Umar Hakim
Umar Hakim, alumnus of the 2010 NewGround cohort, recently received a prestigious fellowship with Jewish Funds for Justice’s Community Organizing Residency (COR) program. An adult convert to Islam, Hakim joins residents around the country from different faith backgrounds in faith-based social justice work.
Now working with LA Voice PICO in Los Angeles, Hakim had a head-start on understanding the interfaith landscape in Los Angeles. “NewGround helped me better understand the infrastructure of the Jewish community and enabled me to more effectively reach out to include my Jewish brothers and sisters in the issues that touch us all.”
After his experience with NewGround, Hakim drew upon relationships he built with Jewish NewGround fellows to collaborate on Humanitarian Day- a Muslim-initiated day of service to the homeless of Los Angeles. As an active leader of the ILM (Intellect Love Mercy) Foundation whose mission is to “teach life skills and replace social ills,” Hakim recognizes that faith-based initiatives ought not to be faith-exclusive. “If we are going to take on major issues of social justices, we need to build meaningful relationships across religious and ethnic boundaries and not let our differences prevent us from addressing shared concerns.”
Hakim hopes that the COR program will continue to build upon his skills in faith-based social justice work. He sees tremendous potential for the role of social media in this realm. He writes a blog-versation at www.createavoice.org on how to develop new strategies for social justice education and activism through social media. “My intention is to harness the creativity of new media and merge it effectively with non-profit work to create something new-- a new ground for social justice education and collaboration.
See a feature on Umar Hakim and his work on a Los Angeles responsible banking ordinance in the Los Angeles Times.
Now working with LA Voice PICO in Los Angeles, Hakim had a head-start on understanding the interfaith landscape in Los Angeles. “NewGround helped me better understand the infrastructure of the Jewish community and enabled me to more effectively reach out to include my Jewish brothers and sisters in the issues that touch us all.”
After his experience with NewGround, Hakim drew upon relationships he built with Jewish NewGround fellows to collaborate on Humanitarian Day- a Muslim-initiated day of service to the homeless of Los Angeles. As an active leader of the ILM (Intellect Love Mercy) Foundation whose mission is to “teach life skills and replace social ills,” Hakim recognizes that faith-based initiatives ought not to be faith-exclusive. “If we are going to take on major issues of social justices, we need to build meaningful relationships across religious and ethnic boundaries and not let our differences prevent us from addressing shared concerns.”
Hakim hopes that the COR program will continue to build upon his skills in faith-based social justice work. He sees tremendous potential for the role of social media in this realm. He writes a blog-versation at www.createavoice.org on how to develop new strategies for social justice education and activism through social media. “My intention is to harness the creativity of new media and merge it effectively with non-profit work to create something new-- a new ground for social justice education and collaboration.
See a feature on Umar Hakim and his work on a Los Angeles responsible banking ordinance in the Los Angeles Times.
