🎙️ This week on the Sumud Podcast, we’re joined by Hazami Barmada, humanitarian, activist, and founder of the Humanity Lab Foundation, whose fierce empathy and faith have redefined what activism can look like. From her early work at the United Nations to the frontlines of D.C. protests, Hazami reveals what it means to live authentically, love fiercely, and refuse to be silent in the face of injustice. She reflects on the courage it takes to confront power, the role of faith and motherhood in her activism, and how radical love has become both her philosophy and her weapon.

🌍 Hazami Barmada is an award-winning public affairs & social impact strategist, social innovator and humanitarian. She is the Executive Producer and Host of the Webby-Award and Anthem-Award winning international affairs and human rights podcast, Finding Humanity. For 20+ years, Hazami has consulted and worked with leading global institutions including the United Nations, United Nations Foundation, Harvard, The Elders, B Lab, and the Royal Court of the Sultanate of Oman, to name a few. Most recently she worked at the Aspen Institute where she spearheaded the design and launch of the Digital Equity Accelerator, a joint initiative between HP Inc. and the HP Foundation, which under her leadership invested over $4 million into 17 organizations addressing social and economic inequalities around the world. Hazami has previously held several high-level consulting positions at the UN, including Coordinator for the United Nations Secretary General’s World Humanitarian Summit, Advisor to the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, liaison to the UN SDG Strategy Hub for the launch of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and Innovation Advisor to UN Human Settlements Programme. Her campaigns, leadership coaching, and advocacy initiatives have reached tens of millions of people in 182+ countries, receiving recognition from the United Nations “SDG Action Awards” in 2020. Hazami is a graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government where she was also an Edward S. Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management and earned a certificate in Management, Leadership & Decision Sciences.

🔑 In this conversation, we explore:

➡ The story behind the Blinken encampment

➡ Balancing motherhood and frontline activism

➡ Radical love as a philosophy of resistance

➡ Islam, faith, and courage in the face of fear

➡ Doxxing, lawsuits, and the price of truth-telling

➡ Building communities of care beyond politics

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Introduction & Radical Humanity

02:28 Who is Hazami Barmada?

07:31 Faith, Fear & the Blinken Encampment

16:40 Motherhood & Resistance

24:11 The Cost of Speaking Truth

34:29 Radical Love as Activism

41:27 Community Beyond Politics

54:38 From the UN to the Streets

1:02:42 Faith, Freedom & Legacy

Sponsored by: The Karate Attorney (Instagram @karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com

Sponsored by: The School of Radical Imagination, a new learning space turning knowledge into action through live, community-based courses on justice, liberation, and creativity. Enroll at www.RadicalImagination.school

🎬 Full episode on: https://sumudpod.com

📲 Follow:

Hazami Barmada: Instagram @hazami | X @hazamibarmada

Sumud Podcast: Instagram @sumudpod

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