As a community, African-Americans are possessed of many unique distinctions. A space that commemorates that legacy (and present) is the perfect complement to a program dedicated to exploring the historical phenomenon of African-American Islam. Islam in Black America is no “Johnny Come-Lately” It began with West African traders who explored pre-Columbian America in the early 15th century and continued with enslaved African-Americans in the Antebellum South and finally migrated into urban America with the Great Migration. It was there, in industrial America, set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, that Black American Islam acquired its current guise. We will be conducting a broad survey of that trajectory.
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? This was the last book authored by the inestimable Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. before he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. The enduring relevance of the text is inspiring and frightening. Wealth inequality, political affiliation, and combating American militarism; the three primary challenges identified by Dr. King within the text, all have specific iterations inside the American Muslim community.
Are we content to remain a community divided among upwardly mobile suburbanites, enjoying relative comfort but searching for cultural relevance and hard-working, inner-city residents, staving off gentrification and struggling to effectively invest in America? Is there more nuance? A dynamic synergy? Are we liberal or conservative? Is there a more creative way of speaking of our politics?
The conversation surrounding the nature of our community’s engagement with government and the ongoing War on Terror (CVE) has been tense. Why? Does the Prophetic biography provide any insight as to the range of our possibilities? At this year’s ALIM we anticipate a robust conversation: Chaos or Community?
Are we content to remain a community divided among upwardly mobile suburbanites, enjoying relative comfort but searching for cultural relevance and hard-working, inner-city residents, staving off gentrification and struggling to effectively invest in America? Is there more nuance? A dynamic synergy? Are we liberal or conservative? Is there a more creative way of speaking of our politics?
The conversation surrounding the nature of our community’s engagement with government and the ongoing War on Terror (CVE) has been tense. Why? Does the Prophetic biography provide any insight as to the range of our possibilities? At this year’s ALIM we anticipate a robust conversation: Chaos or Community?
February 14-16, 2020
Memphis, TN
$30 per person
Friday* 6:30pm - 8:30pm @ The National Civil Rights Museum
Saturday & Sunday 9:00am - 6:00pm @ Memphis Islamic Center
Babysitting is available for $5 per child
*Friday evening program at the National Civil Rights Museum is free and open to the public.
PLEASE NOTE:
You must pay on the payment page to be ensured a seat at the Winter Program. NO seats will be reserved without payment. If you have any questions, please email winter@alimprogram.org.
You must pay on the payment page to be ensured a seat at the Winter Program. NO seats will be reserved without payment. If you have any questions, please email winter@alimprogram.org.
