For over a decade, this work has been built by a community. From our founding in 2014, through the leadership of Margari Hill and co-founder Namira Islam, to the AMEL and AMAL fellows, partners, volunteers, and supporters who shaped this organization along the way.
This work has always been collective.
Together, that community built a foundation rooted in education, dialogue, and leadership for racial justice. From early conversations on anti-Blackness within Muslim communities to national trainings, convenings, and partnerships, MuslimARC has grown alongside the people who believed in this work before it had the reach it has now.
Now, we are building forward.
Margari Hill is stepping into a Programming Director role, where she will focus on curriculum, narrative strategy, and leadership development. At the same time, Gernaro Waheed is now serving as Executive Director, leading operations, partnerships, and organizational growth.
We are grateful to be entering this next phase of MuslimARC with a strong and committed board.
We want to thank Charmaine Holland, Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, Saidah Zeitzman, Huda al-Marashi, Khalid Bilal, and Yahyah John Russell for their leadership, guidance, and care for this work.
Our board brings together imams, chaplains, authors, creatives, educators, and business leaders. Each of them carries deep experience across faith leadership, community care, storytelling, and organizational strategy, along with a shared commitment to racial justice and accountability.
MuslimARC has always been built through collective effort. Our board plays an important role in helping us stay grounded in our mission while strengthening the organization for what comes next.
This transition reflects how the work has grown and matured.
As MuslimARC has expanded, so has the need for a structure that supports both strong programming and sustainable operations. This shift allows each role to deepen its focus while strengthening the organization as a whole.
Margari will continue to guide the vision and direction of MuslimARC’s programs, including trainings and narrative work. Gernaro will lead the operational and relational side of the organization, ensuring that partnerships, infrastructure, and growth are aligned with the mission.
The mission does not change. The work continues to deepen.
Looking ahead, MuslimARC is focused on expanding education and training, strengthening narrative change work, and building partnerships across communities. These have always been core to our approach, and they will continue to guide what comes next.
We also want to create space for conversation in this transition.
We are hosting a virtual gathering on May 7 where community members, partners, and supporters can meet Gernaro, hear more about where we are headed, and ask questions.
This moment is about continuity, growth, and the collective effort that has always defined MuslimARC.
Dhul Hijjah is a sacred time that invites Muslims around the world into remembrance, reflection, sacrifice, and collective responsibility.
The sacred rituals of Hajj are not disconnected from the world around us. They carry lessons about dignity, migration, equality, perseverance, solidarity, and moral courage that continue to speak to the crises of our time.
At MuslimARC, we believe these teachings call us not only to spiritual reflection, but also to action rooted in justice and compassion.
“Those who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.”
They are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is they who are rightly guided.”
Qur’an 2:156–157
Heartbroken by the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego during one of the holiest times of the Islamic year, our prayers are with the victims, their families, the injured, and the entire San Diego Muslim community.
Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nader Awad are not strangers to us. They are our teachers, our elders, our children, our neighbors, and our community members. May they be surrounded in mercy and their loved ones be granted comfort, healing, and strength during this painful time.
Yesterday’s attack marks another painful reminder of the growing threat of hate-fueled violence targeting sacred spaces and marginalized communities.
What if the histories we were taught left out the connections that matter most?
Over the next three months, we are tracing connections that link Africa, Asia, and the broader world. From the African roots of SWANA, to the Indian Ocean world, to the sacred journey of Hajj, these stories reveal a deeper truth:
