CLEVELAND, OH – 5/6/25 – On May 1st, CAIR-Ohio, in partnership with the Cleveland Palestine Advocacy Community (CPAC), held the final session of the Racial Justice & Equity Training workshop series for the SWANA & Black Muslim community at First Cleveland Masjid. This workshop series, a crucial initiative aimed at fostering greater understanding of race, power, privilege, and oppression within the Cleveland Muslim community, included three impactful sessions.
The first session, held at Beit Hanina Community Center (BHCC) on April 3rd, and was facilitated by Imam Abderhaman Justin Wood. The second session, hosted at Urban Community School on April 10th, featured a panel discussion with Faten Husni Odeh, Executive Director of CAIR-Ohio; Aisha Samad, President of CAIR-Ohio Cleveland & Northern Ohio Chapter; and Ali Reza, Esq., from the Case Western Reserve University Social Justice Institute. The final session, held on May 1st, was facilitated by Joe Black, from the Cleveland Foundation.
More than 20 participants, including local officials from Cuyahoga County, completed the series and were awarded certificates for their participation. The series aimed to strengthen community bonds, tackle issues of racial justice, and deepen the understanding of intersections between race and religion in the Muslim community.
Faten Odeh, Executive Director of CAIR-Ohio, shared “Early on in my career at CAIR-Ohio, uniting the Cleveland Muslim community had been a major goal of mine. We’ve often been divided by culture, proximity, and various challenges, but initiatives like this show us that we are stronger together. We hope that this workshop series is just the beginning of many efforts that bring us closer, inshaAllah.”
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-OH Executive Director, Cleveland & Northern Ohio, Faten Odeh (216) 440-2247, fodeh@cair.com