Ramadan 2015: #BlackMuslimRamadan Hashtag Celebrates The History And Experiences Of Black Muslims
Peep the #BlackMuslimRamadan hashtag on Twitter, and you'll see tweets as diverse as the black Muslim community itself: colorful photos of delicacies like fried green tomatoes and bean pies; reflections on what it means to be a minority within a minority in America; and hundreds of faces of black Muslims simply practicing their religion.
It's all part of an effort launched by Donna Auston, a doctoral student in anthropology. The history of black Muslims in America is as old as the country itself -- but is often, like so much of black history, marginalized or dismissed. As a black Muslim, Auston didn't see her experiences reflected in media representations of Islam, especially during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. So she started the hashtag as a way to reclaim the narrative about what it means to be Muslim.
Soon after she started the effort on Wednesday, the tweets started pouring in -- and they haven't stopped. Many feature the foods that black Muslims break their fasts with:
While others highlighted the discrimination black Muslims encounter -- both from outside and within the Muslim community:
Many tweets shared the history of black Muslims in America:
And many simply shared the faces of black Muslims around the world:
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