Husein Yatabarry, 32, is Muslim Group Community’s (MCN) Govt Director –– the youngest and first Black American to carry the place.
Based in 2003, MCN is devoted to redefining and shaping the Muslim expertise within the U.S. via neighborhood training, management improvement, and advocacy.
Yatabarry was born and raised within the South Bronx and grew up together with his fair proportion of challenges with bullying and becoming in. He solely spoke Soninke, which was his native language, and he discovered English at college. “My household immigrated to the U.S. from West Africa. Small nation referred to as Gambia,” he mentioned.
His largest inspiration, he mentioned, was his mother, who was a house well being aide for seniors and a giant advocate for being educated. His father labored as a meat and fish packer. His different siblings had been born in Gambia, so he didn’t get to develop up with the entire household.
“It was robust rising up,” mentioned Yatabarry. “I imply, we had been a really small neighborhood within the South Bronx as a result of lots of mother and father got here there within the late 80s, early 90s. A number of it was immigrant on immigrant pressure with Latino and Hispanic communities as a result of we had been a rising inhabitants in that neighborhood.”
Yatabarry mentioned that lots of the infighting within the neighborhood was over the concept that the neighborhood assets had been restricted. His experiences in highschool, at Brooklyn Tech, helped increase and diversify his pal group in addition to his worldview. He went on to attend The Metropolis School of New York, and earned a level in Biology and minored in Psychology. His first intention was to develop into a physician, however realized that the profession wasn’t meant for him. He was proud to be the primary faculty graduate in his household, regardless.
After his matriculation, he grew to become a public constitution faculty science trainer at age 22 within the Bronx and Harlem. For seven years, he was devoted to educating the town’s youth, however was a bit discouraged by the huge disparities sure districts confronted. Witnessing this inequity and eager to do extra for his neighborhood partly impressed him to maneuver into the nonprofit sector. His different affect was rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was identified for his altruistic spirit.
He was nominated for the Group Chief of the Yr on the Sene-Gambia West African Awards in 2021 and was acknowledged within the Black Muslim Sequence throughout Ramadan 2023.
He joined MCN in 2023. On the time, there weren’t lots of robust Black voices on the group, and management deliberately wished to alter that. “We’re a goal demographic of a religion neighborhood, and it’s an fascinating crossover to be in. Any issues that take care of immigration, particularly with Muslim communities, and international issues,” mentioned Yatabarry. “I feel for me generally it does really feel like data overload.”
Past his skilled life, Yatabarry is an avid runner and traveler. He additionally cherishes spending time together with his household.
