Jamiah Aniece Adams

Jamiah Aniece Adams | Believer, Organizer, Artist, San Francisco, CA

Jamiah Aniece Adams: As-salaamu ʿalaykum [peace be upon you]. my name is Jamiah Adams.

I am 51 years old. I wasn't 50 when I took that picture, but I still was middle aged. And, you know passing the baton is something that I just have been doing, I guess, for a long time because I'm an older sister, I'm an older sibling, and, you know, understanding that teaching is a critical part of building power and building community. It's something I've been doing since I was young, but now it's even more important because community needs to continue. You know, beyond it's part of what we do is building legacies, and many of us build legacies through our families and whatnot. And I am building legacy through my community, through my ummah [community] and giving back. I give back through civic engagement, through education, through speeches and service, understanding that all that I do is representative of our beautiful ummah.

I'm so proud to be a part of this community and be called upon as a leader to provide service, to provide counsel, to help younger people get jobs, to help the community understand how important it is for us to participate in our democracy, how important it is for us to learn about how our voting rights are being infringed upon as Black people, as Muslims.

Understanding that we have to stand up for our rights and we have to continue to fight. That's what passing the baton is, educating the community about where we need to be and where we need to go. It's important to not just consider yourself and your family, but also consider your impact on the future, and that's truly legacy.

So really honored, to be a part of this project. I don't necessarily think of myself as an elder, but maybe people are beginning to think of me like that. I don't know. You know, it's interesting being considered an elder and not having any children because children really help you to count time, and without them, it's difficult to account for that. But I feel blessed to be a part of this community to be Muslim, to be Black, to be heard, to be seen and continue to pass the baton to my younger brothers and sisters who I hope will contribute to the community and make us stronger and help us to build power.

Thank you.