Black Muslim Freedom Dreams: Samiha Rahman in Conversation Robin DG Kelley
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 16:00 -
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 18:00
Event duration 2 hours
Ticket WITH Book:
USD 33.85
About Black Muslim Freedom Dreams: Samiha Rahman in Conversation Robin DG Kelley
This book explores three generations of Black American Muslims pursuing education and liberation beyond the borders of the United States.
Explores three generations of Black American Muslims pursuing education and liberation beyond the borders of the United States
Since the 1970s, hundreds of Black American Muslims in the Tijani Sufi order have sought refuge in a new world that would nurture their racial, religious and gendered identities away from anti-Black and anti-Muslim racism in the United States. This new world is in Medina Baye, a city in Senegal that is the headquarters of a pan-African Sufi movement with tens of millions of members in Africa alone.
Drawing on a decade and a half of ethnographic engagement, Black Muslim Freedom Dreams explores the Islamic educational opportunities created for and by Black American Muslims in Medina Baye, chronicling the dreams, sacrifices, struggles, and joys of young people and parents who live, learn, and strive for liberation between the United States and Senegal. The volume traces their journeys between these two worlds, zooming in to vividly portray everyday Black American and West African religious life, and zooming out to map the sociopolitical landscapes, educational conditions and Islamic and pan-African ideologies that shape believers' perspectives.
Black Muslim Freedom Dreams argues that Black Muslims’ experiences of Islamic education and pan-African exchange are oriented towards collective care – a radical way of being and belonging through which believers journey on the path towards Allah’s love by caring for one another and addressing the material inequities that constrain their communities. This notion disrupts narratives of religion that are limited to systems of personal belief, showcasing instead how their educational experiences foster a collective responsibility and solidarity. The book offers a compelling account of how Black Muslims engage with transnational religious and racial networks to build liberatory communities beyond the United States.
Due to the popularity of this event, tickets with books will be prioritized.
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Sunday, April 26, 2026, 16:00
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 18:00
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Black Lantern Books
https://blacklanternbooks.com/
6533 West Blvd
The Legacy Library and Black Lantern Books is an effort to preserve the life long collections of texts that was founded Kwazi Nkrumah himself started collecting in the 1950’s. Near the end of his life Kwazi wanted to make his collection an accessible resource for future generations of organizers seeking to expand their knowledge and skills while working toward our liberation. After his sudden passing, with the effort from his son Sadik his good friend and comrade Zach Ray by way of his immediate family, gained access to his book collection. In an interest to support, Natalie Matos and Cipriano Belser stepped up to ensure that the books were not just safe but would one day become the Legacy Library. A bookstore became part of the plan when it was discussed that perhaps people would rather purchase some books and it could be a way to ensure that additional funds are brought in to pay for rent, maintenance etc. Thus, Black Lantern Books and the Legacy Library was born.