“We weren't the only Black Muslim family at the Masjid, but one of the few. I was just listening to what they were saying and picking up on it.”

Aaliyah “Ali” Habeeb is many things — a writer, actor, producer, teacher — with numerous film / theater credits and awards: the titular role in Henry IV parts 1 & 2, Back to the Real, Surely Goodness & Mercy, Love Ya Like a Sis, and even apprentice with both director & actors of Othello at Shakespeare’s Globe. Aaliyah’s recently produced & directed the short film “America Again,” (based on the 1920s Langston Hughes poem of the same name) - which takes a critical look at the impact racial disparities of education system - through the reflections of Aaliyah’s former students. Aaliyah’s also Black, and Muslim, and from Kent, Ohio. Born and raised in the Islamic faith, Ali wrote a 99 day inspirational wellness journal that takes the 99 Attributes of God in Islam, the Asma al-Husna, or Most Beautiful Names. A friend of Sharon’s for more than a decade - over which Aaliyah’s transformed into the artist she is today. You’ll enjoy this conversation not just about being Black or Muslim, but about being an American of faith - who gives us faith.

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