Salihah “Sasa” Aakil was a sophomore in high school in Silver Spring, Maryland when she wrote I am the Night Sky. She enjoys writing, painting, doing pottery, and talking to people. She likes hunting down stories, asking people about their experiences, and creating art after them: sometimes for healing, sometimes for remembering, sometimes for rebellion.
Sasa is a Black American Muslim Woman – her family has been in American since slave ships and before. On her father’s side she is African-American and American-Indian, and on her mother’s side she is Panamanian and African-American. She is a third-generation Muslim, Writer, and Artist.
“I wrote this series of poems and vignettes because I wanted to share my story. Not for proof or justification or validation, just because that’s what stories are for — sharing. I’ve never been rich in anything but stories, and if one of them happens to change someone’s ideas, open their heart, give them joy, or show them that they can do what I do and better, then Alhamdulillah. Maybe they’ll end up rich like I am.”
BOOKS BY SASA
NONPROFIT PARTNER
ISBN: 978-1945434938
by the teen artists and writers of Next Wave Muslim Initiative
With a foreword by award-winning author Hena Khan
Learn more about the project here.
During an era characterized by both hijabi fashion models and enduring post-9/11 stereotypes, ten Muslim American teenagers came together to explore what it means to be young and Muslim in America today. These teens represent the tremendous diversity within the American Muslim community, and their book, like them, contains multitudes. Bilal writes about being a Muslim rocker. Noor reflects about speaking in multiple tongues. Samaa creates her own cartoon Hijab Squad. Ayah responds to online hate. Through poems, essays, artwork, and stories, these young people aim to show their true selves, to build connection, and to create more inclusive and welcoming communities for all.