Shannon Al-Wakeel

Executive Director and Co-Founder, Muslim Justice League

Shannon was one of four Muslim women who founded MJL after federal announcements of a "countering violent extremism" program in Boston.  An attorney and printmaker, Shannon received her B.F.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in conjunction with Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. Prior to MJL, Shannon worked with Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and later Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, where her advocacy contributed to advances in immigrant access to education and health care and safeguards against unconstitutional deportation programs, as well as defeat of scores of anti-immigrant legislative proposals.  Shannon previously served as president of the Board of Directors of the New England Muslim Bar Association and, following the Boston Marathon bombing, provided "Know Your Rights" education and government relations assistance to Massachusetts mosques in response to increased targeting of local Muslim communities.