U.S. fencer to deliver Women's Month keynote speech

A ground-breaking athlete who became a symbol of America’s tolerance and diversity will deliver the Women’s Month Keynote Address at the College of Saint Benedict.

Sabre fencer and Olympic bronze medal winner Ibtihaj Muhammad will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 27 in room 204, Gorecki Center, CSB. The event, which is sponsored by the Sister Nancy Hynes Institute for Women’s Leadership at CSB, is free and open to the public.

Muhammad became the first athlete to compete in a hijab for Team USA during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, helping the American women’s fencing team earn the bronze medal.

As a young athlete, Muhammad struggled with the restrictions wearing a hijab imposed on the requisite sport uniforms. But then, she discovered fencing, where her hijab could be worn.

According to the Team USA website, Muhammad began fencing when she was 13. Her father, Eugene, said fencing was a sport that was uniquely accommodating to her religion, which requires her body to be fully covered.

Muhammad went on to graduate from Duke University in 2007, earning degrees in international relations and African-American studies. She was a three-time All-American, and was the 2005 Junior Olympic champion.

She wrote a book on her athletic experience, “Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream.” Muhammad will sign copies of the book following her presentation at CSB.

She also works with the Peter Westbrook Foundation, an organization founded by Olympian Peter Westbrook, to mentor inner-city kids through fencing, Muhammad also serves on the State Department’s Empowering Women and Girls Through Sport initiative.

In 2014, Muhammad launched her own fashion brand, Louella by Ibtihaj Muhammad, which she manages with her siblings.

Women's Month takes place every March around the world. The events locally are sponsored by the Sister Nancy Hynes Institute for Women's Leadership and celebrates women's rights, women's issues and history, women leaders and all things that affect and inspire women.

The Sister Nancy Hynes Institute for Women's Leadership seeks to empower women to become local and global leaders by engaging in inclusive dialogue, reflective thinking and values-based leadership that celebrates and recognizes women as shapers of our world. It also provides a forum where women can explore and articulate their personal and professional aspirations to lead and transform communities in ways that allow all to reach their fullest potential.

The co-sponsors of the event are the CSB Student Senate, the Global Business Leadership department at CSB/SJU, the Gender Studies department at CSB/SJU, Intercultural and International Student Services and CSB Athletics.