic anxiety, or a hope to preserve their religious values, or dislike of their opponents, or raw political opportunism, or convenience, or ignorance, or greed. That word is "Nazi."

Historians study their motives, but there is a broad understanding: their motives don’t exonerate them.

Imagine writing a law in 2023, with only 27 words, to regulate weapons built by future generations in 2255—despite your zero knowledge of tech 232 years in the future—and no other context is available.

That's how absurd it sounds when people today claim a 1791 Amendment encompasses all weapons in 2023 and cannot be questioned in any capacity.

In the last few months I’ve received 4 speaking invites:
•One to speak on the Black American experience—I said no & referred a Black scholar
•One to speak on Iranian women—I said no & referred several Iranian women
•One to speak on Arab American students—I said no & referred an Arab woman & activist
•One to speak on my experience in Turkey providing earthquake relief, on a panel with a Turkish scholar—I said yes

Lesson: You don’t need to be a voice for the voiceless—just learn to pass the mic.