Black Arab women are drawing inspiration from global anti-racism protests to fight back against longstanding discrimination and Middle Eastern beauty standards that favor light skin and straight hair.

Black Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, who descend from sub-Saharan Africans, suffer social marginalization and unequal job prospects, and are often subjected to racist abuse and derogatory portrayals in the media.

Black women, some of whom are African migrants, suffer a double discrimination, activists say.