For the past 20 years, there has been an explosion of hatred towards Arabs, Muslims and Middle Easterners by the western world, and especially by the United States. The latter has painted these communities as barbaric, violent, and uncivilized, which has become very dangerous. This has allowed for Americans to perceive Arabs and Muslims as less than human. This ideology has not only created harmful stereotypes but has also provoked the emergence of hate crimes against these minorities. The language used by American media outlets, such as newspapers and news headlines, has manifested in social biases that stereotype and marginalize Arab and Muslim communities in the United States. 

Words You Should Actually Read is my personal response to the stereotyping that I have encountered as an Arab American Muslim woman since moving from the Middle East to the United States in 2020. The booklet I have created showcases words that have been said to me or words that have been used by American media outlets to describe an Arab, a Muslim, or a Middle Easterner. I respond to these biased assumptions with Words You Should Actually Read as a method to take control of the narrative and debunk said stereotypes.