BLACK AND MUSLIM IN BRITAIN

The  Black  and  Muslim  in  Britain  Project  was  initiated  in  October  2016  with  the  intention of addressing  the  lack  of  faith  representation  during  Black  History  Month  in  the  UK.  Co-founded by Mohamed Mohamed, Sakinah Lenoir and led by Project Coordinator, Saraiya Bah, they discovered that an overwhelming  response  on  social  media  from  many  Black  Muslims  from  around  the  UK from  different ages  and  backgrounds  who  could  relate  and  empathise  with  the  importance of  ensuring  that  we  provide  a narrative  of  the  stories,  struggles,  rich  history,  challenges, culture,  politics,  family  traditions  and  the beauty  of  being  Black  and  Muslim.  It  is  essential that  this  narrative  is  reflective  of  the  diversity  of  the Black community.

This  overwhelming  response  allowed  the team  to  realise  the  need  of  such  a  project  in  today's society  and  the importance  of  making  sure  that  such  a  project  is  done  to  the  highest  of quality,  so  it  was  decided  to re-launch  and  with  the  intention  of  releasing  the  video  during Black  History  Month  in  October  2017.

The  series,  which  consists  of  five  videos  is  a  collection  of  stories  and  dialogue  from influential  Black Muslims  in  the  UK  in  the  arts,  sports,  academia,  etc.  The  collection  is  light hearted,  informative  but  also manages  to  address  sensitive  issues  that  apply  both  to  the Black  Muslim  Community  as  well  as  the  wider community.

The official screening  of  the  videos took   place  on  Sunday  1st  October after tickets sold out on two separate occasions.  Showcasing to a sold out audience of 165; Black and Muslim in Britain held an exclusive screening with  special performances from poets Neimo Askar and Ahmad Ikhlas, presentations  and  discussions  from  noteworthy  Black  figures  in  the community which included Habeeb Akande (historian and author), Rakin Niass (Scholar and Teacher) Ra’ifah Rafiq (Mostly Lit Presenter), Jay Kast (Activist), Abdul Karim (Youth and Community Worker), Hodan Yusuf (Journalist), Jamilla Hekmoun (Academic).

The first official launch of the series (episode 1) was Wednesday 4th October 2017, followed by four episodes over the month of October 2017. More information about the project can be found via the Black and Muslim in Britain Facebook and YouTube.  I have also included the link to the trailer.