"Black Muslim History in America" Khutbah by Gail Kennard (2/26/21)

In honor of Black History Month, returning Khateebah Gail Kennard presents an overview of the long legacy of Black Muslim contributions to American society and to the Muslim Ummah at large. She shares from her personal journey through the Nation of Islam and what motivated her to transition to the religion of Al-Islam as taught in the Qur'an. She ends with a powerful call for personal and communal courage to follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad (p) and to stand up to inequality anywhere we may find it -- even within ourselves.

Bio:
Gail Kennard was raised in Los Angeles and learned about Islam as a high school student when she read the autobiography of Malcolm X. She accepted Islam while in graduate school at UC Berkeley, and she has been active in the Muslim communities of San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.

For the past 20 years, Gail has been president of the architectural business founded by her late father, Robert Kennard, in Los Angeles. The firm designs public buildings, transit and utility infrastructure projects. The company, Kennard Design Group, is the oldest African-American-owned architectural practice in the western United States.

Gail earned her undergraduate degree in Communications from Stanford University, a master’s degree in Journalism from UC Berkeley — and for the past 60+ years, she has been struggling to earn her post-graduate degree in this life under the guidance of Allah, subhanna wa ta’allah.