ISPU works towards an America where all Muslims are thriving and equal. As we often share in research-based educational presentations, we study the most diverse faith community in America and strive to ensure that this diversity is accurately and adequately represented throughout our projects and our organization. Pursuant to that goal, I am excited to announce new elements of our work devoted specifically to uplifting Black Muslim voices and experiences.

 

Throughout history, Black Muslims pioneered the establishment and growth of Islam in America among many other contributions. And, they have borne the brunt of racial injustice and racism throughout our country’s history. At ISPU, we are continuing to work on achieving justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, with a special focus on the presence of Black Muslim voices, experiences, and expertise in our work. While we have made strides over the years, we still have much to learn and a long way to go.

As part of our work to address this gap, in late 2020 we established our inaugural Black Muslim Experiences Research Fellowship, with support from the El Hibri Foundation. This paid, 18-month fellowship aims to provide support, financial resources, and a platform for much needed research and education centering and amplifying research on Black Muslim experiences.

After a thorough search concluding in the summer of 2021, we welcomed Rasheed El Shabazz as our inaugural fellow. His project, The Mosque and the Block, builds on findings in the US Mosque Survey 2020 showing a decline in the number of African American masjids. Shabazz is concerned with the impacts of neighborhood change, particularly gentrification and displacement, on the connections between African American mosques and neighborhoods. He also seeks to understand the housing experiences of African American Muslims and the impact on community engagement.

Rasheed’s work with ISPU will be advised by another new initiative launched this year to specifically address racial equity within our research and education work. Thanks to the El Hibri Foundation, we were able to establish the ISPU Working Group on Black Muslim Research, a project we conceptualized years before as a part of our organization’s strategic planning. We were honored to assemble a group of esteemed scholars as members of our inaugural Working Group, each a leader in their field. Those scholars include Dr. Quaiser Abdullah, Zaheer Ali, Dr. Muhammad Khalifa, Precious Rasheeda Muhammad, and Dr. Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad.

The working group provides a proactive way to examine our research and education projects to ensure that we are amplifying and uplifting Black Muslim experiences and creating an anti-racist organizational culture within our programming. The ISPU Working Group on Black Muslim Research is a key component of our research and education work generally, informing every aspect of our projects from inception to implementation. It is also part of our broader racial equity work.

To continue to address this important priority on a board and staff level, ISPU also established a justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) committee, charged with addressing these issues broadly throughout the organization.

While I know there is still much to be done, I am proud to share these steps today with you, and very much look forward to sharing the results of Rasheed’s research, along with continued updates from the ISPU Working Group on Black Muslim Research and our broader JEDI work. We know that this investment of time and resources is not only long overdue, but much needed. Mostly, we believe it will be deeply impactful.

Thank you,

Institute for Social Policy and Understanding