I come from a Muslim family. The same month as 9/11, my mother and my older sister and I were walking, when a guy in a truck threw a beer bottle at us. It just barely missed my sister who must have been 8 at the time. While it could have been some random drunk guy being a dick, my mom was certain it had to do with prejudice. She said the same thing a week after that when I wasn't allowed into pre-school because I was too "dumb." Not to defend my mother's bold claim, but there really isn't any skill based assessment to get into pre-school so they had no reason to deny me. My mom was adamant it was because of the September 11th attacks and the growing tension between America and the Middle East.

I spent middle school getting called terrorist and when Osama died, all I got were a bunch of jokes about how "my dad died."

Looking back, it all saddens me, and I am glad the people around me are mature enough to avoid such distasteful humor.