Photo

First Name
Zahabia

Last Name
Ahmed-Usmani

Pronouns
she/her

Tags
Anti-Racism, Implicit Bias, Religion/Worldview/Spirituality

Title
Program Manager

Web Address
https://www.gvsu.edu/interfaith/

Department
Kaufman Interfaith Institute

Biography
As an immigrant of Pakistani descent, mother, interfaith youth activator, Muslim American and active community member, I believe in the power or relationship and story to change hearts and minds. Finding a balance between narrative and data drives the way youth leadership, embodied dialogue, implicit bias trainings, cultural humility trainings, and community building are framed and executed for effective change. Zahabiaýs interest in this work has been driven by the experiences she has had growing up in Southern California and now living in West Michigan as a religious and cultural minority, navigating hegemonic structures of inequity. In the world of interfaith she finds herself in conversations that question the Christian normative culture and expose the value and beauty of interfaith perspectives. As a board member she hopes her voice contributes to building a framework of equity in our community. As a facilitator she hopes that people will leave spaces feeling like they have a new outlook or learning, some resources to continue exploring new topics and an active curiosity about how they can impact interpersonal or structural inequity. Zahabia believes ýitýs all connectedý and the more we recognize the connections the more we, together, can chip away at the imbalance of power that perpetuates the disparities that exist and rebuild mindful systems of shared power.