IRUSAdvocate Spotlight: Shellie M.
At IRUSA, our Blueshirt volunteers and advocates are the backbone of our organization. This week, we met with our IRUSAdvocate Shellie M. to discuss her experience with IRUSA. Here is what she had to say:
How did you first become involved with IRUSA Advocacy?
I first got involved with IRUSA Advocacy by joining their email list. Through it, I began receiving information about events and opportunities I hadn’t realized were happening in our community. These opportunities opened my eyes to how I could contribute to impacting our community more.
What other activities have you participated in?
Virginia Interfaith Center (VIC) — A Day For All People
Muslim Advocacy Day
Muslim on the Hill
and countless emails to stakeholders
What has been the most challenging aspect of doing advocacy?
The most challenging aspects have been the learning curve and managing time; there is an art to advocacy work. One that takes both training and patience to do effectively. I attended the Virginia Interfaith Center — A Day For All People, it was an eye-opening experience. I learned that it’s not enough to mobilize, we must organize. We need to bring people of like minds together and less of working in a silo. Advocacy work by yourself is hard and almost impossible to do. We need people; we need the Ummah to work and come together even more. We need to know our local officials, and they need to know us by name. It’s an art, and the time commitment can be daunting, but it’s crucial for making real change.
What has been the most rewarding aspect?
The most rewarding aspect has been getting a seat at the table, which all started by joining the email list. Through my involvement with IRUSA Advocacy, I’ve had the privilege of meeting and learning from incredibly knowledgeable people. We often wonder how to break through barriers, and this experience has provided me with some of the tools to do just that. I’ve only scratched the surface, but I sincerely appreciate the call to actions I receive. They’ve allowed me to share valuable insights with members of MOMNetwork and in our community newsletter, helping to spread the impact even further.
What would you tell potential advocates?
Don’t complain; do something about it, and bring along others. We can’t move the needle by ourselves, the numbers that count. When our local officials know our needs personally, it matters. So, as we look around for leaders, I’m not sure why we’re not looking in the mirror. We all have something to give; we need to trust that our voice matters, and it does. They are folks doing work but can’t continue doing it alone.
