Debra Majeed facts for kids

Debra Mubashshir Majeed (born January 7, 1954 – died March 20, 2022) was an American scholar and activist. She studied religion and worked to support women's rights. She was known for her ideas about "Muslim womanism." This idea looks at the experiences of Black, Muslim, and women all at once.

Early Life and Education

Debra Majeed was born in 1954 into a Catholic family. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was 16. She later became a Protestant Christian.

She went to Pepperdine University and earned a degree in journalism. After college, she worked in business. She also felt a strong calling to work in a church.

Majeed earned a special degree called an M. Div. She became a minister in the United Methodist Church. She served as a minister in Pasadena, California.

Career as a Scholar

In 1998, Debra Majeed converted to Islam. This happened while she was studying in Chicago. She was learning about why Islam appealed to Black American men.

She taught American religion for a short time at Loyola University Chicago. In 1999, she started teaching at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin. She taught philosophy and religious studies there.

Professor Majeed made history at Beloit College. She was the first Black woman and the first Muslim to earn tenure there. Tenure means a professor has a permanent job. She was a very respected professor at the college.

She retired from teaching in 2020. She became the first Black and Muslim professor to be named Emeritus. This title is given to retired professors who are highly respected.

Muslim Womanist Thought

Debra Majeed is best known for her 2016 book. It was called Polygyny: What It Means When African American Muslim Women Share Their Husbands. This book was an ethnography. An ethnography is a study where a researcher closely observes a group of people.

Her book explored polygyny, which is a type of marriage where a husband has more than one wife. She looked at this topic from a "Muslim womanist" point of view. She created the term "Muslim womanism" herself.

This idea helps us understand what it means to be Black, Muslim, and a woman at the same time. Majeed believed it was important to include these voices. Her work focused on race, marriage, family life, and gender.

A scholarship was created in her honor. It is called the Professor Debra Majeed Honors Scholarship. It helps minority students at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Honors College.

Activism

Debra Majeed was also an activist. She worked for women's rights, especially in marriage and family life. She believed in supporting families, no matter their structure.

She started a group called Queen City Family Advocates. This group helps families with their well-being. Majeed was also a certified Guardian ad Litem. This means she helped protect abused children.

Death

Debra Majeed passed away on March 20, 2022. She was 68 years old. She died in Charlotte, North Carolina, due to problems after surgery.

Works

Books

• Polygyny: What It Means When African American Muslim Women Share Their Husbands