Oral History Interview with Imam Dawud Walid on October 5, 2020 and October 25, 2020
All video segments are in the same file. Oral history interview with Imam Dawud Walid. The first segment of the interview was conducted by Zayd Walid on October 5, 2020, and the second segment was conducted by Zayd Walid on October 25, 2020. Interview written by Zayd Walid and Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director). Imam Dawud Walid was born in Detroit, Michigan on November 22nd, 1971 to parents who hail from Virginia and Michigan. He moved to New Jersey and then Virginia as a child, returning to Detroit in his adulthood. Imam Walid reverted from Christianity to Islam in his late adolescence, after being influenced by “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and Muslim American artists in the conscious rap movement. After high school, Imam Walid joined the Navy through the Montgomery GI Bill - Active Duty (MGIB-AD), and remained in the service over the course of four years. Through his travels with the Navy, he gained first-hand exposure to issues confronting Muslims across the world, such as those in Bosnia, Iraq, and Palestine. After returning to Detroit in 1998, Imam Walid began attending Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad. He embarked upon a lifelong devotion to the study of Islam and Arabic language, pursuing learning with many renowned teachers both locally and abroad. In Detroit, Imam Walid taught classes at Al-Ikhlas Training Academy and Wayne County Community College. He also reported for newspapers such as “The Muslim Journal” and “The Muslim Observer.” Over time, Imam Walid has taken on leadership roles in many Muslim and interfaith institutions, including the Bosnian American Islamic Center in Hamtramck, Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad, and the Michigan chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ). Most notably, Imam Walid serves as the first African American Executive Director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Michigan chapter. As an internationally recognized scholar and teacher, Walid often travels to give lectures and classes. He has published several scholarly books about Islamic history and theology, including “Towards Sacred Activism” and “Blackness in Islam.” In the interview, Imam Walid discusses the history of Muslims in Detroit, America, and West Africa. He elucidates his ideas about sacred activism, and the development of concepts pertaining to race and anti-racism in Muslim societies. Throughout the interview, Imam Walid elaborates on the history of institution-building and community-development work by African American and African-born Muslims in Detroit, and discusses his vision for continued cooperation and community revitalization.
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