In today’s episode of Around the Table, my collaborator Fionna Chong and I are in conversation with Nina Fernando, Executive Director of Shoulder to Shoulder. The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign: Standing with American Muslims, Advancing American Ideals is a national multifaith coalition of religious denominations and faith-based organizations who are committed to ending anti-Muslim hatred, discrimination, and violence in the United States of America. They organize the United States of Love Over Hate: A Ramadan Supper Series campaign, bringing Muslim and non-Muslim people together to share an Iftar meal the breaking of the fast, which is one of the most significant points in the day during Ramadan. During the COVID 19 pandemic, they facilitated the Welcome to My Table initiative where they paired households to virtually connect and share an Iftar meal. Note that this episode was recorded in 2023.

BIO

Nina M. Fernando serves as Executive Director of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign, a multifaith coalition of religious denominations and faith-based organizations committed to countering and preventing anti-Muslim discrimination and violence in the United States by building a society where all are treated with dignity and respect. Nina holds a MA in “Interreligious and Cultural Studies” from Claremont School of Theology and a BA in “Social Change through Music and Religious Studies” from the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands. She was named a OneBeat Fellow in 2018, one of “21 Faith Leaders To Watch in 2021” by the Center for American Progress, is an Institute for Social Policy & Understanding Educator, and a member of The Religion and Society Program at the Aspen Institute’s Racial Justice and Religion Collective. Nina lives with her family in Southern California.

RESOURCES

Ramadan  https://www.shouldertoshouldercampaign.org/ramadan-series

Guidebooks, mini-documentary and video series with discussion guides, https://www.shouldertoshouldercampaign.org/ramadanresources

For information on 2024 Iftar listings, check out: https://www.shouldertoshouldercampaign.org/-2024-interfaith-iftar-listing

Transcript available here.