The Black Muslim Psychology Conference (BMPC) will commence at the Chubb Hotel and Conference Center in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania this July 20-22. Hosted by the Muslim Wellness Foundation and embarking on its 4th year, the 2018 BMPC is titled “Love & Liberation: Lessons on Sex, Intimacy, Marriage & Family”.

Kameelah Rashad founded the Muslim Wellness Foundation with the goal of promoting healing and reducing mental health stigma within the American Muslim community. In 2015, the organization established the Black Muslim Psychology Conference to create an annual gathering space for Black Muslims to convene, heal and speak to their experiences on trauma, anti-Blackness, and Islamophobia.

PC: Kameelah Rashad via MuslimGirl (MG)

The conference gathers a diverse group of Black Muslims such as Black Africans, Black Americans/Descendant of Enslaved Africans, Afro/Black Arabs, Afro-Latinxs, and Afro-Caribbeans/West Indians. The focus on self-love and self-determination is made with “honest dialogue through didactic workshops, small group discussions, interactive group learning exercises and creative expression.”

In an interview with BYP, Rashad shares:

We (Black Muslims) are constantly thinking of the trauma of white supremacy and all these oppressive systems. But internally, we are not sufficiently equipped with a language of healing, a process of healing that would make the tradition of Black protest sustainable. So our first conference in 2015 happened to coincide with the first Friday of Ramadan, and it was also the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth. All these amazing things were happening at the same time which really spoke to the dimensions of Black Muslims. It opened up this space to begin asking gathering Black Muslims for particular reasons of collective healing. And to begin celebrating ourselves in our collective joy.

In this spirit of collective celebration, BMPC will also host a Love and Liberation Ball, described as a “Black Panther-inspired, Afro-Futuristic Gala.” The ball dares its guests to imagine a world where all oppressive systems of white supremacy, Islamophobia, and misogyny are destroyed, with the prompt, “How would we envision ourselves as a community embodying love of self, family, and God while striving for authenticity?”

Black artists, imams, students, scholars, and activists will meet and convene on July 20-22! For more information on registration, you can check here!