Black August

Bismillah-arahman-araheem.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

At jummah, we gather to share & grow spiritual tools in which we can find rest and respite from the daily aggression of systems of oppression and where we find motivation and strength to resist these systems. We find guidance towards just & liberatory relationships with each other, our communities and our natural world. 

This month we are turning to the tradition of Black August, to center that much of the reason we have revolutionary understandings and practices of Islam is thanks to Black freedom fighters. 

“The Black August tradition was founded in the California prison system in 1971 and it was an expression that activists in that prison did to commemorate George Jackson. George Jackson is the key and central figure to Black August, he is someone who fought in the prison system for basic human rights, like education, being able to take a shower every day, being able to have three meals a day, toilet tissue, having toilet access. And since he was attacked and killed by prison guards, the way that people around him, that benefitted from his activism, remembered him… is that every August they read , they fasted , they sustained from any anti-social behavior , you know,  they were comrades to each other in the way that George Jackson wanted them to be. It was a tradition for many of us in the hip hop generation knew nothing about, Black August was something that remained primarily in the West Coast, primarily a prison expression, and in the late 1990s when the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement learned about the Black August tradition, we felt it was really important to rebirth it to a new generation.“ - Monifa Bandele of Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. F rom The Black August Hip Hop Project, a documentary by dream hampton completed in 2010 and created over 10 years of documenting the Black August tradition.

Please watch here!

Accessibility Note

We are honored to offer ASL services throughout this training program! ASL is available with at least two weeks request. Please email hey@themasgd.org to request ASL services.

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee ASL with less than two weeks notice. We will do our best to honor these types of requests.

Session Topics

Session 1 | Slavery's Relational Legacies: Getting Free. Pt 2: August 7, 2026 @ 10 - 11 AM PT / 1 - 2 PM ET

A continuation of the Slavery, Juneteenth, and Getting Free khutbah, join Jadira for further analysis of the legacies of anti-Black enslavement. We will also think about the psychological and relational nature of enslavement on and off Turtle Island, the consequences of anti-Black enslavement which have lasted past its formal abolition on Turtle Island, the significance of freedom to Allah, Allah's honor, and our responsibility as Muslims to defy anti-Blackness, supremacy among creation, and carcerality. The first hour will contain 30 minutes of the khutbah and prayer. After prayer, the remainder of the khutbah will be given for 30 minutes, we will hold a discussion, and end in collective dhikr. There will also be many dhikr opportunities throughout the khutbah.

Session 2 | Liberation History through Film: August 14, 2026 @ 10 - 11 AM PT / 1 - 2 PM ET

Films created around Black August as a way to focus on learning & un-learning. Film is a beautiful way to humanize history, to currency exchange, to expand, and to be a vessel through which stories and narratives are preserved. Us as witness, not as passive audience, but as storykeepers.

• Advance materials:
  • Black August (2007) by Samm Styles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF5yLAaaguM
  • Black August Hip Hop Project (2010) by dream hampton of MXGM https://vimeo.com/134549172

Session 3 | Solidarity in Black August: August 21, 2026 @ 10 - 11 AM PT / 1 - 2 PM ET

For Black August, Rose will be sharing some about the history and importance of this season as it relates to how we can deepen and enrich our commitments to solidarity.

About the Facilitator: Rose is a lifelong student of global spiritual practices rooted in afro- indigenous ancestral pathways. An artist and creative consultant, they are regularly rediscovering reverence for the marvels of nature and our cosmic continuity.

Session 4 | Revolutionary Islamic practice as a Black radical tradition: August 28, 2026 @ 10 - 11 AM PT / 1 - 2 PM ET

Recognizing revolutionary Islamic practice as a Black radical tradition and carrying on the Black August tradition of turning our attention to political prisoners, with a focus on Safiya Bukhari’s work.