OKOLO RASHID
OKOLO RASHID was born in Mississippi , the daughter of sharecroppers, and grew up in America’s turbulent era of overt racism and segregation. She has, thus, been a life-long advocate of human dignity, social and economic justice, and racial harmony. After graduating from Hinds Junior College (now Hinds Community College) in 1970, among the handful of African Americans who integrated it, and earning degrees in economics and public policy at Tougaloo College and Jackson State University, respectively, Okolo has had a varied career. A community activist, organizer, and historic preservation advocate, she has worked primarily with inner-city communities and grassroots organizations, for much of her life. Okolo is currently President and Co-founder of the International Museum of Muslim Cultures (IMMC) . She is also the founder and director of IMMC’s Islamic Thought Institute . IMMC is American’s first Muslim Museum, which opened in Jackson, Mississippi, April 2001. It was through Okolo ’s vision that IMMC was born—a vision that comprises activism and an inclusive world view where human dignity, individual worth, and freedom are core values. In January 2004 Okolo and her husband, Sababu, traveled to the Republic of Mali, West Africa, where they negotiated a partnership with the Mamma Haidara Memorial Library of Timbuktu. Through this partnership they were successful in bringing back ancient manuscripts from Timbuktu for the groundbreaking international, one-of-a-kind Legacy of Timbuktu Exhibition, to Jackson, Mississippi, and America. Okolo and Sababu are very active in the Metro Jackson Islamic and interfaith communities. Okolo was featured in two books: The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America , by Donna Gekrke-White in 2006; and Liberating Minds Liberating Society: Black Women in the Development of American Culture and Society, edited by Lopez D. Matthews, Jr. and Kenvi C. Phillips in 2014. Living through Mississippi’s turbulent ‘60s, it was in 1976 that Okolo and Sababu embraced Islam and have sought to live out their faith among family, friends, and neighbors, embracing many faith traditions. They have four children: a son, Ismail; three daughters: Khadijah, Maryam, and Aseelah; ten grandchildren, and a great-grandson and daughter.