The Daily Bulletin

Naila Ansari, assistant professor of theater, has been awarded a $10,000 fellowship from the Black Interfaith Project for her research on Choreographies of Black Womxn's Joy, an initiative led by the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) under the direction by Eboo Patel. The Black Interfaith Project at IFYC centers on the diversity of religious, spiritual, and philosophical expressions that have animated the Black experience in America from the time of enslaved Moroccan explorer Mustafa Azemmouri in the early sixteenth century to the era of President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris. Additionally, the Black Interfaith Project explores the dialogue between those traditions, the bridge-building between the corresponding groups, and the implications for Black communities and America as a nation. The project is supported by a $1 million grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.

Ms. Ansari will meet the first cohort of Black Interfaith fellows with a broader audience with IFYC hosting an important discussion called "Black Interfaith in the Time of Climate Crisis" at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., on May 17. This event will feature keynote addresses from former Vice President Al Gore and Black Interfaith fellow Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, followed by responses from leaders in climate justice movement. A private dinner for panelists and Black Interfaith Project participants will follow the discussion.