Building Community on the Back of Belief

The MacArthur Foundation recently announced its list of 2017 fellows—24 people from all walks of life who will receive $625,000 “genius” grants, as they’re often called. CityLab is running a series of short conversations with several of the winners.

Rami Nashashibi is a community organizer propelled by faith. He is the Executive Director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), a Chicago nonprofit that deals with city issues ranging from food justice to affordable housing and arts programs. In the announcement about his award, the MacArthur Foundation lauds Nashashibi for “confronting the challenges of poverty and disinvestment in urban communities through a Muslim-led civic engagement effort that bridges race, class, and religion.” We spoke to Nashashibi about the role of interfaith connections and religious groups in cities and communities.