"The Power of Perspective" Khutbah by Gail Kennard (3/29/19)

Returning Khateebah Gail Kennard delivers a timely khutbah on "The Power of Perspective" for The Women's Mosque of America on March 29, 2019. In her khutbah, Gail reflects on the story of Prophet Moses and Khidr in the Qur'an, the words of faith Prophet Jacob said when his son Joseph first went missing, the patience Nelson Mandela practiced in prison before reaching his prime, and how we can learn from these examples to shift our perspective and look for greater purpose in all of life's events, including tragedies like the recent massacre in New Zealand. You can sign up to read Qur'an for the victims here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rNao-Fo2d35HLPEKON8cDi9082Wc-5kqpGZqA_hwmB8/edit?usp=sharing

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.