Join Us for a Conversation – Honoring the Life and Lasting Legacy of Malcolm X

Dr. Jaleel Abdul-Adil

Jaleel Abdul-Adil is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and he also has a part-time position as Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Abdul-Adil graduated from Howard University in 1988 then arrived in Chicago for graduate school at DePaul University in 1989 during which he converted to Islam in 1990 and obtained his Ph.D. in 1996. Dr. Abdul-Adil has spent over thirty years working to address mental health and promoting wellness among low-income urban minority youth and families in Chicago and other major U.S. cities.

Imam Charles Muhammad

Coming of age on Chicago’s West Side during the turbulent 1960’s, Charles often found himself in leadership roles. He was elected Student Council president at a majority Caucasian high school. His contributions to the Civil Rights Movement include involvement with the Black Panther Party for Self Defense and the Congress of African Peoples. While attending Knoxville College and the University of Tennessee, he co-founded the African Cultural Center in Knoxville, TN. After helping his Muslim college mates establish a masjid on the second floor of the Center, Charles converted to Islam. He became interested in helping to reconcile differences between the Lost Found Nation of Islam, and Islam proper. After graduation, he returned to Chicago to serve under the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s leadership. In 1975, Wallace Muhammad succeeded his father and Charles’s dream came true. Wallace took on the name Imam Warith Deen Muhammad. He disbanded the NOI to form and lead the World Community of Al-Islam in the West (American Muslim Mission). Charles was a student in Imam W.D Muhammad’s classes for: Correct Scriptural Interpretation; Understanding of Ahadith; and Quranic Arabic. Charles was serving as Imam at Chicago’s Westside Masjid when Imam W. Deen Muhammad (America’s Imam) asked him to serve as Director of Propagation in Chicago – part of a campaign to introduce Al-Islam throughout America. Charles’s other leadership roles include Scoutmaster; President of the Local School Council at Whitney Young Magnet High School (where he established and sponsored the WYHS Muslim Students Association); Delegate on the Chicago Public Schools Advisory Board; executive board member for the Oak Park-River Forest Community of Congregations (an interfaith council), and currently Board Director for CIOGC. Charles Muhammad’s professional career includes Science Teacher and Civil Engineer.

Khair Sadrud-Din

Khair Sadrud-Din is a south-side Chicago native. Khair majored in history and has worked at various institutions in recruitment and the non-profit sphere. Currently, Khair is a diversity and inclusion specialist for Shure Incorporated, a company well-known for its high-quality microphones.

Born to a Christian mother and Muslim father, Khair accepted Islam in college. An avid reader, storyteller, and history buff, Khair is a walking library of knowledge for all things black history, sports and Islam. He grew up listening to Malcom X’s speeches and can recite many by heart. In his spare time, Khair loves watching sports, baking, spending time with his wife, five-year-old daughter and two-year-old son, and watching his favorite movie, Malcolm X.