Shameem Razack has been awarded the 2019 Jean Alice Scharre Thompson Scholarship from the Department of Gender and Women's Studies.  Shameem also recently received the DiversityEd Social Justice Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Student.  A transfer student from Parkland, Shameem has only been on campus for a year, but she has already become a leader in promoting the visibility and rights of marginalized peoples. 

Shameem is a member of Underrepresented Muslims and Minority Advocates (UMMA), a group that challenges homophobia, anti-blackness, xenophobia, and Islamophobia.  UMMA has been an active collaborator this year, working with the Muslim Student Organization to host an event focusing on LGBT lives within the Muslim community.  With MechA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán), UMMA put on an art exhibition showcasing local artists.  The theme, ‘Creative Insurgency,’ explored the necessity of art in grassroots movements.   UMMA has also initiated a podcast series on topics such as anti-blackness within the Muslim community, and antisemitism and solidarity work.

Working with Professor Rachel Garthe from the School of Social Work, Shameem and fellow undergraduate assistants have been examining the experiences of women at the intersection of the criminal justice and child welfare systems.  Their goal is to synthesize the current literature and make policy recommendations.  Shameem also works as an intern at Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center (BNAACC), where she curated a workshop that centered lived experiences within the Black community.  She’s also acted as a facilitator for Fycare and I-Connect  workshops.  In all her projects, she strives to create safe spaces and platforms for the most marginalized.