Noor Ahmed (she/her)

Bio

Noor is a Pakistani American Muslim, who was raised in both in California and in Qatar during her formative years. This diversity in experience in her upbringing led her to develop a deep curiosity in learning about the variety in ways of life among humans. Her interest in the SAF stemmed from reading about the history and lived experiences of Japanese Americans in a post-WWII world, in the book Color of the Sea by John Hamamura. She wanted to learn more about how to draw parallels and apply the knowledge and skills of different communities to liberation movements across the board.

Solidarity Arts Fellowship reflection

This experience has fostered my newfound love and appreciation for the Japanese American community/history/culture and has deepened my reverence for the diversity within the Muslim American experience. Learning from such a remarkable group of leaders: our Muslim Elders, Sensei, artists and activists was astounding. I can already sense the ways in which my perspective on our world and it’s facets have changed for the better. Reckoning with our limitations in understanding and admitting our biases is not always easy, but our cohort has held me and helped me feel the joy and constructively move through the grief of this work. What a gift!

Object of resilience

My artistic and creative practices have been an essential pillar of self care, in my life. For instance, I made the shirt in this image, which states: おかげさまで / okage sama de / “because of you, I am” - which really sums up my experience of the SAF beautifully and represents what I am taking away from the experience.