Photo by Ali Meizels ’23
Youssef and Ahmed speak on identity and activism.
BY GILLIAN PETRARCA ’23
Maimouna Youssef, a musician known by her stage name, Mumu Fresh, and Dr. Amer F. Ahmed, organizational strategist, speaker and founder of AFA Diversity Consulting, visited Mount Holyoke on Feb. 21. The event, called “Journeys of Healing, Self-Determination and Justice in the Face of Oppression,” took place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Blanchard Great Room and was organized by the Mount Holyoke Muslim Student Association (MSA), the Association of Pan African Unity (APAU), the Division of Student Life and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The two were brought to campus in celebration of Black History Month to talk about what it is like to live with multiple intersecting identities.
Youssef is a black, Choctaw and Muslim woman who was involved in the Standing Rock protests and Black Girls Rock!, an award show honoring the achievements of black women. A Grammy-nominated artist, Youssef uses her music as a form of activism as well as a way to spread a healing message to her listeners.
Ahmed is a facilitator and consultant who promotes diversity, equity and inclusion in institutions. He frequently speaks at colleges, drawing from his experience as the son of Indian Muslim immigrants to inform his talks. Ahmed and Youssef have been friends for many years; Ahmed even produced Youssef’s first album.
Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Kijua Sanders-McMurtry welcomed everyone and thanked the student leaders from the APAU and the MSA for their “phenomenal job” in helping organize the function.
“This event is really a labor of love by the students that organized [it],” Associate Dean of Students Latrina Denson said.
MSA member Ladin Akcacioglu ’23 and APAU Representative Zena Alhaj ’22 then introduced Youssef and Ahmed to the room.
“I hope you all listen to what these two have to say today so that you can all gain and learn from this event,” Alhaj said. Youssef and Ahmed were then welcomed to the stage and Ahmed began to interview Youssef.
“What’s life like right now for Maimouna?” he asked.
Youssef shared that she is in the process of writing her first book and is recording her third album. She released her first album, “The Blooming,” in 2011 and her second album, “Vintage Babies,” which featured Common, Irvin Washington and Malik Yusef, in 2017.
“I’m merging all of my past interests right now in a really beautiful way, which many artists don’t do,” Youssef said.
Ahmed then asked Youssef about what her life was like growing up with so many intersecting identities, being a Native American, black and Muslim woman.
“My mom was really a pioneer for me in that she instilled a sense of black pride in me before I even had the language to know what [black pride] was,” Youssef said.
She then shared that her mother homeschooled her until she was a sophomore in high school. “When I started to go to school, I missed a lot of school days. When they tried to fail me because of the days I missed, my mom fought to have them excused as ‘racism recuperation days.’ She really was a fighter,” she said.
Ahmed moved on to ask Youssef what it means to be a person of color at historically white institutions. Youssef said that she is currently navigating this question with her son who, after a year of homeschooling, was just enrolled in the eighth grade at a traditional school.
“There’s a war going on in the school system,” she said. “When my son was homeschooled, he never questioned his identity — now, those questions are starting to come up. It’s a problem when you don’t see a reflection of yourself at school, even in math problems.”
The conversation then shifted to the music industry. “I just wanted to note that your music is very focused on healing,” Ahmed said.
Youssef said that music with a supportive message can be very important for listeners. “I was always taught that there should be a war on the street and not a war in the home,” she said. “Healthy music is important because, if we felt good, we wouldn’t abuse another person, because we would be truly whole.”
Youssef then performed her song “Say My Name,” which she wrote following the death of Sandra Bland.
Bland was a 28-year-old Black activist who was found hanged in her jail cell after being arrested at a routine traffic stop. Although Bland’s death was ruled a suicide, many protests followed, alleging that racial violence was the actual cause of her death. Youssef shared that, after Bland’s death, she became very afraid of the police. She recounted an instance in which she was driving and became afraid of the lights of a police car behind her.
“Although they weren’t for me, I was terrified,” she said. Youssef was especially tired of people blaming Bland for her own death.
“I was tired of people saying she was murdered because she was a mouthy black woman,” Youssef said. “I titled this piece ‘Say My Name’ to acknowledge her humility and to show that we should not write her off.”
Afterward, the floor was opened up for a Q&A session with the audience.
After a series of audience questions concerning everything from self-care to how the music industry sexualizes women, one audience member asked Youssef how she prioritizes responsibilities in her own life.
Youssef said that it is important to remember what is going to have the greatest impact on your life, comparing personal prioritization to the act of pruning a tree.
“The way you would prune a tree is an easy way to remember how to prioritize things,” she said. “It is important to cut things back that you don’t need.”
Editor’s note: Ladin Akcacioglu ’23 is a current member of the Mount Holyoke News.