On October 29th Caroline Seymour-Jorn (French, Italian and Comparative Literature), Anna Mansson McGinty (Geography and Women’s and Gender Studies) and Kristin Sziarto (Geography) presented the 46th Annual Morris Fromkin Memorial Lecture. The lecture highlighted their research on social justice activism among Muslim in Milwaukee, which is a part of the larger project Muslim Milwaukee Project.

Names from left to right: Aamer Ahmed (Ma’ruf), Caroline Seymour-Jorn (French, Italian and Comparative Literature), Anna Mansson McGinty (Geography and Women’s and Gender Studies) and Janan Najeeb (Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition).

The lecture elaborated on Muslims’ sense of belonging, and their religious, social, and civic engagement in Milwaukee. It examined how Muslims address poverty, homelessness, lack of access to education and health care and social inequality among Muslims and non-Muslims in the city through various religious and non-religious organizations and collaborations. The lecture demonstrated that social justice activism among Muslims in Milwaukee is triggered by the Islamic faith and serves to improve the rights and conditions of under-represented people in Milwaukee, as well as giving a voice to a stigmatized Muslim minority.