Join us on February 22, 2025, at 10am for a day of inspiration, empowerment, and community building during the Canadian Council of Muslim Women's Annual Black Muslimahs Shining Event.
This year’s theme is Rooted in Creativity: Black Muslim Women in the Arts.
Event Highlights:
*Networking Opportunities
*Panel Discussion featuring Sabreen El Awad, Warda Youssouf, and Yasmin Said
*Black Muslimah-Owned Business: Explore a showcase of unique products from Zuhoor Designs, Blumseed and Toronto Cake Pop Shop.
Note: Lunch & beverages will be provided.
For those experiencing financial hardship, sponsored tickets are available. Please contact mariam.hamaoui@ccmw.com for more information.
Panellists
Sabreen El Awad is a Sudanese-Canadian storyteller, Screenwriter, podcast host of “The lemon Narrative with Sabreen” and the Director of Marketing for Muslim Literary Festival (MLF). She delves into the art of storytelling, sharing insights and interviews with fellow writers and creatives.
Sabreen’s favorite word, "home," reflects her deep appreciation for places of comfort and belonging, themes that frequently echo in her work.
Warda Rose (Warda Mohamed Youssouf) is a filmmaker, arts organizer, and cultural connector who arrived in Canada from Djibouti in 2019. She has participated in numerous prestigious programs, including POV 3rd Street Media Training, OYA Emerging Filmmaker, ArtWorksTO, and the Black Women in Film Producers Residency. Her work focuses on themes of identity, origin, and community, drawing from her lived experiences to create spaces for storytelling and artistic collaboration.
Currently, she is in production with 2 projects, a doc A Cliff Becomes a Bridge and a short film Tahira—while continuing her mission to archive and globalize East African arts and culture. And build her consulting/coaching firm ToRunTO Impact Solutions. Through her work, she seeks to honor the past, inspire the present, and pave the way for future generations of artists.
Yasmin Said is a Toronto-based artist specializing in spoken word poetry and writing for the last 10 years. With a background in sports activism, communication, and leadership, her work explores themes of social justice, representation, and equity in sports, using her artistic ability to raise awareness of both social and global issues centered around change-making.
Over the last six years, Yasmin has been featured in prominent ad campaigns with Nike and the Toronto Raptors, as well as on Canadian television networks such as CBC News, CTV News, and Breakfast Television. Her objective is to engage in dialogue regarding the importance of authentic storytelling and equity in sports, while continuing to advocate for increased representation of Muslim women in the world of sport. As a Muslim woman, competitive athlete, and coach who values the importance of her Muslim identity, Yasmin aims to empower Muslim women to not just partake in sport but to thrive in it.
She draws inspiration from her experiences as a Muslim hijab-wearing athlete and her passion for creating inclusive spaces in sports, aiming to empower marginalized communities and foster meaningful dialogue through her art. When not performing or writing, Yasmin enjoys coaching and advocating for Muslim women in sports, further fueling her commitment to equity both on and off the field.
Her commitment to racial equity and its awareness has led her to push barriers in academia, having presented equity-based research at the University of Toronto and in 2023 and 2024 having been invited to present her research at Harvard Medical School.
Her commitment to racial equity and its awareness has led her to push barriers in academia, having presented equity-based research at the University of Toronto and, in 2023 and 2024, having been invited to present her research at Harvard Medical School. She also sits as a co-chair of the advisory council at the University of Toronto Scarborough's Department of Athletics and Recreation, where she works to enhance policies and initiatives that foster inclusion and accessibility in sports.