Every year, the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies presents the Feminist Practice Award to majors and minors whose work in community service or social action best exemplifies the application of feminist thought to practice. This year’s winner is Women's Studies Major Shaima Abdullah.
The 2020 Women’s and Gender Studies Feminist Practice Award winner, Shaima Abdullah, is a brilliant model of turning feminist thought into practice, demonstrating her commitment to transformative social justice to an impressive range of communities on the University of Michigan campus and beyond. Through her activism in support of students of color, as well as her experience as a teaching fellow with various organizations such as the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs (MESA), Office of Intergroup Relations (IGR), the Michigan Library, the Central Academy and the Pedagogy of Empowerment class, she has engaged numerous students and other communities, stressing the importance of addressing social justice issues with a feminist, intersectional lens. Shaima has also served on the Women’s and Gender Studies Undergraduate Studies Committee and helped coordinate the Girls of Color Symposium for high school students, bringing feminism to a new generation on the UM campus. In addition, she is active with the Coalition for Queer and Trans People of Color, and serves as Co-President of the Yemeni Students’ Association which she founded.
A Women's Studies major, Shaima emphasizes community building, along with community care, dedicated not just to changing systems but also to improving upon self and interpersonal health and relations.
The Women's Studies administrative team would like to thank Emily Lawsin for the compelling faculty nomination.
Congratulations and thank you for your work, Shaima!
