.jpg&oldid=889380161){kind=link}
Published on 2026-02-02 by Zukaina Al-Mohamed
They want our food
And our art
And our music
But they don’t want us
They want our labor
And our women
And our submission
But they don’t want us
They want our culture
But not our history
They want our gratitude
But not our concerns
They say they want us
But they don’t want us
They want the us
They can control
The us
They can manipulate
The us
They can make obey
But that’s not us
We are strong
We are resilient
We are united
They want us
But they’ll never have us
This poem—born from my multicultural identity—was not only inspired by current events but also by my life in the United States growing up as a second generation immigrant. My hope for this piece is for you, dear reader, to connect with its words and find that we all share an identity, that is, the human identity.
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are the author’s only and do not reflect an official position of the University of Minnesota, the Human Rights Program, or the College of Liberal Arts. As an institution of higher education that values and promotes free speech, civil discourse, and human rights we welcome a variety of perspectives and opinions from our student contributors that are consistent with these values.
Zukaina Al-Mohamed (CLA '26) is a senior majoring in Global Studies with a minor Political Science. She is of mixed heritage, with her parents coming from both the Middle East and Latin America. Zukaina is passionate about queer issues that don’t often get talked about (e.g. being queer in communities of color). Her academic interests include international conflicts, tyrannical governments, fascism, and political dissonance.