Oral History Interview with Mansur Blackman on January 23, 2021

Oral history interview with Mansur Blackman conducted by Samayyah Cook on January 23, 2021. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Samayyah Cook. Mansur Blackman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1990. His mother was born in Philadelphia and his father was born in Queens, New York. Blackman was raised in a Muslim family, as his mother and father each embraced Islam before meeting each other. His mother, Mumina Blackman, helped found an Islamic parochial school called the MTI School of Knowledge in Indianapolis, which Blackman attended. Growing up, he frequented Masjid Al-Fajr in Indianapolis with his family. After high school, Blackman graduated from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Soon after, he was recruited by the Ford Motor Graduates Program and moved to Michigan to pursue a career at the Ford Motor Company. Blackman eventually returned to the University of Michigan to obtain his Master’s degree in Computer Engineering. He now works as a Systems Engineer for Ford. In Detroit, Blackman attended various mosques, including the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center, the American Muslim Center, and the Islamic Center of Detroit (ICD). After he joined Dream of Detroit, Blackman and his family relocated to the organization’s neighborhood to be part of its intentional community. He currently serves as Housing Chair, helping coordinate the Dream of Detroit’s housing and neighborhood rehabilitation efforts. In the interview, Blackman discusses similarities between his childhood in the close-knit Indianapolis Muslim community and the warm atmosphere of the Muslim Center and Dream of Detroit. He elaborates on his role as Housing Chair for Dream of Detroit, describing the many projects the organization undertakes and his vision for the neighborhood’s future.https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dream-storytelling-interviews/1013/thumbnail.jp