It’s back-to-school season so we’re reflecting on our college days — the good, the bad and the formative experiences that helped shape who we are and how we understand the world today.

Guests

Nina Daoud, @shebatherapy, is a Ph.D. candidate in the Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy program at the University of Maryland and a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellow. She pursues research related to the overlapping spheres of race and equity in higher education, focusing on the experiences of historically underserved students.

Monet Spells, @OhMonet, is an Interaction Designer at Huge, a digital agency in Atlanta, GA.

Boafoa Darko, @boafoa_mood, is a writer in Hollywood.

Naim Fareed is Ikhlas’ little brother.

Episode Details

(00:01:40) Nina Daoud shares her experiences and her research on #BeingBlackAndMuslim on a college campus.
(00:19:30) Our college besties, Boafoa and Monet, and share their first impressions of us and how we became friends.
(00:36:09) We talk about what we don’t miss about college and the long road to healing from the racism we experienced on campus.
(01:04:05) Monet and Boafoa reflect on what it’s been like to watch Ikhlas and Makkah’s relationship to their Muslimness evolve over the years.
(01:20:15) Ikhlas’s little brother Naim shares his experience as a Black Muslim male student and makes a compelling argument as to why we should all start wearing Allah chains.

Music

Intro and Outro Music: RSPN by Blank and Kytt, CC-licensed

Parents just might understand? It’s Eid al-Adha, and we want to talk about the sacrifices parents make for their kids—the joys, the challenges and why they put up with us in the first place.

Guests
Tawfiq Farraj and Yasmin Ali are a Chicago-based duo with a passion for the arts and pop culture. Yasmin is a singer and graphic artist. Tawfiq is the founder of the Facebook group “Gilmore Girls Should Be On Netflix” and “Bob Dylan Should Win the Nobel Prize,” two things that happened in 2016.

Lauren Schreiber @food4theory is an artist, activist, and event curator with a background in youth development, arts education, and community organizing. She is currently the Executive Director of Center DC. 

Dr. Jamillah Karim @jamillahkarim an award-winning author and scholar specializing in race, gender, and Islam in America. She is a former professor of Religious Studies at Spelman College. Karim blogs for Sapelo Square, Hagar Lives and Huffington Post Religion and has written two books, American Muslim Women and Women of the Nation: Between Black Protest and Sunni Islam.

Episode Details
(00:05:19) Ikhlas reflects on the hilarious parenting lessons she learned from her own upbringing.
(00:11:08) Makkah obsesses over her favorite parent/child duo: DJ Khaled and Asahd Khaled.
(00:19:31) Expecting parents Tawfiq Farraj and Yasmin Ali discuss how they’re preparing.
(00:37:35) New mom Lauren Schreiber about what her life’s been since baby Najia arrived.
(00:49:08) Dr. Jamillah Karim joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on Hajar, climbing the professional ladder and how parenting can be the most challenging but rewarding job of all.

Music
Intro and Outro Music: RSPN by Blank and Kytt, CC-licensed