“Nothing has provided me with a more reassuring sense of hope, especially in challenging times, then being around extraordinary individuals who have committed themselves to the journey of bringing one another and our communities a little closer to the world as it could be.”
Rami Nashashibi has been bridging the deep cultural, social and economic divides of struggling people and places for two decades.
Rami is the founding executive director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), which provides direct services to residents, organizes for social policy change and cultivates the arts in Chicago and Atlanta. He has built a model for Muslim-led interfaith and civic engagement that has gained national attention for its dynamic, collaborative approaches that impact a wide range of issues, from health and crime to housing and jobs. He is a 2017 MacArthur "Genius Grant" fellow and an adjunct professor at both the University of Chicago and Saint Xavier University (in Chicago).
Rami earned a doctoral degree in sociology from the University of Chicago and recently completed a three-year teaching appointment at the Chicago Theological Seminary. He also has a master’s degree in social sciences from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s from DePaul University in English literature and international studies. In 2016, he was appointed by President Obama to serve on the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Rami also participates in a number of outside organizations and boards in his hometown of Chicago, including Business and Professional People for the Public Interest, Jewish Council Urban Affairs Advisory Board, Southwest Organizing Project, and United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations.
Organization:
Inner-City Muslim Action Network; Chicago, IL
Area of Focus:
Nonprofit impact/community engagement
Fellowship Project:
Advance a book that chronicles the experience of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network as it works on behalf of marginalized populations. The book will amplify the American Muslim Experience and articulate a spiritually-rooted vision and praxis for creative placemaking, across divides.