Where do you work?
I am an independent consultant! I work with organizations and leaders to build their capacity to do the important and necessary work of going inward (think operations, culture building, and development). Just like ecosystems thrive when each aspect of them are cared for and tended to with intention, I believe that organizations must prioritize their people and internal landscapes, alongside the programs and services they offer, to sustainably impact social transformation and avoid replicating the systems of harm, exploitation, and domination our movements aim to dismantle. I believe this is especially true for organizations who are led by directly impacted individuals.

How long have you been involved with Women Unite!?
I started working with WU! as a grants and development consultant beginning July 2023.

What do you like most about WU!?  
I love collaborating with other folks, and wasn’t sure how that would take shape once I moved into independent consulting. Working with WU!, I know that there is a community of other contractors and consultants that I not only have the opportunity to build community with but also learn from, bounce ideas off of, and more.

What I was most excited for working with WU! was getting to build relationships with folks at organizations across Chicago who are doing incredible work. It’s given me an opportunity to immerse myself in the local landscape of movement building and social change here in Chicago.

What’s an issue you care deeply about? Why?
I have a deep love for the more-than-human world. Since I can remember, my passions have lived at the intersection of social change, ecology, spirituality, and creative expression. Recently, I’ve been in a deeper study and practice of how we make way for more connection to and exist in right relationship with ourselves, each other, spirit/the Divine, and this beautiful planet.

What’s a hobby you have?
Books! I love reading and buying books. I love talking about the things I am reading. There is something so delightful about having books fill all the corners of my home. I am currently reading The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

What gives you hope? 
I’ve been really hopeful about all of the transformation I’m witnessing and experiencing at the smallest levels: inside of myself, my relationship to God and Islam, the transformation I am a witness to in my loved ones, and the ways I engage with the more than human world. I’m always reminded of adrienne maree browns’ words, “small is good, small is all.”

What are 2–3 ways you’ve gotten through the pandemic?  
I love creating art. Recently I started making paints from plants and herbs and that’s been really life giving. Also, I try to get outside whenever I am feeling disconnected or restless. Over the last three years, I’ve spent a lot of time underneath the trees in Humboldt Park.

What’s one of your favorite local Chicago businesses?
If you’re in the Logan Square area, check out Open Books Logan Square or City Lit Books. I often leave their stores with a stack of new books!