A crowd of nearly 100 people was on hand Saturday, May 20, afternoon at Howard University for a forum, “Time To Stand Up,” with former NBA standout Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
Abdul-Rauf was the featured guest on a panel of distinguished local activists, educators and media personalities. Others on the panel were Dr. Greg Carr, chairman of the Howard Afro-American Studies Department, local TV anchor Wisdom Martin, Andscape Senior Writer Jerry Bembry, human rights activist Hena Zuberi, human rights advocate for U. S. political prisoners Mauri Saalakhan and D.C. education and community activist Imani Abdullah.
The panel engaged in a lively nearly two-hour exchange of ideas and perspectives focusing on activism and standing up for one’s beliefs in today’s politically-charged climate. A question-and-answer session followed.
Abdul-Rauf, known in his collegiate days at LSU as high-scoring guard Chris Jackson before his conversion to Islam, had a budding career in the NBA cut short when he took a stand against tyranny and oppression in America by refusing to stand for the national anthem.
That action in the 1995-96 NBA season – long before NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled for the national anthem and was blackballed from that league nearly 20 years later – gained Abdul-Rauf national notoriety and censure from the NBA. He was, in effect, banned from the league.
His story is the subject of the recent Showtime documentary “Stand” and of his autobiography, “In the Blink of an Eye,” published in October 2022. Kaepernick’s publishing company, Kaepernick LLC, published Abdul-Rauf’s memoir.
The event was put on by the Qiblah Circle Brotherhood & Sisterhood of the Washington, D.C. area. It included a performance by spoken word artist Khalil Ismail and a reception and book signing by authors on the panel.
Sponsors included Amana Mutual Funds Trust, The Muslim Alliance for Black Lives, The Halal Guys restaurant chain, The Mom Network, The Howard University Muslim Students Association, Bury Me Muslim, Bridges, The Museum and the Prince George’s County Muslim Council.
Love the article, very accurate.
Thank you
I am a member of Qiblah Circle and I appreciate your accurate and factual reporting.