Biography
Dr. Kameelah Mu’Min Oseguera is the Founding Executive Director of Muslim Wellness Foundation (MWF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting healing and emotional well-being in American Muslim communities through dialogue, education and training. Through Muslim Wellness Foundation, Dr. Mu'Min Oseguera has established the Omar ibn Said Institute for Black Muslim Studies & Research, the annual Black Muslim Psychology Conference and the Deeply Rooted Emerging Leaders Fellowship for Black Muslim young adults.
Dr. Mu'Min Oseguera is an Assistant Professor in Psychology and Muslim Studies at Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) and CTS' Project Director for the ASPIRE Project: Engaging Diverse Faith Communities in Anti-Racist Work. Her teaching, research and clinical areas of expertise include: healing justice and faith based activism, racial trauma and healing, psychological impact of anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Blackness, Black Muslim psychology and Black Muslim intersectional invisibility.
Dr. Mu'Min Oseguera graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Psychology and MEd in Psychological Services. She pursued further graduate education, completing a second Masters in Restorative Practices & Youth Counseling (MRP) from the International Institute for Restorative Practices. Dr. Mu'Min Oseguera completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Couple and Family Therapy, at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA.
Crossroads Community Stories Fellow Project
The Dar-ul-Islam Movement (also called “the Dar”) was established in 1962 by three African American converts to Islam: Imam Yahya Abdul-Karim, Rijab Mahmoud and Ishaq Abdus-Shaheed. It has been called “one of the first and most significant grassroots movements established by African-American, orthodox (Sunni) Muslims in America.” At its height, the Dar included a network of 30-40 mosques across the country, mainly in predominantly African American urban hubs, including New York City (Brooklyn), Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. Using archival research, in-depth oral history interviews and a Black Muslim centered appreciative inquiry process, the People’s Effort project aims to correct the gap in the documented history and presence of this movement and expand the literature on Black religion in the United States and African American Muslim communities. This project will also center the exploration of racial-religious identity development, gender, agency and the unique role of African American Muslim women in community building. Lastly, this project will also contribute greatly to the vision of the Crossroads Project to “call for deeper public understanding of and scholarly engagement with Black religious histories and cultures…” and highlight “the diverse landscape of Black religions, reflecting the voices and leadership of those not featured in traditional accounts.”