First hijabi US TV reporter defies odds to go on air

CHICAGO, USA - AUGUST 08: Interview with first hijabi US TV reporter Tahera Rahman in Chicago, Illinois, USA on August 08, 2018.Tahera Rahman knew her road to becoming the U.S.'s first hijab-wearing Muslim television reporter would be fraught with obstacles. After graduating from Loyola University Chicago her professors and colleagues would ask if she would be willing to take off her hijab, a headscarf often worn by Muslim women to cover their hair, to land a dream job in journalism. Her answer was consistently a firm "No.""My boss said ‘that’s fine I respect your decision, but just know that you’re going to get a lot of no’s,'” Rahman, 27, told Anadolu Agency. And indeed the daughter of Indian and Pakistani immigrants did face rejection time and again, having her applications to newsrooms shot down in quick order, and forcing a revaluation of her career path. Rather than directly seek a reporter position, Rahman chose to pursue a backdoor into the newsroom. She eventually landed a producer position at WHBF-TV, a CBS-affiliated television station about three hours west of Chicago, Illinois. But Rahman was not about to settle for a position behind the scenes. She was determined to make her way in front of a camera, firing off applications to internal openings as soon as she could find them, but was again met with the repeated rejection her mentors foresaw, eventually facing a crisis of confidence that only her mother could pull her back from.Durdana Rahman refused to let her daughter spiral into a void of despair, insisting Tahara work even harder to meet her goals. “I wrote them an email, my bosses, and I said tell me how I can be the best candidate, tell me what I need to do. And I kept working hard and then I applied the third time and alhamdulillah I got the job, thank God,” she said.She first went on air Feb. 8 of this year, making history in the process. (Footage by Bilgin S. Sasmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)