Inspired Generosity: Muslim American Stories in Philanthropy, launched at the Auburn Avenue Research Library on Sept 17 as a multimedia showcase featuring videos, photos, poetry, digital art, and audio stories from the community on acts of kindness. This three-year, traveling showcase will shine a light on the central place of generosity in the faith and lives of Muslim Americans. The WF Fund and supporting partners have events planned for the six-week stay at the library and will subsequently tour nationally. The goal of the storytelling showcase is to help change the narrative around Muslim Americans and be a catalyst to build relations between institutional philanthropy and Muslim-led non-profits.

To create the exhibit, the WF Fund asked Muslim Americans nationwide to share their personal stories of daily giving. The group received nearly 200 submissions and more than 50 were selected by a national panel for inclusion in the Atlanta showcase. About a quarter of the featured submissions are from Atlanta residents. Some of the Atlanta stories include Sisters Nurturing Sisters, led by Shahidah Shariff that hosts community leaders who have joined to support their journey of service. Another story is the generosity of the Clara Mohammed Schools founded by Imam Warithudeen Mohammed to mainstream the excellence in education in faith and civic engagement. Another story is The Black Iftar that is about building community through fasting during the month of Ramadan that started in 2018.

The Inspired Generosity storytelling showcase was part of Dilnaz Waraich’s fellowship for National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP). The NCFP Forum in September at the Loews Hotel, sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, was the culmination of the fellowship. “The shortest distance between two people is a story,” is a quote by Georgia’s Patti Digh that grounds the showcase. Asking marginalized communities to be vulnerable and tell their stories is a hard ask. Certain communities have been told repeatedly that their stories are not important and that they aren’t American enough.

“The Community Foundation recognizes the power of the Inspired Generosity showcase in bridging communities and fostering dialogue,” said Cynthia Padilla Pearson, program officer at the Foundation, who supports the work of interfaith organizations through the Foundation’s TogetherATL Fund. “By bringing diverse leaders together and sharing authentic stories, this initiative not only challenges harmful stereotypes, but also encourages real reflection and connection. It’s an invaluable platform for creating lasting change.”

The Inspired Generosity showcase and the process of building the host committee has been important to develop relationships between philanthropy and leaders in Atlanta while using the power of stories to push back against the negative images of Islam and Muslims that are so dominant in the U.S. The showcase has been able to host over fifteen events that bought diverse leaders to question their implicit biases.

Inspired Generosity runs through October 26 at Auburn Avenue Research Library. Visit with your colleagues and ask how these stories connect with you. Also, follow Inspired Generosity on social media.

Source: SaportaReport