Ahmed actually wrote #BlackLivesMatter on his application 100 times, to be exact. His choice to take a personal question like "What matters to you?" and answer it with a movement that should matter to everyone was an extremely progressive and daring move.
As a Muslim teen, Ahmed has been an ally for the Black community for quite sometime.
"To me, to be Muslim is to be a BLM ally, and I honestly can't imagine it being any other way for me," Ahmed told Mic. "Furthermore, it's critical to realize that one-fourth to one-third of the Muslim community in America are Black ... and to separate justice for Muslims from justices for the Black community is to erase the realities of the plurality of our community."
Earlier in the year, Ahmed was invited to the White House Iftar dinner, where he was recognized as a Muslim-American change-maker by former President Barack Obama.
In 2016, he interned and worked for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. He also led Martin O'Malley's youth presidential campaign. In November 2015, Ahmed gave a TedxTalk in Panama, wherein he discussed the impacts of Muslim stereotypes.
(Photo: Ziad Ahmed via Twitter)
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