Youth Empowerment Month

As a root to our campaign events, we came up with the idea to have monthly themes and events that adhere to that theme. This past May was Y.E.M. The goal was to educate ourselves on the many issues involving stereotypes, Islamophobia and hate crimes against Muslims in today's society; empower ourselves by sharing our stories and experiences and letting each other know we are NOT alone; and to Inspire ourselves to be involved in the solution through small, simple actions we can incorporate into our everyday lives. 

We started the month with a Kick Off event on April 30th where we had Sister Fareedat come share with us her experiences and how she defied the odds as a Doctorate student at age 23. We celebrated with cake and the arrival of our T-shirts!

Throughout the month, we had weekly group discussions on Sundays during class. We discussed the many things we see in today's society, the challenges we face being black and Muslim in America, how to overcome stereotypes, and how we can improve ourselves in character and Imaan as part of the larger solution to Muslim identity and how we are viewed in society. 

Finally, we ended the month with an Interactive #chalk-talk discussion with articles, images and videos relating to character, Islamophobia and stereotypes. We had a rotation of small group discussions and came back together as a group to share what we learned and how we can use it. Everyone wrote their thoughts on black sheets we plan on hanging up on the mosque walls.

Alhamdulillah, it was a success. We learned a lot from each other and formed a deeper bond as an organization. It truly made us more confident in our Identity and helped us in our ongoing mission of taking our place in society.

Insha Allah, we will continue this monthly theme next with August as Career Outlook. 

Jazak Allahu khairun