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Preserving the legacy of Black Muslims in America
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LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The website Sapelo Square aims to amplify the portraits and stories of Black Muslims this Black History Month. Here's Aidah Aliyah Rasheed.
AIDAH ALIYAH RASHEED: The original intention for this project was just to highlight our communal stories and to center them.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
An online exhibit called "Preserving The Legacy" features rich photographic portraits - a man and his two young sons, all wearing white skullcaps called taqiyahs, a regal-looking elderly woman in a shiny blue headscarf.
RASHEED: This is a time for us to really take a good look at ourselves, to see the beauty of our community and to see we do have something to offer.
FADEL: Rasheed says most Americans don't know much at all about the experiences of Muslims here. She hopes this project will give all Americans the opportunity to see how Black Muslims have built, shaped and challenged this country.
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RASHEED: It'd be a blessing if someone could see a portrait or hear a story and, you know, they make a connection of something that has happened in their life.
(SOUNDBITE OF BICEP'S "CAZENOVE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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