In my family, birthday's are celebrated with "the rounds." This is the first year we weren't able to do them for my youngest sister, Halimah, who passed on December 28th of last year after a 2 year battle with breast cancer....exactly 2 months before her 41st birthday. In this episode you'll find out what the rounds are and where they started. You'll hear from family members and excerpts from a few conversations I had with Halimah during her battle to best cancer. It's a celebration and a reminder that life is for living. Host/Producer- Tariq I. El-Amin Image- LifeStar Communications Music-Benjamin Banger- Whistle (Instagram (@BenJaminBanger) smarturtit/hit20) Music- Halimah El-Amin

I'm joined by my brother-in-law Zakee Shahid, a husband of 24 years, and father to 4. We start by talking about TV dads who've had an impact on us as fathers, then go on to discuss some of the real life models we've drawn from. We also talk about the lack of representation of Black Muslim Families(and fathers) on network television/streaming services. Guest- Zakee Shahid Host/Producer- Tariq I. El-Amin Image- LifeStar Communications Music-Benjamin Banger- Whistle (Instagram (@BenJaminBanger) smarturtit/hit20)

My guest is Briana Payton, a policy analyst with the Chicago Community Bond Fund, and a leader with the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice. We discuss Ms. Payton's path to community justice work as a career, the origins of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, and some exciting legislative victories of The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice. Guest- Briana Payton Host/Producer- Tariq I. El-Amin Image- Chicago Community Bond Fund Music-Benjamin Banger- Whistle (Instagram (@BenJaminBanger) smarturtit/hit20)

My guest is Donald Lassere, the President of the Chicago History Museum. He is also the former President and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center and Museum (MAC). Guest- Donald Lassere Host/Producer- Tariq I. El-Amin Image- Donald Lassere (modified by T. El-Amin) Music-Benjamin Banger- Whistle (Instagram (@BenJaminBanger) smarturtit/hit20)

My guest is Clyde El-Amin, former president of Kennedy-King & Olive Harvey city colleges (Chicago), and current organizational and development consultant. His leadership and talents have benefited many. Growing up during the civil rights movement, originally from Alabama, before moving to Detroit and finally making his way to Chicago, you'll appreciate his perspective on the state of Black history month. Guest- Clyde El-Amin Host/Producer- Tariq I. El-Amin Image- Clyde El-Amin(modified by T. El-Amin) Music-Benjamin Banger- Whistle (Instagram (@BenJaminBanger) smarturtit/hit20)

Our guest is Chaplain Tahara Akmal, the first Muslim Woman to become certified as a Clinical Pastoral Education Educator by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) since its founding in 1967. Chaplain Tahara is the Manager of CPE at a Washington DC hospital, an interfaith Chaplain, and a Visiting Faculty member at Bayan Islamic Seminary at Chicago Theological Seminary, where she teaches in the Islamic Chaplaincy program. We have a wide-ranging discussion that includes Chaplain Tahara's pathway to Chaplaincy, the growth of Chaplaincy as a career path, and why such a broad base of knowledge is needed to be a successful chaplain. Guest- Tahara Akmal Host/Producer- Tariq I. El-Amin Image- Tahar Akmal (modified by T. El-Amin) Music-Benjamin Banger-- Whistle (Instagram (@BenJaminBanger)http://smarturl.it/hjfi20) J-Serius-- Muslim Black American

Ijeoma Ukenta, a Black Muslim Nigerian American woman, was accosted by Abigail Elphick, a white woman, at a Victoria’s Secret in the Milborn mall in Short Hills, New Jersey. Ms. Ukenta began recording the interaction which showed Ms. Elphick go from--what appeared to be an attempted strike to laying down on the floor in the store crying, asking why no one was defending her? She (Elphick) was the clear aggressor, but history has shown that the lives of Black people are put in jeopardy when white women are moved (or move) to tears. Tariq is joined by Layla Abdullah Poulos to talk about the implications of those tears, and the responses of mall security, the police, and Victoria’s Secret employees. Guest- Layla Abdullah Poulos Host/Producer- Tariq I. El-Amin Image- Tariq I. El-Amin Music

Our guest is writer and social justice activist Mahal Lofton Emenari, who recently penned an open letter, following a two-and-a-half-year period of visiting masaajid/mosques throughout the Chicagoland area that left him feeling unwelcomed. Br. Emenari reads the letter in its entirety at the outset of the program. We discuss the nuances of culture and its potential impact on the perceptions of hospitality and also suggest that Black people (in general) have relied on sacred spaces to provide more than ritual, but have needed them to be places that affirm their identity also.  Guest- Mahal Lofton Emenari Host/Producer- Tariq I. El-Amin Epidemic Sound- Got Real J-Serius-- Muslim Black American Image- Tariq I. El-Amin

In this episode, Imam Tariq talks with Rev. Brian E. Smith about the importance of interfaith cooperation in the Black community. They talk about potential opportunities for growth, such as the grant Rev. Smith administers (see below). Reverend Brian E. Smith, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Chicago Theological Seminary where he is the administrator of a Henry LUCE Foundation COVID-19 Emergency Response Grant providing leadership and resources to over 40 Chicago-Southside faith leaders. Rev. Smith also pastors the North Shore Faith Community Church. Guest- Rev. Brian E. Smith Host/Producer- Imam Tariq I. El-Amin Music- Epidemic Sound- Got Real J-Serius-- Muslim Black American Image- Tariq I. El-Amin

Tariq is joined by longtime contributor, Layla Abdullah-Poulos (Author of the Brothers in Law series) to talk about pragmatism, optimism, and planning to meet the challenge of a shelter-in-place Ramadan. Guest- Layla Abdullah-Poulos Host- Tariq I. El-Amin Music Benjamin Banger-- Whistle (Instagram (@BenJaminBanger)http://smarturl.it/hjfi20) J-Serius-- Muslim Black American Image Tariq I. El-Amin