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Abstract:
Oral history interview with Nabintou Doumbia conducted by Zainab Yousif-Ahmed on December 20, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Zainab Yousif-Ahmed. Nabintou Doumbia was born on April 6, 1997 in Bronx, New York to a Muslim family who had moved from the Ivory Coast to the US to join the large West African community in the Bronx. When Doumbia was two years old, the family relocated again, this time to Michigan, settling first in Flint and then in Detroit. Doumbia’s family members played an active role in organizing Muslim American life in Detroit, most notably by establishing the vibrant Islamic Community of As-Salaam, which has many members who have migrated from Africa. Growing up, Doumbia attended Qur’an weekend school and Al-Ikhlas Training Academy, an Islamic parochial school in Detroit. Doumbia excelled at Al-Ikhlas, participating in Student Council and the Muslim Interscholastic Tournament. After graduating high school, Doumbia became an active member of Al-Ikhlas Academy’s Alumni Association and also became the Regional Director of the Muslim Interscholastic Tournament. Doumbia attended Wayne State University where she majored in sociology and minored in African American studies. At Wayne State, Doumbia was part the Honors College and the Muslim Student Association. Another way she practiced community leadership was by helping to establish the Sisterhood of Yere Lon (Knowledge of Self), an education group for Muslim women who identify as African, which Doumbia co-founded with one of her siblings. Doumbia has received recognition for her activism, including the Detroit Minds and Hearts Fellowship with the Muslim American Society and the Deeply Rooted Emerging Leaders Scholarship. Doumbia currently attends law school at Georgetown University where she is a member of the Muslim Law Students Association and the Black Law Students Association. In the interview, Doumbia explores her desire to use her law degree to help advance the rights and well-being of others. She also recounts her positive experiences attending Al-Ikhlas Training Academy and describes the supportive community it provided for her. Further, Doumbia discusses her development as an activist and how she roots her community engagement in Islamic values and Black identity. ; https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dream-storytelling-interviews/1045/thumbnail.jpg
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