BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/Detroit X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Detroit BEGIN:VEVENT UID:33886@arabamerica.com DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250215T203000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250215T203000 DTSTAMP:20241230T155452Z URL:https://www.arabamerica.com/events/2025-muslim-womens-leadership-confe rence/ SUMMARY:2025 Muslim Women's Leadership Conference DESCRIPTION:The Sisterhood proudly presents the 2025 Muslim Women's Leaders hip Conference: “Roots to RISE"\nKeynote Speaker:\n\nDr. Su'ad Abdul Kha beer: Su’ad Abdul Khabeer is a scholar-artist-activist originally from B rooklyn\, NY. She is curator of Umi's Archive\, a multimedia project docum enting Black and Muslim histories and co-founder of Sapelo Square\, a digi tal media and education collective on Black Muslims in the US. Trained as an anthropologist\, Su’ad’s first book\, Muslim Cool: Race\, Religion and Hip Hop in the United States\, is field-defining study on Islam and hi p hop that examines how intersecting ideas of Muslimness and Blackness cha llenge and reproduce the meanings of race in the United States. Su’ad’ s written scholarly work is accompanied by her performance-based work incl uding her one woman solo show\, Sampled: Beats of Muslim Life. She has wri tten broadly for outlets including: The Root\, the Washington Post\, Vice and Ebony Magazine\, and has appeared on Al Jazeera English. Su’ad is an associate professor of American Culture and Arab and Muslim American Stud ies at the University of Michigan.\nWorkshops:\nAngelica Lindsey - Ali: Ak a The Village Auntie™\; is a certified sexual health educator\, rese archer\, storyteller\, author\, and recognized authority in intimacy culti vation and emotional well-being. She teaches from both an African and Isla mic perspective. With over 20 years of experience in public and behavioral \, Lindsey-Ali draws upon her clinical\, cultural and religious training t o educate women about spirituality and intimacy from an Islamic lens. She is the founder of The Village Auntie Institute\, a global learning communi ty with women representing 86 different countries.\n\nSagirah Shahid: is a pushcart prize nominated Black Muslim poet and performance artist from Mi nneapolis\, MN. She was a 2020 TedX Minneapolis speaker and she is an alum nae of the African American Leadership Forum's Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy. Sagirah's  poetry and prose are published widely and she has re ceived a handful of awards and fellowships for her writing including from the Loft Literary Center\, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts\, Strive Pub lishing\, Twin Cities Media Alliance\, Muslim Advocates and the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art\, Culture &\; Design. Sagirah's children's activ ity book 'Get Involved With a Book Club' was published by Capstone press i n 2022. In 2024 Sagirah was a finalist for the Sexton poetry prize and she is currently a poetry editor with Overtly Lit\, an international online l iterary journal. In addition to her artistic career\, Sagirah has a profes sional background in grant-making and nonprofit fundraising.\n\nJohara Sul eiman: is a psychotherapist and PhD candidate at the University of Minneso ta\, Twin Cities. Her dissertation research examines child welfare system policy and practice as a site of racialization\, and\, using an oral histo ry methodology\, investigates its impacts on Muslim\, African\, immigrant mothers. While working on her dissertation\, Johara continues to work with clients through her private practice\, and teaches MSW students as an adj unct professor.\n\nAfter receiving her MSW from Salem State University in 2016\, Johara worked as an intensive in-home family therapist until 2020 w hen she opened her private practice. During her time as an in-home family therapist\, she worked primarily toward family preservation and healing\, and noticed her work often resisting macro-level dangers and barriers to w ellness. The lessons she learned\, relationships she built\, and work she did alongside those families are what motivated her to pursue her PhD. She hopes that\, through her research\, she can provide wider-scale support t o the families and individuals she's met and learned from as a clinician.   Biography for Sister Alana\n\nAlana Ramadan: Affectionately known as “Sister Alana” in the Muslim community and “Mrs. Ramadan” in the b eloved African American community\, was born and raised in Minneapolis\, M innesota. She graduated with honors from Minneapolis Public Schools and we nt on to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Metropolitan State University.\n\nAt the age of 14\, Alana joined the Nation of Islam\, and u nder the leadership of Imam W.D. Mohammed\, she transitioned to Al-Islam i n 1975. She remained a devoted student of Imam Mohammed for 33 years\, unt il his passing in 2008.\n\nSister Alana has been an active member of the M uslim community for nearly 50 years. She has served on various boards\, ta ught adult and children's Islamic Studies classes\, facilitated halaqahs\, and supported her husband\, Abdul-Karim Bilal\, in his media dawah effort s by appearing as a guest on his cable television program. She is also a f ounding member of Masjid An-Nur. A passionate student of the Quran\, she c redits her deep love for its study to the inspirational leadership of Imam Mohammed\, who once encouraged his students to “Fall in love with the Q uran.”\n\nIn addition to her religious and community work\, Mrs. Ramadan had a distinguished career in education for nearly 40 years. She had the privilege of working alongside Dr. Ella Mahmoud\, teaching preschool at Se ed Academy\, and later with Mr. Eric Mahmoud at Harvest Preparatory School \, one of the first African American-run charter schools in Minnesota. She taught kindergarten and specialized in training others to teach Direct In struction reading. Mrs. Ramadan retired from Harvest Best Academy in 2023 after nearly 30 years of dedicated service.\n\nA lifelong learner\, Sister Alana embraces the philosophy: “Those who can\, do. Those who can do mo re\, teach.”\n\nArlene N. El-Amin: A resident of Minneapolis\, MN since l976\, was born and raised in Chicago\, IL. Her journey to Islam began in 1958\, when she became a student at the Nation of Islam’s parochial scho ol -Muhammad University of Islam in Chicago\, IL After graduation\, Arlene worked for the Nation of Islam from 1963 until relocating to Minneapolis in 1976. In 1975\, with the passing of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad\, she tran sitioned from the Nation of Islam theology to the practice of Al-Islam\, a s practiced by over a billion Muslims worldwide. After moving to Minneapol is\, she continued her service to the Muslim community. In 1996\, she was director of the Muslim component of Congregations in Community\, a volunte er initiative of the McKnight Foundation. Along with three Christian and o ne Jewish organizations\,10\,000 persons volunteered in some capacity to s ervice those impacted by government devolution program.This began her comm unity outreach pursuits – to this day. In 2009 she became a director of Al-Maa’uun(The Neighborly Needs) Community outreach program. The theme o f Al-Maa’uun is to provide services WITH DIGNITY for those in need of fo od services (food shelf/ groceries)\, hot meals\, work readiness\, housing . Arlene is the mother of five children\, 22 grandchildren and 16 great-gr andchildren.\n\nEntrepreneurial panel:\n\nRammy Mohamed: is an award-winni ng fashion designer and the visionary behind Ramadhan Designs\, a celebrat ed brand in St. Paul\, Minnesota. Known for blending art and architecture with modern elegance\, she creates custom and ready-to-wear pieces\, from office attire to wedding gowns. Renowned for her innovative designs\, incl uding hygienic hijabs\, Rammy expands options for modest fashion with styl e and functionality. Her work earned "Wedding Dress of the Year" from MN B ridal Magazine in 2022 and a feature in InStyle Greece in 2023. Hailed as "The One to Watch" by MSP Magazine\, Rammy continues to redefine fashion.\ n\nNasrieen Habib: is a humanitarian entrepreneur and community leader ded icated to sustainability\, cultural heritage\, and inclusivity. As the fou nder of EcoJariyah and Amanah Recreational Project\, she blends Islamic pr inciples with environmental action\, promoting eco-conscious lifestyles. H er initiatives\, like Hiking Hijabi and Hiking Ummah\, highlight ethical g oods while supporting global causes such as well-building and orphan spons orship. With over 750 members\, Hiking Hijabi offers Muslim women and fami lies inclusive outdoor experiences\, from hiking to camping. Rooted in her African heritage and faith\, Narieen advocates for sustainable developmen t\, organizes zero-waste events\, and inspires mindful living through her Eco Sunnah Lifestyle.\n\nEntertainment:\n\nZainab Johnson: is a stand-up c omedian\, actress\, and writer whose unique perspective stems from growing up in Harlem as one of 13 siblings in a Black Muslim family. After earnin g a degree in Education and Math\, she discovered her true passion in come dy. Zainab is a series regular on Amazon’s hit series *UPLOAD*\, co-host of Netflix’s *100 HUMANS*\, and starred in the web series *AVANT-GUARDI ANS*. She’s appeared on *Late Night with Seth Meyers*\, HBO’s *All Def Comedy*\, and NBC’s *Last Comic Standing*. A regular at top comedy club s in LA and NYC\, her first hour-long special\, *Hijabs Off*\, is now stre aming on Amazon.\n\nTickets are on sale NOW!\n\nJoin our Whatsapp Groupcha t with updates on all events: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DZlmzmWhS5YF2uWED0 Him3 ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.arabamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2 024/12/https-cdn.evbuc_.com-images-918487693-379530303413-1-original.20241 216-214757.jpeg LOCATION:Hilton Minneapolis/ St Paul Airport\, 3800 American Boulevard\, Bl oomington\, MN\, 55425\, United States GEO:44.861132;-93.218505 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=3800 American Boulevard\, B loomington\, MN\, 55425\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Hilton Minneapolis/ St Paul Airport:geo:44.861132,-93.218505 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Detroit X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Detroit BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20241103T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR