Husaina Yusuf
This interview is with Husaina Yusuf, a young Muslim woman who was born in California and raised in Texas. In this interview, she discusses her upbringing in Houston, the cultural dynamics of her religious sect, and her life experiences. Yusuf was raised as a Bohri Muslim, a subsect of Shia Islam. She shares stories of her family dynamic, her community, and observations of Bohri culture. She also discusses her experiences as a woman navigating gender roles in her religion and personal life.
María Del Carmen Unda
This interview is with María Del Carmen Unda, a doctoral student and community organizer in Austin, Texas. Maria was born and raised in California, later moving to Texas when she enrolled as a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin. Through relationships with her professors, Maria was exposed to activist movements in Austin, inspiring her to join as a program coordinator at Academia Cuauhtli, a weekend cultural revitalization school. Maria shares her experiences as an activist, teacher, and her perspective on decolonizing education for students. She also discusses the ways in which the pandemic has affected Academia Cuauhtli and the community.
Miguel Robles
This interview is with Miguel Robles who grew up in California and moved to Houston, Texas at a young age. Miguel attended the University of Texas at Austin, studying communications and interned at the Institute for Diversity of Civic Life. After graduating, Miguel moved to Indonesia to teach English at a middle school. In this interview, Miguel discusses his experience growing up in Texas, working at IDCL, and his time in teaching in Indonesia.
Omar El-Halwagi
This interview is with Omar El-Halwagi, an employment discrimination lawyer in Houston, TX. Omar talks about growing up as a Muslim in the American south and discrimination he faced at a young age. He tells his story of being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union in order to secure the time and place to pray during high school. Omar also describes co-founding the organization Grassroot Islam, a virtual space for a diverse and inclusive Muslim community created to combat pandemic isolation. He discusses coming into his relationship with God on his own terms and learning from the spiritual journeys of others.
Saleem Shabazz
This interview is with Saleem Shabazz, a retired postal worker and Air Force veteran living in Longview, TX. Saleem tells about his childhood, describing his family dynamics, the places he lived, and being Baptist in his youth. He talks about travel and work in the Air Force and being exposed to different cultures and beliefs. Saleem discusses converting to Islam and his experience of the hajj. He also talks about his engagement with his Muslim communities over the years, including being and imam for a time, and his observations on social and political change in the US.
Tina Byram
This interview is with Tina Byram, an advocate active in local politics in the extra-territorial jurisdiction of Hornsby Bend. Tina talks about her work advocating for underserved members of her community who do not have the time or resources to get involved in local politics. She describes the differences between political activity at the local level versus the national level, including overlooked issues such as shifting districts and water privatization. She also tells about her journey through local activism, which has involved non-profit work, collaboration with representatives, and voter registration.
Tinny Widjaja
This interview is with Tinny Widjaja, a Chinese-Indonesian immigrant and political and interfaith activist living in Austin, TX. Tinny talks about growing up Chinese in Indonesia, and the discrimination she and her family faced there, as well as her decision to leave the country. She describes working abroad, meeting her African-American husband in Singapore, and moving to the US after having a son. Tinny shares how she went from politically ambivalent to politically active in the wake of the George Floyd protests, in hopes of making a safer world for her son.
Yasmeen Tizani
This interview is with Yasmeen Tizani, an architect and artist in Austin, TX. Tizani talks about growing up Muslim in Texas and shares the differences between her experiences of Islamic private school and Texas public school. She describes her experiences wearing hijab, including educating White peers and navigating her own feelings. She talks about her education and interests in architecture. Tizani also talks about her art and describes some of her paintings.