Academic Historian

Nafeesa H. Muhammad is an assistant professor of history at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Her areas of interests are 19th and 20th century United States, African American, Transnational, and African Diasporic history. She specializes in the history of the Nation of Islam (NOI) and the movement of Black Nationalism in America. Nafeesa earned her B.A. from Spelman College. She also has a M.A. in African American Studies and a Ph.D. in history from Georgia State University. Her current book project focuses on the economic endeavors of the NOI. Her forthcoming article “Forging Heaven: The Nation of Islam’s Transnational Connection in the Creation of its Economic Program, 1950-1975” examines the NOI’s alliances with communities in Africa and Central America.

Samia Suluhu Hassan (1960- )

On March 19, 2021, Samia Suluhu Hassan became Tanzania’s president following the death of President John Magufuli from heart failure on March 17. Hassan, the sixth president of Tanzania, and the first woman to head this nation was born in the town of Makunduchi, Tanzania … Read MoreSamia Suluhu Hassan (1960- )

Olubukola Abiona (1995- )

Twenty-four-year-old Olubukola Abiona is one of the front line researchers in the battle against COVID-19. Since 2017, Olubukola Abiona has been working as a post-baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) scientist at the National Institutes of Health Vaccine Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland to develop … Read MoreOlubukola Abiona (1995- )

The Nation of Islam’s Economic Program, 1934-1975

In the following article, historian Nafeesa Muhammad describes the often lauded but understudied economic program of the Nation of Islam (NOI). Here she focuses on the economic development plans put in place under the NOI’s longtime leader, Elijah Muhammad and their impact on African American … Read MoreThe Nation of Islam’s Economic Program, 1934-1975