Makkah Ali (she/her), Chicago-based podcaster, facilitator, and public speaker, joins BGIO founder Lauren Ash (she/they) in conversation around spiritual seeking and creating spaces for ourselves outside of the white gaze. Makkah is a multidimensional being who makes space for others to find peace and beauty in the many identities they claim. She executive produces and co-hosts the Identity Politics Podcast, which centers the voices of Black Muslim women and features new stories and perspectives about race, gender, and Muslim life in America. 

In this episode of the Black Girl In Om Podcast, Lauren and Makkah talk about their individual journeys of defining their relationships with God for themselves outside of anyone else’s expectations. Makkah shares about the many ways that wellness and Islamic faith seamlessly overlap in her life. Lauren and Makkah also discuss the power of intentional connection in a white supremacist world that banks on us feeling and being isolated from one another. Makkah encourages us to create spaces for ourselves outside of the white gaze so that we can self actualize and define our values for ourselves. Press play to get inspired! 

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’ll LEARN MORE ABOUT

• Lauren’s first yoga class ever that Makkah attended in Chicago
• The Smithsonian National Museum Of African American History and Culture’s traveling series, GOD-TALK, where both Makkah and Lauren spoke
• Makkah’s answer to the question, “what is God?”
• Makkah’s journey of creating a space outside of the white gaze through the podcast she executive produces and co-hosts, The Identity Politics Podcast
• What it means to flatten yourself, and how to resist pressures to do so.
• Lauren and Makkah’s journeys of exploring their multiple identities and creating space for all of who they are.
• What it looks like to define your relationship with God for yourself
• Finding a community where you feel safe to ask questions
• The ways that wellness and Islam seamlessly overlap in Makkah’s life

Note: This conversation was recorded in September 2019 while Makkah was the president of the Board of Directors of the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative. She now serves as a Director on the Managed Organizations Team at Arabella Advisors, where she works with philanthropic partners to develop, structure and maximize the impact of social sector projects. Makkah is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Crossroads Fund which supports community organizations working on issues of racial, social and economic justice in the Chicago area.

Follow Makkah on Instagram and Twitter @MsMakkah

Listen to the Identity Politics Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, and find out more about the show at www.identitypoliticspod.com

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