In Octavia Spencer’s Kindred, the prejudice that Dana, the protagonist, faces in the midst of Maryland’s era of slavery, as well as her tendency to remain in toxic relationships, are aspects of the novel that I can greatly relate to. Just as Dana’s worth as a human being is defined by the inaccurate, preconceived notions of African Americans shared by the Europeans of early Maryland, I feel that emerging Islamophobia and mainstream media’s negative focus on extremist Muslims has jeopardized my identity as a Muslim. Individuals such as Mr. Weylin consider Dana as inferior, even though she does not carry herself as the helpless, unintelligent individuals that others expect her to be. Similarly, many misguided individuals create assumptions of
