Black Muslim identity is rich, layered, and deeply personal. In this special Cultural Series Q&A, we sit down with a filmmaker and artist whose work reflects the intersections of being a Black Muslim American. From the power of storytelling to the resilience woven into her identity, Nijla Mumin shares how her experiences shape her art, her advice to young Black girls, and the cultural traditions she holds close.

What is something you wish you had told your younger self about your identity? 

I wish I told my younger self that it's OK to be complicated and different. it's OK to just be. When I was growing up I experienced some confusion around being a Black Muslim girl, but also being in a world that was not always welcoming to Muslims. I was in public schools surrounded by people who weren’t Muslim so I had a lot of forces around me that sometimes made me question whether it was okay for me to really assert my full identity. and as an adult now, I say yes it is and that's why I’ve committed myself to making art. My feature film is about a Black Muslim girl who is really making sense of identity and that is my gift to my younger self.

What do you love most about being a Black Muslim American woman?

I love being a Black Muslim American woman because I have so many cultural threads to pull from that inform my identity. Growing up I would go to the Masjid with my father, and he sold scarves. I would go home and sing, dance and write poetry. I’d go see my grandmother and eat sweet potato pie and really have all those cultural textures in my life. It was a really really beautiful experience and something that I continue to invest in and pull from for my filmmaking and for my writing.

What is a tradition from your cultural or family background that you hope to pass down one day?

Storytelling. I am a storyteller and an artist. I grew up listening to my father tell me stories about his life growing up in Louisiana and also his reversion to Islam before I was born. I would listen to my mother tell me stories of meeting my father and becoming a Muslim as well. The narrative richness of telling stories and passing down oral history is something that is very important in my family and I keep that tradition going through filmmaking, writing and poetry.

Favorite dish from your culture?

My favorite dish from my culture is sweet potato pie. I have a company called Sweet Potato Pie Productions that’s named after my Grandmother's pies that she used to make. They were was so good and as a child it was like heaven for me. I love sweet potatoes, they’re very important to our culture as African-Americans.

What strength do you derive from being a Black woman?

Resilience and vulnerability. From a young age, I was able to push through a lot of difficult experiences and believe in myself, despite people not believing in me. I always had a belief that I was going to be successful, and that I was going to be heard and seen. I think that comes from my cultural lineage of Black women artists who made a way for themselves despite all doubts. Another strength of mine is fragility and vulnerability. Some of the Black women I descend from have a mix of that resilience and fragility that makes us authentically who we are.

Are there any Black women that inspire you and why?

There are so many Black women that inspire me. I'm inspired by Simone Biles. She's amazing and I’m so full of appreciation for all she's accomplished. There is a writer and poet named June Jordan, who I’m heavily inspired by. I was a part of her poetry program when I was at UC Berkeley and it really informed my voice as a writer, an artist and as an activist from the Bay Area. SZA, I’m definitely inspired by her songwriting. I think she captures the complexities of humanity and being a flawed person that a lot of people can relate to no matter who you are. Maya Angelou, she is someone who exudes so much richness and complexity in her existence and was really inspiring to me as I was growing up.

What’s some advice you would give to young Black girls growing up in today’s America?

Advice I would give to young Black girls is take care of your soul and protect your heart. There's a lot of really negative, harmful and hateful people things surrounding us in our world and when you get caught up in trying to define yourself in accordance with those people and things you can really lose your soul and who you are. I would really encourage people to invest in your inner joy and what brings you joy. Whatever it is that brings you that joy, really invest into that because a lot of things around us are not helping us move forward so I would say really cultivate in joy and revisit that in order to keep going as a young Black girl.

How does your cultural identity shape your work?

It shapes my work because I am able to create characters and stories with the fullness of that identity. I don't hold back. I create characters who are Black Muslim women , teenagers, mothers, and I see them as people and not a stereotype or caricature. They're just people who are living lives, who love, who want to be loved, who are going through internal struggles and they are often Black Muslim people or Black women. I think it's really important to bring the fullness of who you are into your art and be unapologetic so that's what my identity has given me. I'm able to see things differently because I'm in different worlds. Having a different perspective is something that is very valuable to the world of art you and I love that I was raised in a way where I was exposed to so many cultures, religions, people, and I bring all of that into my art.

Share your favorite beauty secret with us.

A beauty secret that I love comes from my mother who is so regal and full of class--her fashion sense is so classic. Her approach to beauty and fashion is that if you're gonna do it, go all the way. Don't forget about your earrings, don’t forget about getting your hair done, don’t forget about the shoes or forget about your purse like every detail matters and that is something that I learned from my mother that continues to really inform my style.

Given the history of Black Americans, what does it mean to you to preserve your cultural identity?

It means not letting society define me. I hold onto what I know, like I said, those early experiences with my father: being a child, running around in the Masjid and being free. That is something that is very important for me to hold onto because I know what it feels like to be in an environment that loves me for who I am. I think it's important to lean into that and to not let Society or people tell you who you are. I think there's so much misinformation, there's a lot of Islamophobia and we have to turn away from that and focus on our hearts, our souls, our deen and who we are as people.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

Black History Month means love, joy, laughter, eating a good meal, dancing with our people and just celebrating who we are. I mean for me, every day is Black History Month. We contribute to the world in ways where the world wouldn't even be what it is without people of African descent. We are fire, we're dope. We do so much and it's about loving each other and leaning into joy. 

At its core, identity is about embracing every part of who you are—unapologetically. Through her artistry and lived experiences, Nijla reminds us that being Black Muslim American is not a contradiction, but a source of immense strength. As we celebrate Black History Month, may we continue to uplift these narratives, honor our histories, and create spaces where every facet of our identities can shine.