January 4, 2025
Expertise comes in a lot of different packages, including one that looks like this
I finally gave in. After months—no, years—of seeing MasterClass* ads, I signed up. I’d resisted so long, almost out of sheer stubbornness. Every time one of those perfectly targeted ads popped up, I’d shake my head with a little pride, thinking, "Not today, algorithm. Not me."
But today was different. Today, exhaustion had softened my resolve. After a long, draining day of adulting, I crashed on the sofa. When I woke, still groggy, I reached for my phone and mindlessly opened Instagram. And there it was again—the ad. The same alluring promise of learning from the best, the same list of authors, entrepreneurs, and leaders I admired. Only this time, it caught me off guard. My defenses were down. And, well, the 50% sale didn’t hurt.
So, I signed up.
The algorithm knew me well, too well. It showed me the faces of people who spoke to me directly—women leaders, authors who’d shaped my worldview, entrepreneurs who dared to carve their own paths. Among them was Roxane Gay. That sealed it. Minutes after handing over my hard-earned cash, I was diving into her course on writing for social change.
In the introductory module, she said something that made me pause. Roxane spoke about the scarcity of Black women teaching at the college level, a stark reality that motivates her to be visible, to be present, to claim space on platforms like MasterClass. She said it was important for her to show that expertise doesn’t come in a single, standardized form. “Expertise,” she said, “comes in a lot of different packages, including one that looks like this”—a Black woman.
Her words hit me like a quiet, insistent truth I hadn’t fully allowed myself to hold.
I’m not a Black woman, but I am a visibly Muslim one. The scarf on my head—my hijab—has been a conversation starter, a lightning rod, and a silent question all rolled into one. Over the years, I’ve had to field more than my share of doubts and whispered criticisms, many of them echoing the same sentiment:
Should you even be doing this? Wouldn’t more people listen if it weren’t you standing there with your headscarf and your visible faith?
And sometimes, those voices creep into my own thoughts. I wonder if they’re right. I wonder if I’m really the person for this work.
But, if not me, who then? I ask myself. Because the truth is, I don’t see many women who look like me standing in these spaces. It’s lonely. It’s disheartening. It makes me question if I’m truly qualified or if my presence just adds to the noise.
But hearing Roxane speak about her own journey and her choice to stand in the spotlight despite the resistance and challenges was a moment of quiet comfort. Her words reminded me that I’m not alone in these feelings and that my presence—like hers—matters. Expertise, she reminded me, doesn’t have to come in the package people expect. It can look like me, too.
I may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I may never represent the majority. But I’ll keep going. One word, one step, one action at a time. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that the path is made by walking it.
*This is a guest pass where the first 3 people will get a free 14-day access to all 200+ instructors. I am not affiliated with Masterclass and I receive nothing by you using these guest passes.