Interview: 20 questions with a global leader

Anushay at UN Commission on the status of women

Anushay Hossain is someone I admire for a great many reasons. She is an accomplished journalist. She is a regular contributor to major media, including regular columns for Forbes, The Huffington Post, and

Ms Magazine.

She is at the forefront of addressing issues vital to woman around the world. She has met the leaders of countries and famous stars; more importantly, she is committed to making a difference in the lives of those who often do not have a voice in their lives. Her voice has helped them and today her voice has helped me learn more about how to balance a passion for change with a passion for family and her own life...

Anushay and Joe Biden

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1. Can you give a little background on who you are? I am a Bangladeshi journalist and policy analyst based in Washington, DC. I started the blog, Anushay's Point, I have strong opinions on everything, especially global women's health and rights.

2. How did you decide to do what you do? My mother was very involved in the women’s rights movement in Bangladesh, and growing up she would always take me with her to all her activist events. This early exposure to the women’s rights world had a huge influence on me. It pretty much shaped who I am today. My mother showed me from an early age how difficult it is to access education and healthcare for the majority of women and girls in Bangladesh. She taught me about the violence women in my country endure. This had a profound impact on the development of my own feminist conscience, and it taught me never to take opportunities given to me for granted.

Anushay, Mom, Ava

3. How would you describe your job? It seems less of a job and more of a passion. Is it worth all the effort? I hope so! Fighting for the health and rights of women and girls sounds so lofty and broad, but I believe it is the mission of my life. Some days I wonder if I should have gone into a profession that pays more with less emotional stress, but the truth is I would not succeed because if I do not believe in something, I cannot work for it. I'm a passionate person period. I'm passionate about hot sauce. I'm passionate about passion. I could never just have a job that somehow was not working towards a larger vision.

4. Have you seen the role of women change in your life? Oh yes, definitely. I have seen it in my country, in my own family and all around me. Around the world women's roles in society are constantly evolving, even in America where today women make up the majority of breadwinners in the family. Back home in Bangladesh, more women are financially independent, child marriage slowly decreasing, and divorced women are less stigmatized. I believe that women and girls have a very unique ability to adapt, and it's a critical survival skill that is a huge asset to us.

Mom. sister Maneeza, Ava

5. How important was your family in creating who you are especially your mother since she has been a powerful force in Bangladesh? My family has been everything in creating who I am, especially my mother. Because I was the youngest, she just always took me with her everywhere. I used to twirl the end of her sari while she met with her school staff, play in the corner while she edited the layout of her magazine with her editorial board, and sit front row at her feminist symposiums. At the time I hated it, and just wanted to hang out with my friends. But her work changed my life, and gave my life profound influence and direction. My father, too. He had such foresight and vision to educate all four of his daughters, even sending us abroad for higher education at a time and in a country where people generally just did not see why you should educate girls. Even today, the majority of girls still face such barriers trying to access education in Bangladesh. I owe my father so much for always stipulating the importance of education to us. His answer to almost everything growing up was, "You have got to be educated." It drove me nuts as a kid, but of course as we all know, you realize when you grow up that your parents are usually right. He had such a busy public political life, and was not really there to be a hands-on father growing up. But he always kept up with how we were doing in school, our grades, our involvement with student government, how our academic lives were progressing, what colleges in the US we should apply to, he was very involved with all of that.

6. Do you think Bangladesh is teetering on the brink of falling backward or are you optimistic that things will move forward economically and socially? I used to be very pessimistic. I feel like for the past decade or so, the violent political landscape and the instability that has created was making us regress as a society, especially as Islamists gained more influence. Sandwiched in between all of this though has been our amazing accomplishments in 'development', such as reducing maternal mortality ratios, increasing girls education, curbing violence against women, the success of microfinance, allowing women to join the workforce. I felt as though my generation was still increasingly becoming apathetic and disillusioned. However, I believe the recent "Shahbag Movement" which has been building in the country since the beginning of this month has renewed my faith and hope in my country like never before. A mass movement rejecting religious extremism, and reclaiming the secular foundation Bangladesh was founded upon organized largely online by the youth, bloggers and women. This has completely renewed my faith in us moving forward socially. I believe if this movement succeeds, hopefully the economics will follow. That being said, despite the global recession our economy has been growing I think at about 3% annually. What we need to focus on still is lifting half of our population out of extreme poverty.

7.     Do you consider yourself to be a role model? I consider myself to be a role model for my 17 month old daughter. That is the one role I am very aware of because of my own mother, the work that I do...I really understand the importance of the dynamic mothers have with their children. I never think of whether other people perceive me as a role model or not. But then when I travel to give talks on global women's movements at colleges and universities, and I meet my readers, I meet young women and hear how a piece I wrote moved them, something I said touched them...that is when I realize that what we say and do in this world matters. That is when a I realize, "Oh, people are reading my work!" People are listening, young women are watching and they need role models, especially young South Asian women, young Muslim women especially in America who find it difficult to find role models they can relate to. Gloria Steinem cannot and does not speak for all of us, you know? Women of color, ethnic women we have different issues and concerns that are not always mainstream. I do not try to be a role model or actively think about it, but if people want to make me their role model, I am always humbled. The world always needs more women, young women who are aware of their rights.


8.     What advice would you give to young people who are just starting to think about writing and following their passion to promote change? Write. That is the advice I would give all writers. Be disciplined, practice and hone your skill. I try to live in a way where I have no regrets, but there was a good seven years of my life during which I struggled with a case of writer’s block I thought would never end. I so wish looking back that I had kept writing. Letting go and giving up on the skill, even temporarily, hurt me, and my confidence. Looking back, I should have had more faith in myself and just kept writing. Whatever your skill may be- writing, painting, never abandon it. I really believe everybody should have a passion, a struggle. Find something to fight for, even if it's planting trees or gardening. It will make the world a better place, and will make your own life so much richer as a result.

9.     What advice would you give to parents about creating active learners? It's funny because when you become a mother, you really start to "edit" your own life, pick the best and worst parts of your childhood to choose what you want to pass on to your own children. My parents were so great about infusing language and culture into mine, and my sisters’ lives. We are all so great about languages, traveling, immersing ourselves in culture and being open to trying anything once, be it food or a cultural custom. I really believe the more exposure your child has to the world, the more they will want to learn about the world around them.

10. How do you try to promote this with your own family? My husband and I are always talking about how we can promote this within our own family. We have a cross-cultural marriage so we have an advantage in that Ava hears almost three-four languages daily; she is used to them and can identify them. I speak six languages and really believe making your kids bilingual at an early age gives them an intellectual edge. She has such a rich Persian heritage from her father's side, and an exciting Bangladeshi political feminist one from my side. We're very conscious of not 'babying' her, not treating her like a moron. We try to surround her with books, art, and nature. I hope she does not rebel against everything when she hits her teens, but she probably will. We hope for the best by surrounding her with what we consider to be the best things about life.

11. How do balance your work and your life as a mother and wife and family member? You know, to be honest I do not know. I just live. I just do it. I do what I got to do. So many women do the same around the world, every day, everywhere. Many women do ten times as much as I am doing with a thousand percent less resources, so I never bemoan my situation. I could not do any of what I am doing if I was not passionate about it. I love what I do, my work, I love being a mother so much. It is the greatest love story of my life. I love being married. But I am also very, very organized. I am obsessive about scheduling, sticking to schedules and I really believe in being on time, something my father taught us at a very young age. Being a working mother is a juggling act, so I am never ashamed of asking for help when I think I am about to drop a ball or two, which happens. You can't be a wonder woman without the help of a really solid support system. There are days I have to work late, weekends when I have to travel for work, so I definitely need help on the home-front, especially having a toddler. I try to take my daughter with me everywhere, but when I can't it's great to have a spouse who says, "I got this," or a nanny who can come in. I also always listen to my mother, and she just always has great advice.

12. Does it bother you that so few Americans know about Bangladesh or the plight of women in many parts of the world? It used to when I was younger, when I was in college, but I really think that is a generalization that really no longer sticks. I mean social media has made the world so small. We are more connected and more aware of one another than we have ever been. But every now and then when you do bump into the kind of 'dumb' American stereotype who asks you if Bangladesh is in Texas, sure, I want to kill myself. But the truth of the matter is, Americans are a lot smarter and giving than people give them credit for, and I work with some of the most amazing Americans. And now, my husband and daughter are both American, so I am very careful not generalizing an entire population.

With Queen Rania of Jordan

13. If you had a chance to sit down with President Obama what are the issues you would raise? I have been a feminist policy analyst in Washington for almost ten years, so I have very specific issues I would bring up with him such as making US policy and funding of global reproductive health and rights mirror those stipulated in the 1991 ICPD Cairo conference, why the US should stop writing in unconstitutional abortion bans and policies into foreign policy. I would definitely bring up immigration legislation, allowing violence against women to be grounds for asylum, reevaluating the embargo on all Iranian products, such as literature and books. I could go on and on with this question. At the core of our conversation though would be how we can use US foreign policy to positively affect the lives of women and girls around the world.

14. Who are your heroes or role models? My 17 month old daughter, Ava, is my hero. I spent most of my twenties lamenting about how becoming mothers robs women of their independence and identities. Now that I am a mother, of course I know that is not always true. My daughter is my hero because she shows me how something I always thought I did not want was exactly what I needed. Her birth has completely transformed me, and filled my life with so much love. She motivates me to be a better person without saying a word. I know it sounds cheesy, but it is true. When you become a mother, all clichés become true!

15. What do you think Americans need to know that will help them take more of an active role in helping create change in South Asia? Our destinies are all linked. The world is so connected now with social media, with all the technologies available to us. Leave your comfort zone, get up and travel, see the world. You have to understand and see the world before you can change it, before you can make an impact.

16. Can you describe a bit your educational experience especially The Young Writer's Workshop and some of your Uva experience? UVA changed my life, and YWW is what introduced me to UVA. I started writing in my teens, and my older sister, Maneeza Hossain, who was a student at UVA at the time, recognized my passion and told my parents that there was a writer's camp at her university I should attend. That summer I went to YWW changed my life. I was this very sheltered teenager from Dhaka, Bangladesh dropped off at Balz dorm in Charlottesville, VA. Ha! I had no idea what camp in an American college would be like with so many other Americans. It was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. I learned that writing was a skill I needed to nurture and trust. YWW marked the beginning of my love affair with UVA, a relationship that would transform my intellectual self forever. I also met you for the first time, Parke, during YWW. Mentors like you and Margo Figgins really impacted the development of my understanding of language, and how to use it. I owe UVA everything. I am not being dramatic when I say it gave me my brain. Amazing professors, a world class, priceless education in the most beautiful academical village in the world. Those four years were some of the best years of my life.

Margo Figgins

17. Can creativity be taught or is it something you are born with? Both.

18. What would you change about yourself and why? I am very impulsive, and I am trying to be more cautious. Story of my life! Now that I am a mother, I really try to step back before I take a step forward and look at the whole picture because everything now affects my little baby.

19. What dreams to you have for your family? To be happy, healthy, see the world together, and eat really rich, fattening carby foods, and indulgent desserts :)

20. Were you nervous meeting Angelina Jolie? Yes! She gave a talk in 2008 in New York at the Council on Foreign Relations, and I was invited to attend. She was so well-informed, so articulate, and humble. In person, she was more beautiful than in her films. It was an out of body experience for me. I went up at the end of her talk, and introduced myself, but all I wanted to say was, "Please adopt me!" My feet did not touch the ground the whole time I was in her presence. And she was just so lovely.

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I am grateful for Anushay’s willingness to share her wisdom here. Her words should inspire others to follow her path and to make a significant difference in people’s lives. A voice and a computer can be powerful tools if the person pushing the keys has learned how to use them for the public good.

For a great update on Anushay tune in to her interview on how she is now a regular on Huffington, PBS and many other media outlets.