Professor Tazeen Ayub is an Arabic instructor at Henry Ford College and she has been teaching full-time since 2014. Ayub is actively engaged in several groups on campus while also leading initiatives to promote racial equity and justice in the city of Detroit. In 2022, she was awarded the Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) Racial Equity Fellowship which focuses on leadership development among local activists. Fellows meet twice a month for a year to cultivate a deeper understanding of systemic oppression as it relates to their personal experiences. This reflexive approach helps fellows develop skills and tools to impact their communities.

Ayub also hosts a weekly podcast series called “Digging Deeper.” Episodes cover a range of topics, including self-expression through art, music, spirituality and activism. Ayub speaks with guests from a variety of backgrounds to gain insight into their unique experiences. She has also performed as a musician and singer locally and nationally with several music groups.

Ezeoke: What do you enjoy most about teaching Arabic to students?

Ayub: I think my favorite thing about teaching Arabic is when you have students who have no knowledge of the language, and at the end of the semester, they light up when they’re able to read, write, and carry basic conversations. To go from a place where it seems so foreign to now being able to have a conversation and be able to look at a paragraph and be like, “Oh, I can actually read that.” In Dearborn, you see Arabic signage everywhere. Students see those signs and say, “Oh, I took a picture of that because I recognized that word. We did this in class. I think that, to me, is the most exciting thing, because it’s seeing students being able to use what they’re learning in class in their lives outside of the class.”

Elizabeth Ezeoke: Do you think there’s been a difference since the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of student performance?

Ayub: Definitely. During the pandemic, most of my classes went online. Learning language online is hard, you know, because you’re not interacting in-person. You’re not interacting with [other students]. The pandemic made it really hard for students to feel motivated because you don’t have a schedule. I think in terms of performance, students struggle with time management and motivation. It impacts your learning, then you don’t feel as confident. But I think there has been a huge shift since the pandemic. There’s been a shift not just in students, but everyone else. They’re starting to think, “What is it that’s driving me in my life?” The pandemic is really forcing all of us to really think about our lives more deeply.

Ezeoke: What is the DEAL Racial Equity Fellowship?

Ayub: DEAL stands for Detroit Equity Action Lab. They’re an organization that runs out of the Keith Center, which is part of Wayne State University’s law school. One of my good friends, who is a journalist, sent me a link. I looked up the application and felt like it would be really important. Not just for the learning that takes place, but also for the network and the community of people. You get to work with people who are in different sectors of the city. It was focused specifically on racial equity through the lens of “the public is the personal.” Racial equity workshops focus on theory and history a lot of the time. Very rarely do they ask, “How are we, individually and community wise, impacted by these systems?” Because each community is impacted differently, right? I’m South Asian and being a non-black person of color means the impact is different. Each community is impacted very differently, and so I think that this fellowship was very much like, “How are you impacted? And what are the things that you need to work on in terms of how you impact other people?” It was a really great cohort of people, mostly BIPOC, and we had to be really honest with ourselves. And it was very emotional, but very necessary.

Ezeoke: What did you learn from your collaborators during the fellowship?

Ayub: I think one of the biggest takeaways that I had was the strength that we have in community. Often, these systems of oppression make us feel, especially as people of color, like we’re experiencing things in silence. In reality, the majority of us are experiencing it. What power do we have collectively when we stand up for things? What’s something that we can do that’ll benefit one another? I think that was the biggest takeaway that I had from the program.

Ezeoke: Why do you think DEI is under attack today?

Ayub: DEI is such a fad word right now. Everyone wants to talk about DEI. Administration is worried about quotas and checklists. The frustrating part of it is that there are Black and Brown employees at these places that have been doing the work for decades. You know Dr. Harvell and Dr. Courtney Matthews. Folks who have been researching, writing, and lecturing. No change happens until it becomes a fad. It feels disingenuous. Are we checking boxes, or are we trying to make a real difference? There’s power in community and it’s where true change and power takes place. Grassroots organizations are really important within an institution like Henry Ford. For instance, the Black Males & QUEENS Focus Group. Ezeoke: Why is DEI under attack specifically in higher education institutions?

Ayub: Since the pandemic, we have been at a reckoning. Institutions are being forced to examine their racial history. It’s hard for some people to look at themselves in the mirror. For example, Henry Ford College. Henry Ford was a very racist person. Spiritually, I believe that names have deep meanings. If I say, “Hey, I think we should change the name.” There’s going to be so much pushback. I mean, Henry Ford’s funding and grants. What about the jobs he created? It’s too radical. There’s always a limit. Let’s do something that looks ceremonious and that looks really good on paper. Let’s give you Juneteenth off.

Ezeoke: I want to turn the conversation towards your art and music. How did you learn how to play guitar?

Ayub: I’ve been playing guitar for 15 years now. I have a background in a subject called Tajweed. Tajweed is the melodic recitation of the Quran, which is the holy book in Islam. It’s similar to singing because you’re using your vocal chords. I spent 10 years of my formative years doing recitation. I was going through a really difficult time in my life and I began singing. I would be on the guitar for two or three hours, until my fingers were bleeding. It was healing. My friend is a spoken word artist and she invited me to a performance. I started performing and getting feedback. My partner is also a guitarist. We started doing music together. We formed our first collective—Lu Fuki and Divine Providence—and we started playing all over the city. It was crazy because all of us worked full-time. But it was incredible. We play creative improvised music. It allows you to express your feelings in the moment. I play in and manage several collectives. We travel and tour a lot, which is really beautiful. I also play the bansuri flute, which is a South Asian bamboo flute.

Ezeoke: What are your musical inspirations?

Ayub: If you were to go to John Coltrane’s show and listen to “A Love Supreme,” it would sound different every single time. It’s because what he’s bringing to every single performance is different. He’s a huge inspiration, including Yusef Lateef. One of my ensembles, Autophysiopsychic Millenium, is based on his methodology. I’m very close to his widow, Auntie Ayesha Lateef. Nothing that we do in that ensemble happens without her blessing. Nina Simone, Tracy Chapman, and Abida Parveen.

Ezeoke: How do you write songs?

Ayub: I have to be somewhere by myself if I’m writing a song. Sometimes I’ll dream and wake up in the middle of the night to write down lyrics. After the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, I wrote from that place. I always like to say that artists are historians. Artists are documenting what’s happening in the community right now. Music is influenced by global events such as Palestine.

Ezeoke: I really like what you said about artists being historians. The disco movement, for example, coincided with the civil rights era. What do you think about music as a tool for resistance?

Ayub: It is the resistance. Music is essential to any movement. The music brings people together. You can’t have a movement without an anthem. That’s why artists are so revolutionary. You can have educators, but who is going to galvanize crowds and create a space where you feel power, strength, joy, resistance, community, and hope? Art is visceral. Music is probably the most powerful tool of resistance.

Ezeoke: I want to talk a little bit more about inspiration. Inspiration and passion seem to be major drives in your life. Can you talk about the power of inspiration?

Ayub: It changed my whole life. Taking a trip to Egypt changed my whole life. I was 19 years old and I wanted to be a doctor. I think that the intentions I had were definitely very beautiful. But when I went to Egypt, my language instructors were so passionate. They weren’t just teaching Arabic. I had such a deep relationship with them. I came back from Egypt thinking about the impact I could have in a classroom. Usually, students take language courses because they are required. Let’s just be real about it. How can I create a space where you’re not only learning a language but you’re gaining something that’s going to affect you as a human being? My trip to Egypt changed the trajectory of my life. I said, “Well, I guess I’m going into education.”

Ezeoke: That sounds so scary to think about. Was it hard for you at first to change your degree plan?

Ayub: No, I made my decision. I came back just ready. I’m grateful that my parents were so supportive, because I know that that could have been really difficult.

Ezeoke: What advice would you give to someone that is afraid to make big changes?

Ayub: Don’t judge yourself based on what you think you should be doing. I think that is a difficult lesson that a lot of students are learning. You need to go to college, get a job then you should be ready to go for the rest of your life. It’s a lot of pressure. I think a lot of people get surprised with my life, because I’m doing a whole bunch of different things in my world. You shouldn’t judge yourself based on the timeline someone else put upon you. I have friends, for instance, who have PhDs and didn’t get a job. They changed their trajectory and now they are happy. It doesn’t mean you wasted your time. You can’t change the past, right? Be intentional, be thoughtful, and don’t rush. It’s going to be sacrilegious for me to say that college isn’t for everyone. There’s a lot of other opportunities that you can explore. If you know yourself, then you will be able to live in alignment with your values. If you don’t know yourself, you will always sway with the wind.

Ezeoke: You’re saying that success should not be based on what others say or think. What do you find to be your definition of success?

Ayub: In terms of academic success, we’re assessing these measures. You’re getting graded in my class and there’s a possibility you might fail, which isn’t successful. At HFC, we have guided pathways. You have to take these classes and get certain grades. That’s successful. There are students that just want to get through the system. But what did you really learn? You have to be really independent in the way that you think about your education. Yes, I am taking this class because I have to but what am I learning that could impact me in the future? Success is a mindset.

Ezeoke: What do you think about the future of education?

Ayub: We’re at a crossroad right now. Gen Z is coming into college with a totally different mindset. We are really in a space where we have to rethink what education means, because we’re also dealing with AI technology. We’re learning at the same time that we’re teaching. I think the future of education is in flux. We have to think about why college is important. Why are students here? What are we doing to benefit students?

Ezeoke: What are you doing to keep your teaching up to date?

Ayub: The traditional route involves going to conferences and workshops. Read journals and books and make sure that you stay up to date in your field. I think that that is really important. On the other hand, there’s so much happening globally, and there’s so much that’s happening at the community level that can feel really overwhelming and debilitating sometimes. And so I think that that has to be paired with rest, like it has to be paired with actively giving myself space to be without the intention or goal of production. Capitalism makes us feel that our value is based only on our output. Burnout is real. It’s very real. If you limit yourself to a sort of thinking, one type of person, one type of community, you’re not allowing yourself to grow.