Community Support
“Righteousness is not that you turn your faces towards the East or West, but true righteousness is one… who gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller and those who ask for help…” (Our’an, 2:184)
5th Ward Community
5th Ward is a historic African-American community located near downtown Houston, TX. Both of these centers provide consistent and free support to community members, regardless of faith or background; weekly food drives, accessible shelter, clothing, drug/alcohol counseling, anger management and even transitional homes for those returning from incarceration.
I have been honored to be one small part of these efforts and the valuable wisdom and brotherhood from my elders including Imam Jihad, Brother Amir, Sheikh Ramadan, Imam Rahim and Brother James is invaluable. They have helped thousands of struggling people only for the sake of God and spreading goodness in this world.
Malcolm X once said ‘true Islam taught me that it takes all of the religious, political, economic, psychological and racial ingredients to make the human family/society complete.’ In many ways, until I had found this community centered around a sociopolitical-spiritual approach to faith, I had only known a ‘cultural’ interpretation of Islam. I do not dismiss our own traditions, customs and rituals; they are a sacred part of our collective soul.
But, Islam at its heart is selfless. We humble ourselves in subservience to the Creator so that we are not mentally and physically constrained by materialistic splendor and ready to give away so that another’s suffering is assuaged, even if only momentary.
Imam Ali (a.s) said “do not feel ashamed if the amount of charity you give is small, because to refuse the needy is an act of greater shame.”
LEAD
LEAD (Letting Everyone Achieve Dreams) is a non-profit organization which helps inner city youth from a number of middle and high schools develop more fruitfully. Dr. Bradley Smith, our professor and mentor at the Mindfulness lab, has partnered with LEAD since 2017 to collect data on effectiveness, fidelity and treatment outcomes. A number of undergraduate and graduate students from UH have worked with LEAD in a variety of ways through Dr. Smith’s partnership.
I began working with LEAD in Summer 2020 to teach a virtual classroom of about 20-25 students on the benefits of mindfulness. Since then, I have been a camp counselor at both 2021 and 2022 trips (and hopefully more!). I have also used data from both of these trips towards my dissertation on whether religious/spiritual students may respond better to camping interventions.
Nature exposure is shown to be very beneficial for our mental/social health + supportive staff and opportunities to connect with fellow youth and peer role models. Community programs such as LEAD are vital as they bridge school learning with practical wisdom and applications in real life. Data collected shows that most youth who are involved in LEAD go on to pursue higher education and/or become gainfully employed.
I have met countless young men/women on these trips, each with their own narratives and stories. In their own way, they remind me of a piece of myself in the past and the present. Our shared humanity reminds me of a quote, “we can only rise when we lift others with us.”
Mindful Coogs
During my first year as a PhD student, I began having serious existential concerns as to whether I could seriously pursue higher education for the next 6 years. The long hours of working alone on projects and data and thesis manuscripts painted a bleak reality for the trajectory I hoped a career in psychology would take me. I asked Dr. Smith what else I could do and he replied ‘your education is what you make of it.’
We were ‘studying’ mindfulness and spirituality through a research-lens but these ideas were always meant to be practiced in a social setting with others. These abstract concepts would evolve through the way in which we treated and served our community. I thought to myself, ‘why not create a student organization that does just that?’
Since Fall 2018, we have hosted over 500 events reaching well over 2000+ students, faculty and other persons at UH or the wider Houston area. From simply getting to know one another better (such as from the picture from our bowling social to the right) to mental health workshops to countless yoga events and meditation requests from various colleges, I am immensely proud of our team for making community outreach and health communication a focal point of our work.
This organization has led to numerous partnerships with youth ministry counsels, local organic production farms, pre-medical health sororities, first-generation student groups and cultural-affiliated orgs such as the Hispanic Student Business Association. We have even been employed by UH counseling services & wellness departments to help lead systematic change efforts.
All of this comes from the tireless dedication, passion and compassion of our team (there are too many to name) and all honorary members of our wider ‘Mindful Movement’. We hope that we have planted seeds of nourishment and connection in the hearts and minds of those we have served. As Thich That Hanh once said, ‘compassion is a verb.’
Below are other non-profit organizations which I have either contributed towards or been involved with non-directly. They each seek to alleviate a social and spiritual burdening from the collective suffering of humanity. You can learn more by clicking on each picture such as their mission statement and how to help.
