A Final 2020 Word and Request from Our Chair
Dear LLSP alumni,
About 13 months ago, I wrote the first “A word from” column in KARAMAH’s first ever quarterly alumnae newsletter. And now, just over a year later, I’m facing a blank page AGAIN.
How to make sense of the past year? How can I distill this past year down to something true, but also hopeful?
In the past year, like most organizations, KARAMAH has had to move its operations online due to COVID19. But we refused to let that stop us. In spite of the challenges, we were able to put on a successful “virtual” LLP. In fact, the class of 2020 was almost twice the size of our previous, in-person LLSPs. And, for the first time, we were able to include men.
In October, in collaboration with Dr. Amr Abdalla, KARAMAH’s senior advisor on conflict resolution, we put on a 5-part virtual interactive workship on conflict resolution. And we are hoping to put on a multi-part workshop on leadership in 2021.
During Ramadan 2020, Dr. al-Hibri and Dr. Alwani both stepped up to provide content for the KARAMAH YouTube channel. I do hope that you have all had a chance to view their clips.
And I have had the great honor and pleasure of establishing the monthly “Lunch and Learn” interview series. In 2020, I mostly interviewed members of the KARAMAH board, but for 2021, I hope to branch out and explore the themes of scholarship and leadership – both core focus areas for KARAMAH.
Through the miracle of ZOOM, and in spite of all the stress and anguish of this past year, KARAMAH has rarely been more active. And we have plans for lots more events and activities to come in 2021, in sha’Allah. So please stay tuned.
Before closing, I would like to recognize our amazing Executive Director, Ms. Rahmah Abdulaleem, as well as all our hardworking 2020 interns.
And now, please follow this link to a short video:
