Episode 26: Black + Muslim: Dealing with AntiBlackness + Islamophobia with Ida McRae

On this podcast we connect with Ida McRae who identifies as a Black Muslim woman and parent  on what it means to be Black and Muslim. With the heightened violence against Muslim communities from the New Zealand attack in Christchurch that left over 50 dead and 50 more injured and with the increased repressive policies such as the Muslim travel ban initiated by the Trump administration. Oftentimes we don’t hear the experiences of Black Muslims, so we are honored to talk with  Ida who is parenting a powerful Black muslim daughter. Ida is a social worker who strives to support the social and emotional wellbeing of her community and she does a lot of work to destigmatize mental health for communities of color and Muslim families.

Some topics we discussed were:

• With Black Muslims making up over a quarter of the Muslim community in the US we learn what it’s like to live at the intersections of Black and Muslim identities and the double experiences of anti-blackness and islamophobia.
• The role of Black faith and spiritually as a sustaining and healing practice with resources to learn about Black Muslim communities in the US such as Sapelo Square a destination for all things Black and Muslim in the United States.
• The importance of representation and shifting the narrative to increase the visibility of Black Muslims
• Powerful Black Muslim leaders such as Movita Johnson-Harrell the first Muslim woman elected state representative in Pennsylvania, Ilhan Omar the first Somali-American, first African-born American, and one of the first two Muslim American women to serve in the US Congress, and Ibtihaj Muhammad the first American to compete at the Games in a hijab and the first Muslim-American woman to win a medal
• How Black parents can  talk to their children about islamophobia and how to stand in solidarity with our Muslim sisters and brothers, including reading literature to our children that highlight African American Muslim culture:  Bashirah and The Amazing Bean Pie: A celebration of African American Muslim Culture by Ameenah Muhammad-Diggins.