Ashoka
Wholeness Unleashing Changemaking Power: Black, Queer & Muslim
“I felt very comfortable and very aware of the fact that Allah made me with all of my flaws and perfections but made me to be a queer Muslim because Allah makes no mistakes… ‘We don't reconcile identities in my house… There's nothing to reconcile.’ Because in the Quran, there is no condemnation of same-gender loving relationships.” “How do we make a world where people don't take their lives because they feel like they can't reconcile… being queer and being a person of faith? It comes by knowing that queer people are born within every demographic in the world. There are queer Jews, queer Mormons, queer Catholics, queer Protestants, queer Muslims. And I'm proof. And I will continue working toward a world where we can be our full selves, because like the rainbow that represents us, LGBTQ people are beautiful and naturally occurring.”
Ashoka insight
Blair Imani, age 29, is an author, historian, educator, and influencer who leverages her creative voice and platforms to lift voices of queer, Black, and Muslim changemakers, and share ideas on human rights, consent, and environmental protection.
She uses a variety of methods to teach people about themselves, each other, and the world around us. She has written three books (Modern HERstory, Making Our Way Home, and Read This to Get Smarter), and produced a viral series on Instagram Reels called “Smarter in Seconds”.
She advocates and embodies humanity, dignity, and respect, and she builds spaces for queer people of faith to worship in safety and peace.
How might we learn from young changemakers embracing humanity and faith as core values?
How else might your spiritual community make space for authenticity and mobilizing for social change?