Women in Faith: Diverse Voices Speak - Cultivating Hope

Co-presented with the Prince George's County Office of Human Rights

Women in Faith: Diverse Voices Speak returns with Cultivating Hope. Brought to you by the Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights and the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, the Women in Faith: Diverse Voices Speak series, which began in 2020, brings panelists of various faiths together to talk about the pressing issues of the day.

Registration not required. Click on the YouTube video linked below to stream the program live or watch the recording later.

Six years since the first one debuted – having pivoted from an in-person program to meet the demands of the Covid-19 pandemic, Women in Faith: Diverse Voices Speak returns to meet this moment with the collective wisdom of a variety of faith traditions on the practice of cultivating hope.

YaYa, Rahmah A. Abdulaleem, Rabbi Abbi Sharofsky, and the Reverend Janelle Johnson-Lester will share how Islamic, Christian, Jewish, and non-theistic texts and experiences provide guidance and give shape to hope practices.

YaYa (she/her/hers) is a spiritual seeker and co-host of  Real Talk on Godtalk, a podcast for people who skip church for brunch on Sundays. With her work YaYa seeks to blur the lines between the secular and sacred in public discourse, helping people make meaning of their lives by exploring the unexpected ways spirituality is relevant to our everyday experiences. YaYa considers herself a "religious- none", the segment of American society that is religiously unaffiliated, and one of the fastest growing groups according to the Pew Research Center. YaYa currently lives in Washington DC, is a former chaplain and holds an MDiv from Union Theological Seminary with a concentration in Psychology and Religion. 

Rahmah A. Abdulaleem is a law school faculty member, attorney, and strategic advisor focused on religious freedom, civil rights, and Muslim women’s leadership. She teaches Legal Writing, Legal Research, and Moot Court, where she prepares future lawyers to think critically, analyze complex legal problems, and communicate with precision and persuasive clarity. Through rigorous coursework and individualized mentorship, she trains law students in the professional skills essential to effective legal advocacy.

In addition to her academic work, Ms. Abdulaleem is a strategic consultant and thought leader in American Muslim civil society. A former nonprofit CEO and Executive Director, she has extensive experience building and scaling mission-driven organizations, developing leadership programs, and advancing initiatives at the intersection of law, policy, and community engagement. Her work focuses on strengthening institutions, cultivating leadership, and expanding the public voice of Muslim women.

Ms. Abdulaleem currently serves as Co-Chair of the Religious Freedom Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice and is a member of the American Bar Association Task Force to Combat Islamophobic Bias. During the Biden-Harris Administration, she worked with the White House as part of the American Muslim Community Coalition contributing to the development of the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate.

She has organized and spoken at educational and civil rights programs around the world. Ms. Abdulaleem earned her undergraduate degree from Duke University, where she double majored in Religion and Sociology and completed a Certificate in Markets and Management Studies, and her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School.

Rabbi Abbi Sharofsky is the Director of Intergroup Relations and Rabbi in Residence for the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington. She studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary and was ordained in 2012. Rabbi Sharofsky also holds a master’s degree from the Davidson School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary. She previously served as deputy director of the Jewish Welfare Board Jewish Chaplains Council. Rabbi Sharofsky is involved in numerous interfaith organizations and advisory groups throughout Greater Washington and serves as the president of the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington. Rabbi Sharofsky works with school districts, government offices, corporate and not for profit organizations to address issues of bias and hate, educate about Jews and Jewish identity, and create allies between communities.
 

Reverend Janelle Johnson-Lester, a native of Hampton, Va., attended the University of Illinois with a full track and field scholarship and later transferred to George Mason University, earning a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. In 2007, she earned a master’s degree in business from Johns Hopkins University. In 2014, her commitment to social justice, education, and equality led to her being appointed as a commissioner by the county executive to the Prince George’s County Human Relations Commission, the civil rights agency for the county to investigate and enforce all federal discrimination laws within its jurisdiction. She was elected as vice-chair of the same commission in 2017 and served until October 2019. Reverend Johnson-Lester was ordained in 2012. She is a servant leader on the ministerial staff at Reid Temple AME Church in Glendale, Md., and the director of their Domestic Violence Ministry. As an author, she released her book “Is He Spiritual: You Deserve Only God’s Best” in 2017, detailing her encounter with domestic violence. As a part of her commitment to continuous learning, Reverend Johnson-Lester earned a certificate in theology and ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2017 and a graduate degree in law from the George Washington University Law School.