Jackson Free Press

When Sabir Abdul-Haqq puts his story in digital format, the soundtrack will be hip-hop. Not the stuff that gives the genre a bad name, though. It will probably sound a lot like Jurassic 5. Bright young faces beaming with potential will surround him, and you'll almost surely see his mother, Rosa Shareef, and 17-year-old brother, Ahmed Shareef—the two people he admires most. His digital story will leave viewers impressed: Abdul-Haqq is a man with passion and an inspiring sense of integrity.

Abdul-Haqq is fascinated with the concept of community training through the medium of digital storytelling, a tool he believes will motivate students by letting them tell their stories with images and audio. But that isn't Abdul-Haqq's only project: The 27-year-old is an active member of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Marion County Self-Help Organization and is a founder of READY, Rethinking Excellence for the Advancement of Developing Youth. Originally from Sumrall, Miss., Abdul-Haqq works hard to make a difference through these various organizations, promoting voter registration and active participation in government to young people.

"I really kind of instilled in myself early on a need to give back," Abdul-Haqq says.

Abdul-Haqq went on staff at the ACLU of Mississippi in 2005 as office manager, where he feels he has the chance to give back to the people of this state every day. Recently, he moved into a more specialized role as communication/IT/membership coordinator, and the new position is an opportunity for him to focus his time and talents on his main passion—working with youth.

"I love anything that has to do with youth rights or working with young people," Abdul-Haqq says.

Abdul-Haqq carries his enthusiasm beyond his job at the ACLU. He followed his mom's example when he got involved with the Marion County organization, an agricultural group made up of lower-income Muslim and Christian families working to improve life through environmental stewardship and prosperous farming communities; she played an instrumental role in its development. He also helped organize READY while he was a student at the University of Southern Mississippi. That group works to open doors for young people in the rural communities of south Mississippi where he grew up.

In his new role with the ACLU, Abdul-Haqq says he hopes to make the face of the organization visible in all parts of the community. For him, the ACLU is about reaching out and building bridges to promote the rights of all people.

"Justice is the same no matter where you come from," he says.

Previous Comments

ID

82649

Comment

Great story. Good luck and many blessings, young felow.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2007-10-09T14:05:19-06:00