On October 19, 2019, Noor Alexandria Abukaram competed at the Ohio district cross-country meet for her team from Sylvania Northview High School. When she crossed the finish line in a 5K personal best of 22:22, she was thrilled with her improvement and went straight to the results board to celebrate with her team.
While scrolling through the names of competitors, she noticed her time wasn’t included in the standings. Confused, she asked her teammates what happened. They informed her she was disqualified because of her hijab, a head covering worn by Muslim women. “I went blank,” Abukaram says.
