Wajiha Rizvi
This interview is with Wajiha Rizvi, an attorney and writer living in Austin, TX. Wajiha tells the story of growing up in a small Shia community just getting its footing in the DFW area. She talks about the Partition of India in 1947, how that event impacted her family, and the lasting effects of intergenerational trauma. She shares details about the book she has written about the Partition and her journey toward becoming a published author. Wajiha also discusses her education and career as an attorney and the social activism she participates in.
Amanda Martinez Beck
This interview is with Amanda Martinez Beck, a fat liberation activist living in Marshall, TX. Amanda talks about the work that online activism involves, such as social media engagement, podcasting, and writing for various platforms. She discusses the problems of language in her activism, like the negative connotations many people have with concepts like fatness and disability. Amanda also explains how her conversion to Catholicism and exposure to incarnational theology helped her learn to celebrate her body and the bodies of others.
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.
Latifah Hameen
This interview is with Latifah Hameen, a life/relationship coach and domestic violence awareness advocate in Sachse, TX. Latifah describes her education and family life growing up Catholic in Milwaukee, WI. She talks about her conversion to Islam at twenty-one, her family’s acceptance of the change, and the ways in which Islam influences her morality and actions. She discusses her activism in domestic violence awareness, which includes several published books and life and relationship coaching. Latifah also tells of her life as an educator, including the years of teaching and tutoring she has done with Muslim youth.