Crisis & Compassion Episode 2 - "The Muslim in the Room: A Conversation with Hannah Hasan"

The second in our Crisis and Compassion video series produced in partnership with Johnson C. Smith University, The Muslim in the Room: A Conversation with Hannah Hasan  highlights the ways in which one local artist and activist has responded to the Covid19 crisis. With humor and insight, Hannah Hasan reflects here, in conversation with MeckMIN Executive Director LeDayne McLeese Polaski, on her faith and how its call to mercy and compassion inform her daily life, especially in this challenging season.  The Crisis and Compassion series is made possible by a grant from Bridge Builders Charlotte. 

The Crisis and Compassion Team:

Kendal P. Mobley, Assistant Professor of Religion and Coordinator for the Spiritual Life Center at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU),head of the Crisis and Compassion team. 

LeDayne McLeese Polaski, Executive Director, MeckMIN 

JCSU students, Iyanla Parsanlal and Exodus Moon.

About Hannah Hasan:

Hannah‌ ‌Hasan‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌spoken‌ ‌word‌ ‌poet,‌ ‌a‌ ‌gatherer‌ ‌and‌ ‌writer‌ ‌of‌ ‌stories,‌ ‌a‌ ‌host‌ ‌and‌ ‌facilitator,‌ ‌a‌ ‌teacher‌ ‌and‌ ‌leader‌ ‌of‌ ‌workshops‌ ‌and‌ ‌masterclasses,‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌creative‌ ‌mind‌ ‌and‌ ‌force‌ ‌behind‌ ‌a‌ ‌plethora‌ ‌of‌ programs and ‌events‌ ‌that‌ ‌utilize storytelling and performance art to build and empower communities.

Hannah has served as a resident storyteller for community placemaking organization QC Family Tree since 2018, where she created the award-winning story-sharing showcase Muddy Turtle Talks, an innovative live story-sharing experience that features true stories that have been gathered and written into monologues, by Hannah, about a community in Charlotte that is on the brink of erasure through gentrification and displacement of its residents.

Hannah has interviewed hundreds of people from throughout the United States, written their stories, and recruited and managed storytellers--who learned these stories and performed them for different storytelling events--that were all created to shed light on some of the most important social issues of our time. Some of her productions include Shahadah Stories, Black Mama Endangered, and Allentown: A City Under Siege.

As a highly sought after spoken word poet, Hannah has been commissioned to write and perform custom poetry for audiences in Charlotte, Washington DC, Chicago, Philadelphia, and in many other cities throughout the United States.  In addition to her work as an artist, Hannah is a skilled event hostess and facilitator. With a professional background in recruitment and training, Hannah has a unique talent for creating safe and brave spaces for audiences. She has a unique knack for training and helping people reach their fullest potential with public speaking and performance.

In 2018, Hannah started Epoch Tribe with her sister Shardae. Epoch Tribe is the platform behind the story-sharing events and classes. Together the two have coined the term social-impact story-sharing. They are intent on showing the world that stories can create the kind of ripple effect that changes our communities.

Hannah has been awarded multiple grants and accolades for her work from sources like The Arts and Science Council, Mobilize.Org, The Knight Foundation, Citizen’s University, and more. She has been featured on multiple podcasts, tv and news productions, and documentaries.

Hannah graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a Bachelor of Arts and Full Sail University with a Master of Fine Arts and she lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband Jamaal.

Click here to view Episode1: MeckMIN: Making a Shidduch 

To attend the premiere event, follow the link below to register. Once you’ve registered, you will have access to the Zoom link and password for the event. Feel free to share the registration information with others in your community, but please do not share the Zoom link and password, as we want everyone who attends to register. Thank you! 

Please note that the premiere event will be recorded.