Nonprofit Profile
Unveil Me Slowly
One writer explores the identity of Muslim-American women By Mariah Kline | Photos by Joshua Mimbs
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ith an exceptional education and a passion for pursuing diversity, Aaisha Hamid is blazing a trail like no other. In April, her second book, “Unveil Me Slowly,” will be released, and she will recognize some of Louisville’s highest achievers at Trailblazers 2019, an inaugural awards ceremony. By drawing from her unique life experiences, Hamid’s goal is to create works that women like her can identify with and provide a clearer voice for an often misunderstood identity group. Hamid was born and raised in Louisville to parents who immigrated to America from Pakistan. Though she’s mainly lived here her entire life, she’s had a somewhat unorthodox educational experience that included exposure to many different cultures within the community. She attended a Baptist Christian elementary school, an Islamic middle school and an allgirls Catholic high school. Hamid then attended the University of Louisville, where she was part of several organizations ranging from the Latin American Hispanic Student Organization (LAHSO) to the Women 4 Women student board. “Having an education like this was very intentional because I wanted to be a part of groups that didn’t look or think like me,” she said. “I wanted to expand my own thought process as well as offer different identity
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THE VOICE OF LOUISVILLE
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groups exposure to someone they might not have otherwise interacted with. From an early age, identity is something I have always been hyper aware of because I’ve always stood out. I think my inability to be a part of just one world has helped me become more in tune with other ideologies and groups of people.” After graduating with degrees in psychology, political science and paralegal studies in 2016, Hamid began working for Hogan Lovells, one of the top 10 global law firms in the world. “My current role as inclusion coordinator enables me to be a part of a small team that works to create a diverse and inclusive environment for all of our lawyers and business service employees in our American offices,” Hamid explained. She is in charge of all of the diversity survey data that the firm completes, coordinating all internal diversity events for their 28 affinity groups and also managing the departmental budget. “In some ways, my work with Hogan Lovells and my writing go hand in hand,” she said. “In 2012, I received the Jones Research Scholarship from the University of Louisville and utilized that to publish my first book on an arguably controversial topic at the time. ‘Faceless: Two Worlds Collide’ explores the news story that came out regarding the Kill Team, a group of soldiers in Afghanistan who killed innocent civilians. After seeing the reaction from family and peers I went to school with, I wanted to research and write a book that attempted to eradicate the stereotypes on both ends. My book garnered some international attention from Pakistan and Canada, which in turn led me on a brief tour in those areas.” Since publishing her first book, Hamid has become increasingly interested in
JANUARY 2019