About the Artist
I am a community-engaged educator who believes in creating sustainable partnerships within and outside the academy that meet community needs, honor lived experience, and support students in asking: Who am I, what do I stand for, and how do I contribute to the well-being of the many communities that I intersect with? I also believe that religious communities are a powerful resource in co-creating a just, ethical and vibrant civic space. I direct the Program in Islamic Studies at Johns Hopkins University and lead a grant on community-engaged pedagogy in Islamic Studies. I am also Associate Editor of The Commons, where artists, activists, and scholars explore religion, social justice, and public life, and on the core team of 99 Clay Vessels: The Muslim Women Storytelling Project. I serve as Board Vice President of the ACLU of Maryland and I am active in the iCommunicate Cultural Collaborative, a Baltimore-based leadership incubator. I write, consult, and collaborate frequently on projects at the intersection of art, religion, health, and justice.
