A networking event targeted at millennials is being held at the Arab American National Museum this Saturday, March 4. The event,
illMuslims: Be Social Detroit, will provide art, music, food, and refreshments while offering attendees the opportunity to connect with each other and local artists and retailers from the community.
The national organization illMuslims has thrown similar events across the country, in cities that include Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles. According to a release, the networking event will provide "a platform to create a strong network of Muslim-run initiatives in Metro Detroit."
"illMuslims was founded in September 2014 after a series of conversations that centered on supporting creativity between my co-founder, Sadaf Javaid, and I," Rummi Khan, co-founder of illMuslims, says in a statement. "The term ‘ummah’ translates to 'community', which is defined as divergent populations interacting in a meaningful way. We didn't feel like we had seen that in any place for our generation of Muslims in North America. We created illMuslims as an effort to bring these divergent groups together to focus on what we agree on, supporting creative output."
The March 4 event offers a number of attractions, including vendor booths, mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails), and food and refreshments from local shops The Bottomline, Cannoli Pastry, and AlJoom's BBQ. A pop-up shop by Threads and Beams footwear will also be on hand.
Music performances include DJ Bornswift, Omar Zidan, a.k.a. Omar Okz, and Abir, a New York-based Moroccan American R&B artist most recently featured in a Beats by Dr. Dre headphones commercial. Organizers also promise a surprise performance from a Metro Detroit dance group.
Artist Zeinab Saab, illustrator and muralist Marlo Broughton, and photographer Ji La Zand will each have artwork shown at the event.
illMuslims: Be Social Detroit takes place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 4 at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn. Tickets are
$25 in advance and $35 at the door. All are welcome.
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