KXAN’s Tahera Rahman, the first Muslim woman to wear hijab on-air shares the cold, hard truth about minority experiences in the industry.
By Sela Estill
Operating in an industry where you don’t look like everyone else can be tough. Sometimes, aspiring journalists of color feel they must adapt to the Eurocentric standards of the newsroom. Sometimes someone blows up that model completely. Take for instance, Loyola University alumna and KXAN Austin’s reporter/producer Tahera Rahman. She began her career facing more than enough pushback for embracing her Muslim culture during the hiring process.
“As someone who’s been in the industry, and through that process, you know, kind of the coded language that comes your way. So, for example, ‘we decided to go a different direction’. That’s like a common phrase I heard,” said Rahman. “And it’s not ‘til after the fact that you find out that you know, it, or you realize that your qualifications are either the same or much better than a lot of the other candidates, but you’re not getting that job for some reason.”
While the sting of rejection can be discouraging, the NBC Austin reporter recalled using that opportunity to defend herself by standing her ground. Despite Muslims in hijab being underrepresented on television, Rahman knew her worth and decided to push her true self forward. She argued that she couldn’t authentically be herself unless viewers could see her for who she is–a woman of Islam.
On February 8th, 2018, Rahman made history as the first full-time Muslim reporter to proudly wear hijab on screen at WHBF-TV, located on the Illinois-Iowa border. She remembered the surreal feeling of taking that leap of faith and broadcasting her authentic self-on-air.
“It’s something that I had been dreaming, hoping, praying for years. It was also scary, because internally I was thinking, oh my gosh, what if I had tried to pursue this for the last like, five years, and I hate it when I actually do it,” said Rahman. “But I’ve never regretted my decision ever since. So, it was worth the hard work with the patience, with the prayers.”
The Illinois native’s name also became a topic of internal conflict in terms of pronunciation. Rahman admitted that she intentionally pronounced her name unauthentically due to the frustration of others butchering it.
“Ever since high school, I said ‘tuh-hair-uh’, because that’s what I realized, was easier for non-Muslims to say, I’m sick of like, repeating my name eight times, until they got it right. So, I just kind of whitewashed it to begin with and introduced myself as ‘tuh-hair-uh ra-men’ and that’s how I set it up on air,” said Rahman.
“And about a year or two ago, I made it my New Year’s resolution to say it authentically, say my name authentically. So, I say ‘tah-hair-uh rauh-man’, so my first live shot of the new year, that’s how I signed off,” she said.
Making your on-air debut can put a lot of pressure on reporters of color. Many must make sacrifices such not wearing the hairstyle of their choice to work. As a black woman, I often fear pushback when it comes to wearing my hair in certain styles.
I find myself switching it up depending on the time of the year. In the summertime when the air is humid, I enjoy rocking knotless braids, and in the winter, I usually have a sew-in-weave or wigs. The variety of styles to choose from must be my favorite part about getting my hair done, and a part of my culture that I refuse to sacrifice completely.
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