This dissertation examines the curricular perspectives of Black American Muslims in Medina Baye, Senegal. Over a period of three months, I conducted interviews with community members in Medina Baye and led a 10-week Black history program with students at the African American Islamic Institute Legacy Academy (AAIILA). Analysis of interviews and student produced artifacts resulted in three major findings. First, the community’s curricular perspectives are situated in the intellectual traditions of African centered education, yet Islam is their main source of sense-making. Second, the perspectives of Black American Muslims in Medina Baye are connected to the Islamic principle of interconnectedness. Third, youth at the AAIILA expressed their perspectives on their purposes, dreams and goals, and thoughts on freedom through multiple modes in their journal entries. Drawing on Black Critical Theory (BlackCrit), this study examines the orientations of a community of Black American Muslims who migrated to Medina Baye. This study contributes to existing scholarship on curriculum studies, particularly Black curricular perspectives.
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