Mahnoor Hussain

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1. Tell me a little bit about you, who is Mahnoor outside of work?

I'm a first-generation immigrant and Pakistani Muslim woman who strongly identifies as an INFJ with an Aquarius sun/Taurus moon. Outside of work, I am a partner, a bookworm, plant parent, student of abolition, community organizer, and photographer.

2. What do you do for work?

During the day I work as a policy manager for a South Asian American non-profit civil rights organization. I advocate on Capitol Hill on issues impacting communities of color such as immigration, hate crimes, and civil rights issues. In my previous roles, I advocated against the Trump administration's family separation policies and advanced civic engagement in Asian American Pacific Islander communities. In my spare time, I'm a community organizer with a local grassroots organization providing COVID-19 mutual aid relief for Muslim communities in Virginia. I also run my very own small business as a South Asian wedding photographer at The Wedding Laddu.

3. As a female, what are some of the biggest obstacles you have faced within your industry / the workplace or within the education system?

As you can imagine the political advocacy space already has limited opportunities for women of color let alone Muslim women. Washington, D.C., despite its rich Black history, remains the heart of empire and is a microcosm of America, where class, race, and gender inequities are compounded. Navigating all-white political advocacy spaces, where Islamophobia and anti-Black racism are rampant, remains one of my biggest challenges. However, as a student of abolition, I continue to reflect on the work of Black feminists and revolutionaries, like Mariame Kaba, who imagine a world beyond our current norms where collective organizing leads us to collective liberation.

4. What women in your life inspire you and why?

I am inspired by my mom and all other immigrant moms who moved thousands of miles away to an unknown land to support their families. They somehow navigated it with so much love and compassion. I also honor the generations of women before me who fought for the world that we live in today. Toni Morrison inspired me to make justice a part of my everyday life when she reminded us that our real job is that if we are free, we need to free somebody else and that if have power, then our job is to empower somebody else.

5. What advice would you give to women who want to pursue a new life direction -- whether that be moving to a new city, pursuing a new career path, starting a side hustle or choosing a new major in school?

I grew up in a working-class community that experienced the adverse effects of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant policies and an intentional divestment from meaningful social services. I know that social and economic inequalities place intentional barriers so that women of color cannot achieve anything beyond survival. Big decisions like moving to a new city, starting new, and going all-in on a side hustle are privileges that many of us do not take lightly. And while it may seem like the struggles of family, debt and racism are never-ending my one piece of advice would be to hold onto and nurture your relationship with your friends and/or chosen family because they are there to support, guide, and nourish your soul along the way.

6. How do you balance a job, personal life and passions? Is there such a thing as balance?

I'll be honest and say that I have not been balancing anything particularly well during the pandemic so for now I am taking it easy and accepting this is our current reality.

7. What are some ways you implement self-care?

I have promised myself to move at least 30 minutes a day whether it is spent watering my plants, praying as many of my five daily prayers, or following along Zallibhai workout videos.

8. What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders, movers and shakers?

This comes from Adrienne Maree Brown's book Emergent Strategy and I live by these principles of organizing:

Small is good, small is all (The large is a reflection of the small)
Change is constant (Be like water)
There is always enough time for the right work. There is a conversation in the room that only these people at this moment can have. Find it.
Never a failure, always a lesson
Trust the People (If you trust the people, they become trustworthy)
Move at the speed of trust
Focus on critical connections more than critical mass—build the resilience by building the relationships
Less prep, more presence
What you pay attention to grows

9. What advice would you give to women trying to break into a male-dominated field or an industry where there aren’t as many female leaders?

As a creative, it remains an ongoing challenge to break into a male-dominated wedding photography space. Clients often prefer to work with cis-men because they are seen as "experts" in the industry whereas queer folks and women of color face constant questioning and negotiating. I find myself apologizing often and qualifying statements so that I am seen as less obtrusive. Yes, you should advocate for yourself! We deserve to be paid at parity, if not more, and we need to trust in ourselves because the authenticity of our work speaks for itself.

10. How can women advocate for each other?

Invest in Black and brown women (funding, jobs/education/opportunities, etc). Our liberation is tied to one another so invest in, learn with, and support the leadership of Black women.

11. What is your power color and why?

Marigold is the color of turmeric and the sun, both of which have healing and glowing properties. During my childhood, I often heard that this color was made for brown skin tones and have since let this color envelop me in its joy.

Portrait illustrations are by Hailey Coral.

WOMEN ARE MAGIC | Mahnoor Hussain