Maryum Ali on Comedy, Community Work, and Telling Her Story in Float
Guest: Maryum “May May” Ali
Host: Imam Tariq I. El-Amin
Presented by: BAYAN On Demand
Episode Highlights:
- [02:00] Maryum’s 15+ years in youth development and gang prevention in South Los Angeles
- [04:00] The tragedy that redirected her college major and professional path
- [07:00] Real-time stories of life-saving mentorship and trust-building in communities
- [11:00] The roots of her creative spirit—and how stand-up comedy offered both a challenge and a stage
- [15:00] Performing with legends like Eddie Murphy, Robin Harris, and Chris Rock
- [17:00] Why she left the entertainment industry despite early success
- [20:00] The turning point: writing and performing Float, her one-woman stage show
- [34:00] Behind the scenes: How Float was developed, funded, and produced
- [42:00] The discipline and planning required to do meaningful solo work
- [49:00] Her advice to aspiring artists and creatives in Muslim spaces
- [54:00] Reflections on faith, identity, process, and public responsibility
- [56:00] What Maryum learned about humanity from watching her father, Muhammad Ali
Key Themes:
Faith and creativity • Community leadership • Black Muslim womanhood • Entertainment and ethics • Artistic process • Dawa through presence • Legacy of Muhammad Ali
Cover Art & Intro Music - Tariq I. El-Amin @ImamTariqElamin
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Transcript
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Imam Tariq:BG to get more information.
Imam Tariq:I KU made the peace
Imam Tariq:that only God can give you upon you. I'm your host maam. Tar Klain. Welcome to the American Muslim Podcast, presented by Bayan on Demand. Today our guest is Maryam Ali, a speaker, artist, and community advocate who's worked in gang prevention and youth development spans over 15 years.
Imam Tariq:She now brings her story to the stage and her solo show float. Inspired by the life and lessons of her father, Muhammad Ali. And a bunch of other stuff that you are in store for. Uh, so Sister Mario,
Maryum Ali:well, my salon brother, so, so honored to be here. Oh, the,
Imam Tariq:the Honor is mine. I always begin by, first we recognize that there's great value in all of the work that you do.
Imam Tariq:That, that, that goes without saying. Second, the intent of this platform is not to just showcase the work, but also to shed some light on the journey, uh, what has brought you to where you are. So those formative
Imam Tariq:events, the inspirations, all of those things. So that said, we invite our guests to be as open, as vulnerable, as transparent as they are comfortable being and sharing a bit of their story.
Imam Tariq:So that's it. I want to just kind of jump in and start, maybe not at where people think I would start. I wanna start by asking you. About your youth and gang prevention work, you spent over 15 years Yes. Uh, in that work. What is it that drew you to that work initially?
Maryum Ali:Man, I think what drew me to that work initially was being the eldest of four children and then the eldest of nine.
Maryum Ali:You know, my father had children with my mother, his second wife, and I was the eldest, and then children after that. And just, um, I, I think growing up around a famous father and having people in the
Maryum Ali:periphery and in your, in your life and all kind of different characters, you know, and you're observing, you, you, I began to want to protect my siblings 'cause I could feel so many different energies, um, in our family.
Maryum Ali:So I, I felt that need to care for and mentor and protect my siblings. And I think from that, I, I was that way with all young people, so I knew I wanted to impact young folk. Mm-hmm. And, and I know we'll get into this later, but initially I wanted to do it through performing arts. Mm-hmm. But I, I found social services when I left performing arts because it just wasn't sustainable to be in that field as a Muslim woman.
Maryum Ali:And we'll get into that later. And I felt, you know, what better way, um, than to go right in the community where they're at. And, uh, another motivational incident was my
Maryum Ali:cousin Otto Ali that was killed in Chicago as a teenager. It was gang violence. He wasn't in a gang, was murdered around the corner from his house.
Maryum Ali:And it was just devastating for our family. There was actually a gang truce. I heard at the funeral because he, he was not in the gang. It was a turf war. And I was in college at the time with a education major and switched it to social services after his death. And I said, I want to be closer. You know, I want, uh, teaching is nice, it's beautiful, but I wanted to do more direct work, um, in youth development and gang prevention.
Maryum Ali:So right after I graduated, I went right into a gang prevention program. Fortunately, a woman who's like a godmom to me worked at a organization called Community Build. Mm-hmm. In South Los Angeles, in the highest gang crime areas. And that's where all my work was at in Los Angeles. And I loved this particular,
Maryum Ali:um, program because we were able to be with middle school youth, which is the time where if you're gonna join a gang, that's where kind of begins.
Maryum Ali:That's the active part. And, um, we would be with them for. Uh, one, two to three, three years and was able to wrap service around services around them and really cater to them and work with the entire family and be with them on a journey to help them build resilience and life skills. And we were with them at the times of crises, so as they were learning the skills, we were able to help them, apply them in real time and be there for them for the whole time they were in middle school, which is excellent.
Maryum Ali:'cause a lot of these programs are short, they're limited. But we were able to really get involved with them in a real way with the families and be with them for a long enough time for them to be able to really absorb the, the skills and
Maryum Ali:apply them and make it a part of their life so that it was the best time of my life working with these young people and their families.
Maryum Ali:It really was.
Imam Tariq:Mm-hmm. So you got to see the direct results of your work, but. I would imagine, uh, having done some youth work, uh, myself, that it's work that you really are able to appreciate over the, the long haul. Mm-hmm. Not necessarily in each moment, right?
Maryum Ali:No, I would say both. Okay. You know, I would say in each moment, give an example.
Maryum Ali:We had a, we worked with gang intervention workers. Guys who kind of was at the beginning of the gang, um, incidents and, and, and, and culture. Mm-hmm. And went to jail, came out. Now they're trying to help kids not do what they started. Right. And so they, their, their fathers. And we had this session where they were trying to talk to the youth about how not to get jumped in and what things to say.
Maryum Ali:'cause at this point in LA it used to be if you were
Maryum Ali:in a gang and they said, where you from? What set you from. If you weren't from a set, they'll let you go. But at this point, when I was working in the community, if you didn't have an address in that area, you, you could get beat up or shot. It wasn't even about being in a gang.
Maryum Ali:They assumed you were part of that gang if you were in that neighborhood. So it was very dangerous and they were going work shopping with these kids about what to do and. A youth was almost jumped into a gang the next week. And he applied the skills he learned from our, our workshop and got and got off.
Maryum Ali:Wow.
Maryum Ali:And he, it really made him connect with us. He goes, man, man, I'm so happy I came to that workshop. I, it saved my life. You know? So we were able to see them implement things right away because they were, they were trying to survive, you know, every day they were trying to survive. And, um, so yeah, we could see it in the moment and then we could see it long term.
Maryum Ali:Um, and we were, the school, I, I, the where the kids went, the school where
Maryum Ali:they, they attended the staff was so cooperative with us, that youth that were hard to get to, I was able to go into their gym class and pull them out and give them one-on-one time mm-hmm. And say, Hey, you know, we want you to come with us.
Maryum Ali:And they were just kind of blown away by the attention that they, they never had anyone come to them. And care that much and say, Hey, we offer this, this, this, this. And I was a good salesperson. Right? So, um, just, you know, it was just a beautiful experience to see them revel in that kind of love and attention from a stranger.
Maryum Ali:And sometimes, you know, they didn't trust you, then they would test you, they would put you on this testing journey, but they were always shocked at that kind of attention.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm.
Maryum Ali:Because a lot of them just wasn't getting that at home either because their parents had to work late nights, or they were with grandma.
Maryum Ali:There was two different, two generations away from them. And, um, or just there's a lot of dysfunction in the family
Maryum Ali:and they just didn't have it. So it was just a, a beautiful thing. To, to experience that and be there with them for like fif about fif 10 years direct practice. And then I was with the mayor's office of gang de, uh, the, the gang department at the mayor's office kind of monitoring and training programs.
Maryum Ali:Um, the last four and a half years I was in that field, but just the direct practice was beautiful, just being right there. And it was, you know, it was, you know, I didn't realize how dangerous where I was at. Mm-hmm. You know, I, I did, but I didn't. But, um, it just, I, yeah. The best work ever I've ever experienced.
Imam Tariq:Wow. That that is, yeah. That is a, a weighty statement. Um, yeah. So that's also work that you have to be to, to be effective, you have to be emotionally mm-hmm. Invested, fully invested into it. Right. Because yes, young people, they are wonderful at being able to look and, and tell who. It is just there in body,
Maryum Ali:right?
Maryum Ali:Oh,
Maryum Ali:yes. Yeah. Especially kids in the community. They probably have the best street instincts ever.
Imam Tariq:Yeah.
Maryum Ali:You know, they, yeah. So they know. I mean, you know, like I said, they'll, they'll test you, but they're looking at your mannerisms. They're looking at how you're talking. They're very sharp when it comes to, 'cause you know, a lot of them had been, um, disenchanted with social service programs or different resources or programming where people just phoning it in and there are a number.
Maryum Ali:And to see people not do that, especially with the parents, it was hard a lot to get through to the parents. And a lot of them was like, oh, you're just gonna be here for a moment. Mm-hmm. And then when we were there for years, they're like, well, you guys are the real deal. You're really, so we, we gained a very good reputation in the community.
Maryum Ali:So much so that. Some of the kids who had gang member, family members protected us. You know? 'cause they're like, oh, that's Miss Ali. Leave her alone. So we, in many ways, we were
Maryum Ali:very safe because our, our community center was like a hands off place. Leave them alone over there, they're helping our kids.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? Yeah.
Imam Tariq:Yeah. Mm-hmm. Um, so you've always been, uh, creative, is that correct? Always had that inclination for a very
Maryum Ali:long time. You know, I was very, extremely shy as a kid, actually, as a, as I would say, I, I broke outta my, my shy shell probably in the, um, the, the, the fifth or sixth grade.
Maryum Ali:But I was very like almost fearfully shy when I was little. I don't know what that was about. Mm-hmm. But
Maryum Ali:yeah,
Maryum Ali:I really was. But like when I, my first talent show, I'm like, oh, this is fun. And I've just always loved the performing arts, poetry, just anything creative.
Imam Tariq:Yeah. Now, when you were doing the, the youth work gang intervention, that, that type of work, uh.
Imam Tariq:Where did creativity fit into your life at that point? Was there an outlet for you?
Maryum Ali:Yeah. It's so interesting you say that because I had done standup before I got into social services, and
Maryum Ali:I still would do it in the, on the weekends sometimes just to be, just to have a outlet.
Imam Tariq:Mm-hmm.
Maryum Ali:And, uh, I had a, our organization was ran by African Americans and they would actually let me go and auditions and, and work if I had, 'cause they would say, Hey, if you get something, the kids are gonna see it and we just gonna Dr they're gonna love coming to the program.
Maryum Ali:Right. Yeah. So I never forget, I had a friend, I did a play and it was just on weekends and that was great. I did a couple plays that didn't, you know. Take from my, my work, um, my workload. And, um, I never forget a friend of mine, I did, this girl directed me in a play and she called me and she worked on the Parkers.
Maryum Ali:And she goes, Hey, Memay, I got a, I got a character I want you to come read for. I'm like, you know, I work, I work a nine to five, I can't do that. And she's like, no, no, yeah, you have, you know, you have vacation. And I was like, yeah, vacation time. She goes, it's, it is a gang, gang girl. I'm like, ah, I'm not doing that, you know?
Maryum Ali:And I'm like, she goes, no, no, no. She's reformed. She's, no, she's like in the college with the
Maryum Ali:main characters and she's outta jail and she's reformed. I was like, are you sure? So she let me read it and I'm like, okay, it's not, hold on. You know, I'm not doing nothing. So, so, uh, I said, okay. And I asked my boss and I, and she goes, if you have vacation time, go ahead.
Maryum Ali:Go for it. So I booked it.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm.
Maryum Ali:And it ended up being a really popular show as three girls. Coming out of, you know, juvie or whatever, and they want to join the, uh, pledge, the sorority of the main character. And it was a whole week, but I had the vacation time and my kids saw that episode. Oh my goodness.
Maryum Ali:They were like, miss Ali, you was representing me. Oh, but you know, it, it's to have someone in the community do something and, you know, um, and I just went right back to work. You know, I had my fun doing my creative stuff, so I was able to still do things and, uh, but the kids were the priority. So I really had left the business really in a real way by that point, you know?
Maryum Ali:But if I was able to do something, um, and have
Maryum Ali:vacation, and I could take the vacation time off to do it, luckily my, the boss let me do it. 'cause they, they knew kind of what kind of pride it would bring to the community.
Imam Tariq:Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So how did you get into standup and what are some of the lessons that you learned from that?
Maryum Ali:Wow. So, yeah, so it is interesting when I, when I got in the standup, I was already working on a rap album that was socially conscious and all that stuff. Mm-hmm. And as I was working on the album, I was in Philadelphia and I'd always made my friends laugh. I, I always had these little bits I would just do for my friends and they would just crack up laughing and they're like, you need to get on stage.
Maryum Ali:I'm like, nah. So I was, I was in Philly working on the first single I was doing with Gamble and Huff Records. I'll never forget this. And they had this place where they had open mic night and my, my manager said, you really are funny. You should get up there. And, and it was a really rough neighborhood and they were like, they'll boo you off like the Sandman on Apollo.
Maryum Ali:It was like hard core, rough. And I said, man, if, if, if I did make them laugh
Maryum Ali:in the hood of Philly, I la would be easy, right? Because I had lived in LA but I was in Philly to record and I did very well. And, and, uh, I went back to the Comedy store in Sunset. And auditioned as a standup. And I already had 15 minutes.
Maryum Ali:Most people have like three minutes when they start out. I had 15 minutes just Wow. Stuff I would do with friends. I, I had a 15 minute, 10 to 15 minute set already done.
Imam Tariq:Mm-hmm.
Maryum Ali:And I did it and got, and got, became a regular immediately. Wow. Right at the comedy store, which was very hard to get into the comedy store.
Maryum Ali:Yeah. And then I worked with Robin Harris at the, at the, um, the black club down in, in south la. And I mean, people that I was on stage with was like Chris Rock and. Martin Lawrence and the Wayans and Paul Mooney and you, when I auditioned for the Comedy Store, I became a regular, and I, and I really loved the art artistry and the, of standup and the writing and how a joke is built and the process, you know, stand, you know,
Maryum Ali:so I, I, I, you know, I worked with a lot of those comedians and, uh, I remember one night we would do like tag team where you introduce each other and I was on stage and.
Maryum Ali:The room got real weird. And I'm like, I wonder what happened. And I'm, I'm wrapping up and everything and I'm doing well, but at the very end it got weird in the room. And I'm just like, okay. I said, who's next? 'cause we have to introduce each other. And they said, Eddie. And I'm like, oh, Eddie Griffin. 'cause Eddie Griffin wasn't famous then.
Maryum Ali:He was just Eddie Griffin and Oh, Eddie Murphy. And I said, oh, okay. And then Eddie Murphy is like, on stage. I'm like, oh, okay. Welcome Eddie Murphy. You know? And so, I mean, Andrew Dice Clay, Jim Carey, um, even Richard, when I first got to the Comedy store, Richard was still performing there. He had ms, but he was still there.
Maryum Ali:And all these guys, I know him, you know, but I, I left. I le, I, I left standup because it got very dark. You know, I, I was clean and conscious and, but when, uh, Def, Def Comedy Jam came out,
Maryum Ali:comedy, African American comedy kind of changed. And, and they say, they call it Blue Comedy. Yeah. Right. And, uh, it changed.
Maryum Ali:And, and before it could be, you could be clean and people was, were open to that. Then it got to the point where they expected you to be dirty and it got very seedy. And, uh, the same reasons why I left the music business. It just, and I says, you know, and most comedians, what do you want? You wanna sitcom, you wanna film.
Maryum Ali:But as a Muslim woman, I can't control what they write to put in my mouth, you know what I'm saying? And being, and not being a famous Alister, I can't dictate what you write for me. So if they wanna make me a certain character that I don't want to promote, I can't do anything about that. And then, you know, I heard about, you know.
Maryum Ali:It turned into the Me Too movement, but I heard about the, you know, the shifty darkness that would go on audition couches and things of that nature. And I just says, you know, I just don't, and, and
Maryum Ali:again, my agenda was to be an upliftment for youth. 'cause I was a youth back then, I was in my early twenties.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm. And I, and I saw how my dad was, was, was so impactful with young people. And, um, I knew I had a gift for a performing. And that's how I, that's was my agenda. Not, not to be a celebrity. Um, in and of, 'cause I could have went in that direction. I could have just stayed in and partied, did all that stuff.
Maryum Ali:And, but that's not what I wanted. So I said, you know, I love performing arts, but it's not sustainable. It's not the environment I need to be in. And, um. You know, my father was able to see me perform on the big stage of the Comedy Store. It's so funny, I'll never forget when he came to see, I was so nervous.
Maryum Ali:I said, oh God, it's coming to see me. And Jimmy Walker came on before me. Jimmy Walker, for those you don't know, played JJ on Good Times. So I worked with him a lot. So Jimmy Walker comes on before me and he goes to his friend. He goes, how
Maryum Ali:is. Maymay going to follow jj. I'll never forget it.
Maryum Ali:It was
Maryum Ali:so funny because he had never seen me do it professionally.
Maryum Ali:And I, I had probably one of the best performances of my life and nobody knew he was there. He snuck it in the back and sat in the back booth and it was the best set I've ever had in my life. And he was like, man, you really good? Mm-hmm. And of course he took credit. You get that from me. I say, you right dad.
Maryum Ali:I, I get it right from you. You know? But, um, yeah, but I really did standup really helped me with my speaking presentations. It helped me get rid of public, public speaking fear. I mean, I knew it was going to help me in the future. You know, it helped me be able to produce events. 'cause I produced a lot of, uh, uh, fundraisers for Parkinson's and for.
Maryum Ali:Um, youth in, in community. I did big, big events. So, I mean, it really working there helped me a lot. And I traveled, I went to the Comedy store, used
Maryum Ali:to have the Dunes Hotel on the Strip, and they had Harris Hotel, and I did The Laugh Factory in Vegas, and the Golden Nugget opened up for the spinners. I mean, I, but a lot of people don't, don't know that.
Maryum Ali:They don't know that that's, that my, my life was that. Um, but yeah. But you know, I, I'm, I enjoyed it and I'm glad I had that journey. Um, but I always knew if I came back to performing arts, it would be something that I write about being a black Muslim woman in America. I knew it would have something to do with that, but I knew I wasn't ready to do it at the time.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm. But yeah, so that's, that's where I'm at now. I always wanted to get back to the performing arts, but something that's within my control.
Imam Tariq:Right, right.
Maryum Ali:You know,
Imam Tariq:so before we segue into Float, which, um, was absolutely phenomenal. Um, I was so, so Thank you so much. Uh, just blessed to be one of the, uh, members in the, in the audience.
Imam Tariq:Uh, I can't say enough about that. Thank you so much. But before we get to
Imam Tariq:that, are there any particular lessons that you learned from your time in comedy, uh, things that have stayed with you and maybe that you even brought to you? Oh,
Maryum Ali:this is, this is going to be, this is gonna be kind of deep, so spiritually, let's get to that.
Maryum Ali:Um, it's, it just popped in my mind. When you are in an environment for a long time, you have that, this not Islamic, you have to be very aware that it be, it can start to feel normal.
Imam Tariq:Mm.
Maryum Ali:Right. Yeah. It can start to feel normal to you. And I felt that happening. I'm like, oh, you know, a lot of the dysfunctional things and things that were being said in the environment, it was became normal.
Maryum Ali:And I was like, oh, you know, and I, and I, I didn't catch it at first. Mm-hmm. But I did catch it eventually. I was like, oh, this is not, Hmm, this is not, because again, when I first started doing the standup, it was a little bit more open to, you had a
Maryum Ali:lot of positive comedians and then it shifted and um. I'm like, yeah, I can't stay in this, you know?
Maryum Ali:So I, I'll say that in terms of just environments, be careful and I would always hear that in, in our teachings, but I never felt it like that. Mm-hmm. Sometimes you have to feel that darkness, like you feel it and you, you know what it is. Um, and, and some, sometimes you, you could be tricked by, there was a tricked by it to the point of hanging out and doing drugs, and I always stayed away from the parties.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? The, I never forget, I got invited to a couple parties in LA and I didn't even, I didn't even get, they opened the door and I didn't even get past the, the frame of the door. I just looked in and went, oh no, this can't do this. You know what I'm saying? And I'll never forget someone inviting me to a party and they said, oh, but it's a sheikh from Saudi Arabia.
Maryum Ali:He's Muslim. I said, oh, really? And I went to the party and. You know, it was a shake, but the, the people weren't Muslim. Right. And I was like, okay. And then
Maryum Ali:10 o'clock hitting some weird characters came in and some TV I was like, oh, wait a minute. So, I mean, I've been, I've never got deep where I would party with people.
Maryum Ali:But yeah, the, the Comedy club itself though, the environment really kind of changed a lot. And I was like, no. So I would say that would be one thing I learned from being in comedy for so long is that, that, that, that normalization of the environment, you gotta be careful of. Um, uh, I would say what I learned was, uh, having the resilience and strength to, to be your authentic self.
Maryum Ali:Um, I didn't really change my material because other people were changing. I, I would see people start off clean and go dirty and I just wouldn't do that. You know what I mean? And, um, I'm like, no. Um, so yeah, that this being strong in who you are, there are even some comedians that were like, uh, I talked to a comedian the other day.
Maryum Ali:He goes, I hated Muslims. So I met you. I thought Muslims were terrorists. I thought Muslims were this and that. And I, and you and
Maryum Ali:I would, you know, people would walk up to me and ask me about Islam, and I would teach 'em. They like, oh, I didn't know that. I didn't know that. I didn't know that. And I'm like, yeah.
Maryum Ali:One comedian walked up to me and says, you know, I'm seeking faith and I watch how you carry yourself at this club. You're not drinking, you're not involved with the men. You're not, what is it? And I, and I said, it's my faith, you know? And, and I invited him to match Yeti bottle law in South la. He started going, he's a Muslim to this day, married to a Muslim woman, has a Muslim family, gave me a little, a little necklace with Arabic on it to be introducing him to Islam.
Maryum Ali:And, and so people, even I have a Jewish friend, he goes, yeah, I talked to guys who say their whole, their whole, uh. View of Islam change after you spoke to them?
Maryum Ali:Mm.
Maryum Ali:So I would, I would, you know, I would do a little dawa up there, you know, 'cause they would ask me, I was approachable. Yeah. So they would ask me things.
Maryum Ali:And, um, when nine 11 happened, you know, they were asking me all these questions and what kind of religion. I'm like, wait, wait, wait.
Maryum Ali:You know? So I mean, that, that was interesting, you know, just being my authentic self where I was at, and people saying, no, leave her alone. It got to a point where the men would protect me as a sister.
Maryum Ali:Like, leave maymay alone. She's not gonna date you. She's not gonna have drugs, sex, it's not gonna do anything with you. So leave her alone. That's our sister. Right. So it got to a point where I, they protected me there because I just stayed myself and I just wouldn't break, you know? And I had some arguments with people like, no, you don't touch me.
Maryum Ali:You don't know me, do you? Right. You know? And so I was able to really protect myself in many ways. So I learned that in whatever environment you in, just stay steadfast in who you are. 'cause you know, um. So, yeah. And just the, just presenting, just the being, uh, you know, public speaking is not easy. It's probably the, the highest phobia is public speaking.
Maryum Ali:Yeah. And it just really helped me with my public speaking. I've been public speaking for the past 10 years for social service and human service organizations, their conferences. Mm-hmm. And the comedy really helped
Maryum Ali:that just being a 'cause comedy is so difficult to, to be able to make someone laugh every two, one minute.
Maryum Ali:It is just hard. So to give a presentation where you don't need to make people laugh, it becomes much easier. Um, so yeah, it really, yeah, it really helped me a lot.
Imam Tariq:I, I had not thought about it in that light. Um, the pressure of having to make an audience laugh and then just compare to just getting up and presenting information, it's a whole lot easy without it, the expectation of laughter very
Maryum Ali:different.
Maryum Ali:Right, right, right, right. So
Imam Tariq:where
Maryum Ali:did that,
Imam Tariq:uh, and I guess this. May lead us into float as well, but where did this, this self-assuredness come from? Especially from, from such a young, from a young person? Uh, I always marvel at
Maryum Ali:that. Like, I, like I said, I may, yeah, I may, I, I was, I was a athlete in high school, and when we were, anytime we went to a away game, basketball, volleyball, field, events,
Maryum Ali:track, I was always busy.
Maryum Ali:And, um, here in Illinois I was, I was always going someone to another school playing and competing. And on the bus, in the locker room, I was the rap artist. I was the poet, I was the comedian. I mean, it's just, I just was that person. So it was, the comedy was very easy for me. Initially, I didn't struggle.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm. You know, like I didn't have that hard time trying to get material. I kind of came in with material. Right. Um, and it was just kind of who I was in high school. I made good grades, but I was just kind of like. The funny person. And so it kind of was already there. My mom and father had very similar personalities.
Maryum Ali:My whole family are, are like their per, their personalities are just,
Imam Tariq:yeah.
Maryum Ali:So if you kind of went to a Thanksgiving, we're all hilarious. You know, it's just a part of my family. My dad's side's funny. My mom's side, my dad and my mom's. Funny. I mean, it's, it's in our family. It really is. So, um, the, that's just what it was.
Maryum Ali:You
Maryum Ali:know what I mean? It's, it's, yeah. But,
Imam Tariq:uh, well specifically the self-assuredness in terms of this is my line and I know it's, the real reality of it is it's a lot easier for people to say they're Muslim than it is for them to be Muslim. Mm-hmm. And you were in spaces where that very easily could have been, the expectation would've been that, well, she bend a little bit and you were like, no, this is who I am.
Maryum Ali:Yeah. Is that
Imam Tariq:a part of your personality? My dad put
Maryum Ali:fear. N no, my dad put fear in me. Okay. My, my dad warned me about stuff like, he engaged us in a lot of conversation 'cause he was out there in the public and he wanted me to know about things that I would learn in school and learn in the street and learn at a party he wanted.
Maryum Ali:He wanted me to hear it from him first.
Imam Tariq:Mm.
Maryum Ali:Right. So I'll give you example. We're we're on, um, I
Maryum Ali:57, I'm maybe 13 years old. And when trucks go by, we would do this thing where you would tell the person driving the trunk, the honk, the horn, honk, honk. And I was doing that and he goes, you shouldn't do that.
Maryum Ali:And I'm like, why? It's something we do when we're on the bus going to games and or on the road. He goes, no, no, no. You're lemme explain something to you. He just started to talk to me about pedophilia. And I never heard that word before. Right? And grown men, like in little girls and don't do gestures to men.
Maryum Ali:And, um, and why, and they may not see you the way they, you think they're looking at you as a child. So my father would tell me those things and, um, when I started getting into entertainment, he would talk to me and go, you sure you wanna do that? And he would tell me about some of the darkness of Hollywood, some of the things they would do and say, don't get involved in that.
Maryum Ali:And I, and I was like a daddy's girl, so I listened to him like, I was like, no, if Daddy says it is, it is what it is. I mean, I just believed him. I didn't have that rebellious thing when it
Maryum Ali:came to him. Teaching me about something I needed to know. And I'm like, no, dad, I'm not doing that. And I, I, I, I love, and I did love the process of, I love the creative process so much that, see if you get into something for another reason, if you get into it for the fame of it, yes, it's gonna be, it is going to, you're gonna have a hard time if you're in it.
Maryum Ali:'cause you love the process and you're attracted to that. How did that joke work? And that's where your mind is at. That's where your mind is gonna be. So between my dad, my faith and my love for the arts in and of itself, I was cool. And then just having, just having, um, rules. Don't go to parties, don't hang out with the comedians.
Maryum Ali:Only see them at the club. Don't go back to the back, don't I just, you know, and, but my dad, I, I really would say my father. First, I didn't want to disappoint him, definitely, but I knew Allah was watching
Maryum Ali:me, you know what I'm saying? And, um, just had a fear that Allah's watching me. And I'm not perfect. I'm not saying I was perfect.
Maryum Ali:I'm just saying I didn't do that Hollywood thing, you know what I mean? Where I got off in the stuff, it was only the creative thing. So I would just say it's a, it's a, my grandparents role, role modeling, um, a family member actually going in the wrong direction, went into Hollywood and did the wrong thing and got hooked on drugs.
Maryum Ali:That, that scared me and just all of it, you know? And I did end up leaving it when it got really, really dark. When it got too dark, I couldn't handle it. Right. Couldn't handle the fire in the kitchen. Couldn't handle it. Right. Had to get out.
Imam Tariq:Yeah. Uh, had there been more of a community of other artists who were like-minded, who wanted to hold the line?
Imam Tariq:In being mm-hmm. You know, whether they were Muslim or, or not, but just being God conscious and Yeah. You know, we're, we're gonna resist this idea of just slipping into Right, right. The normalization of the, the blueness of comedy.
Imam Tariq:Do you think you might have stayed a bit longer in it, or do you feel like it was time to move on?
Maryum Ali:I, I, well, I would say no, I wouldn't have stayed, only because to make a living in entertainment, to make a living in it. Um, it depends on the, the people who distribute and own the networks. So unless we have that too, it, it's hard, it's difficult. You see what I'm saying? So I always had an outlet, a creative outlet, even after I left officially, I, I would do creative things.
Maryum Ali:Um, but in terms of trying to stay in, to make it a profession, I, I probably would've left anyway. Okay. Because my thing was I want to make some kind of impact on young people. So, and that was a, you know, and I ended up, and I stopped doing comedy altogether because my work was just too important and I couldn't, I remember I would have a set to the Comedy store, and then Joe Rogan would come, he's really big now, but Joe Rogan would come and, and if I was supposed to go
Maryum Ali:on at nine, he would come and hog the time and I wouldn't get on until midnight.
Maryum Ali:And I'm like, I can't, I can't do this anymore because he's like hogging up all the time when he wasn't supposed to. Right. So that's when I really, really stopped. I said, no, I have, I have to get up. I have, I have to be clearheaded for these kids. I have to, I'm just stopped all together. Okay. Um, but yeah, I, I think what, in what you were saying, I think it's very important for there to be folks like me who want to do the arts, to be able to do it in a halal way.
Maryum Ali:Um, because there are, there's a lot of talent and then our stories are, are not usually told. And that's what I love about theater because theater. You write your own thing, you, you know, people aren't really telling you what you can write. And then the theater, um, the performing arts audience who goes to theater, they're actually open to joining you in your journey.
Maryum Ali:They can be a, uh, a 65-year-old white lady from the suburbs, but if they're part of the theater, they already have that
Maryum Ali:open mindset. We're gonna go see this play about this black Muslim girl that's interesting. Let's see what she's talking about. You know, let's get, get, let's just lose our minds and go somewhere else to a whole other planet.
Maryum Ali:And I, and I've seen it, you know, I've gone to the Goodman Theater and this is blackness on stage, and the whole audience is white. Yeah. They're like, they wanna lose their selves and go into our black world. And, and I've seen it at the Blues clubs. All the blues clubs. They're white. They want to hear that old Mississippi blues and hear that pain.
Maryum Ali:And so theater is a place where it's open to stories. Mm-hmm. You know, um, hopefully, and that's my journey I'm going on now, seeing how open they are with, with this new piece that I'm doing, this one woman show.
Imam Tariq:So talk to us about Float, uh, your one woman show is that I mentioned before, absolutely phenomenal.
Imam Tariq:Uh, as soon as you announce another date, wherever it's at, uh, folks who are listening, you need to
Imam Tariq:go simple as that. So, but how did this come about for you? What was the process like?
Maryum Ali:I'm gonna go way, way back. I saw Rain Pryor do a one woman show about being black and Jewish. I saw her do it in different iterations of it. I mean, she developed this thing over time. It was excellent and, um, excuse me. And, uh, I said, I'm gonna do that, but it's gonna be a couple decade, decades before I do it, because I love the way she blended her story and her dad's story together.
Maryum Ali:It was very powerful. Mm-hmm. And, uh. It. And, and it was about 20, 30 years later, and, excuse me, I'm sorry. Oh, no worries. Um, what I was gonna do it about initially I couldn't do it about that, I'm not gonna get into that. I had to do it about something else. Okay. And I said, okay. And right after Obama
Maryum Ali:won and he won a second time, and I remember how they were in making fun of Michelle and him and how the racism kind of came out against them and, and the police, the, the, the deaths of black men with the police department and different things.
Maryum Ali:And, and I says, you know. I said I want to do something, and then, and just not hearing stories, going to plays and not seeing any characters that resemble anything I went through, and not as only as Ali's daughter, but just as a black Muslim woman and saying, you know, we are not writing. I don't, I don't see us, you know, um, that story told, and I, and I just, and I wanted to start writing it right before the pandemic, but when the pandemic happened, everyone was just concerned about staying alive.
Maryum Ali:So I didn't have, I didn't feel like it, it wasn't time to do it then I just couldn't focus. And then towards the end of the pandemic, I started writing
Maryum Ali:and I finished writing it in about a year and a half. And, and, and, and I wanted it to be pivotal moments of my life. As just a black woman, a Muslim woman, Muhammad's daughter, just all different pivotal moments in my life that shaped me.
Maryum Ali:And also how he was as a father, because as one of the most documented figures in history, how he is as a dad is just not talked about. He has nine children who he love dearly, love to be around his kids, and, um, that's just never something that you see. Um, but how kind, what kind of father he was despite, you know, the traveling and how busy he was, what, what kind of dad he was like.
Maryum Ali:And so I wanted that to be, 'cause that was very, you know, pivotal for me too, just how he engaged me and Guy helped guide me. So I wanted that to be in it. And so I did a reading
Maryum Ali:in 2022, at the end of 2022 in Los Angeles. I did a stage reading. Some technical stuff in it, but just kind of reading at a podium to test it.
Maryum Ali:And at the end of the reading I told the audience was 60 people in the black box theater. I said, I have some surveys. I want you to anonymously give me your critique of every story. And I had to, you know, I had, the surveys are pretty detailed. I took those, it's rated, scored very high on the first reading, but they did have their critiques and they were honest.
Maryum Ali:And I did a rewrite based on tho those surveys result the survey results. Mm-hmm. And the first time I ever did the full production is when you saw it last month. Wow. Um, and I produced the entire thing myself because, you know, I just wanted to break even. And I did, you know, and broke even. And, uh, you know, the show I, I, I've studied the one person show or the solo play for 20
Maryum Ali:years.
Maryum Ali:I've gone to so many different. Performances and jotted down the do's and the don'ts. What makes this kind of show engaging? What do you want? I want pictures. I want lighting. I want sound effects. I want the emotional music that comes at certain points, um, like they do on television. And I have certain mentors and certain favor plays and, and I have a great director and I just, I studied, you know, where the one person showed to hold your attention?
Maryum Ali:I didn't wanna set,
Maryum Ali:yeah.
Maryum Ali:I saw a lady named Charlene Woodard talk about her life with no furniture, no set, no nothing. And it was so magical. And it was like, what? One of the highest nicest theaters in, in, in Los Angeles, the Mark Taper Forum. Her name is Charlene Woodard. And I saw everything she said with no furniture.
Maryum Ali:And I said, oh my gosh. That's amazing. And also not having a set is great. 'cause when you talk about touring, you don't have to schlep all this stuff with you all over. Right. It's, it's, it's. You know, cost effective.
Maryum Ali:Um, so that's what I wanted to do. And I like, and the stories need to be short. They can't be 20 minutes long.
Maryum Ali:They can't, they have to be boom, boom, boom, boom. That keeps your attention. Um, and I did love the multimedia, I love the pictures and all of that, so I didn't know how it was gonna do. I knew the reading went well, but, and even with that, the, the reaction being much more than I thought, much better than I thought it would be.
Maryum Ali:I, I still have to be humble and say that was an audience of friends and families, associates, colleagues. You know what I'm saying? So there was a wow factor that's not gonna be in Ohio. If I do it there, or in Detroit. Or in Atlanta or Houston. Because the wow factor was, we didn't know Memay could do that, right?
Maryum Ali:So these are all people that know me, but they don't know me as the artist, right? So it was like, oh, so it was that. I'm not gonna have that anywhere else, somewhere else. They're gonna be what we expect you to do. Good. So I have to, now that I did the
Maryum Ali:show one time, I want to keep that development process going and put it at colleges, some HBCUs, some regular colleges, at least six to 10 performances and keep.
Maryum Ali:Developing it and keep, and I have to make sure that there's a high probability that this show will be successful in different cities with different audiences, with people who don't have a personal relationship with me in some way. And it's very similar to the standup process, standup comedy. That's how you test the joke.
Maryum Ali:When you see Chris Rock do a special on Netflix, he did those jokes a hundred times in different cities before he did his Netflix special. So he knows that the probability of those jokes working are nine times outta 10. And that's how you build up a one hour set, a 30 minute set. You have to constantly do that joke, develop it and say, okay, this is a keeper, this joke, I have some jokes that every single time I set 'em, they, they, they, people laugh.
Maryum Ali:It's
Maryum Ali:like the strong ones, you know? So that's what you have to do with, with a play. You have to test it out in different cities. So that's where I'm at right now. I'm. Connecting with colleges and, and, and trying to get this on stage at the colleges and, and, and you, what you wanna do is collaborate with the theater department and work with the students that do lighting and sound and so they have an experience.
Maryum Ali:So the next phase would be a minimum of six colleges. That way I can go to a investor and a promoter and say, Hey, this play has worked multiple times. It has a success pattern of success. It is worth the investment going to this theater and being in this theater for four to six weeks. Right. And you'll get your money back.
Maryum Ali:'cause I've tested it already. So that's where I'm at right now. And the reason why so many people are like, why do you have another show? Because this costs $11,000 and I can't do this again. Right. Um, um, so yeah, people didn't realize it was just the first one. And believe it or not, the
Maryum Ali:show you saw, we didn't go through that whole performance nonstop once because our rehearsal week was a disaster.
Maryum Ali:The equipment wasn't working. We, I was trying to get people to fix it. So what you saw was like a rehearsal. We, we didn't have a real full dress rehearsal until you saw it. Wow. So lot of upon Allah was with us Indeed. But I had been living and breathing that show for three years. Like I've been, like all us, all I've been working on for three years.
Maryum Ali:So yeah, I was, you know, I was just so happy. It was, I got the first one outta my system and, uh, so hopefully the next time you see it, it'll even be better in Shaah. It'll even be better
Imam Tariq:in Shaah. Um, although I had no critiques about it, but I should tell you, I should, I should give you a little bit of background.
Imam Tariq:Well, actually, I think you probably know this, you know, my mother is a theater arts professional. Yes. Yes. So I grew up in community theater. Um, I, and, and because of her, I was spared
Imam Tariq:the, the fear of public speaking. Right. Wonderful. So, um, so anyway, I say all of that to say that when I watch, when I'm watching a play, when I'm watching a movie tele, I'm watching it from a director's point of view.
Imam Tariq:Mm.
Imam Tariq:Okay.
Imam Tariq:And looking at what, what you did, your performance, your use, the multimedia, the way your usage of the, the stage, uh, your voices, you know, your voice and, and then the characters. The characters. Uh, I mean, it was just like, it was just, just checking off boxes. Um, thank you so much. So, so let, let me ask you this.
Imam Tariq:Let me ask you this, because you
Maryum Ali:and I just wanna say my director is Jamal McNeil. Look him up. Shout to shout out. Shout out
Imam Tariq:Jamal McNeil.
Maryum Ali:What you saw, what you saw was him. Mm-hmm. I'm just tell you that right now. He, I give him all the credit. Mm-hmm. All the credit. We were zooming. He was coaching me
Maryum Ali:via Zoom for three years.
Maryum Ali:Really? And all the credit, most of what you saw in the decisions that were made in the aesthetics, it was all Jamal really. And he couldn't even do what he wanted to do. 'cause we were limited technically. Mm-hmm. The technical, it was, it was a great theater, but we, we had limitations. So, um, he's just brilliant that man.
Maryum Ali:Mm.
Imam Tariq:Well, you all did a fabulous job. Tell us a bit about, especially for those who are listening, who, who may think at some point, maybe, maybe not doing something on a, a bigger stage, maybe a smaller stage, uh, but what does it take for you as an artist producing something that is so personal to bring somebody else in and hand over some of that responsibility to them, you know, to a director?
Imam Tariq:What was that process like for you? Mm-hmm.
Maryum Ali:So Jamal, um, in terms of handing it over, me and Jamal have a 20 year friendship,
Maryum Ali:so we, we, you know, I really trusted him. Yeah. Jamal, um, he has, he has his own suc major success in terms of directing people and coaching people, and you could look him up and see what he's done. He's done amazing things. He's coached people to Oscar's nominations and Oscar wins.
Maryum Ali:Wow. Um, so he's, he's brilliant. Um, um, you know, when people do training, and I've had training, I, I didn't graduate from Yale or anything, but I've been in multiple acting classes and had great coaches producing something. You have to, the, the, the process needs you to be focused in on every step of that process fully.
Maryum Ali:And what I mean by that is. For instance, the characters. Mm-hmm. Right. When you're working on your character work, that's just, you work on that character work and you may put hours and
Maryum Ali:hours, hours in the character work without thinking about anything else. Right. When you are working on what music do I select and where the sound effects are gonna come from, see, I don't have, uh, uh, I didn't have a sound director.
Maryum Ali:I had to do everything right. So that took, just finding the sounds and that took a lot of research. It took, I mean, it, I, I probably spent a month by just sounds alone. Maybe more than a month, just that alone. So when you say, what does it take to put things together when you're doing different things?
Maryum Ali:'cause everything has a skill. You, the, your blocking is one thing. Your character work is another thing. Your music is one thing. Whatever you're doing at that time. Yeah, just do that and, and perfect that. Right. And, um, so for those three years, in those three years, I paid a lot of attention and
Maryum Ali:dedicated hard, long hours to every piece of it.
Imam Tariq:Mm-hmm.
Maryum Ali:And don't worry about the end, just do every piece. I really wanted this play done a year and a half ago, but I had responsibilities at home with my grandmother. I had, I didn't, I didn't, I wasn't so hard on myself. I just said every piece, make it pristine, perfected. And that, that's what I tried to do.
Maryum Ali:Um, and that, that's what I would say the process. I'm helping a young lady now in another state put up her show, just giving her tips and sending her some of my templates. And then everyone can't produce, everyone doesn't have that skill to produce. I, I do. 'cause I've put together shows before. Mm-hmm. That is, you know, so ha having a shift between administration and then artists is a whole other thing.
Maryum Ali:But I would just say, and, and I have two mentors, find mentors. You have to have mentors. You have to 'cause you, you, you, the wheel has been invented already. You might be creative and add some
Maryum Ali:stuff to the wheel, but the wheel has been invented. Invented. So study what it is that you're trying to do. I have studied solo performance plays for 20 years now.
Maryum Ali:It doesn't take 20 years, but if you wanna do a show like that, study that genre, and find a mentor. I have two mentors. One's a Muslim, his name is Stogie Kenyata. He's been performing Paul Robeson for 25 years or more. He, he pro, he pro does. One man show is Paul Robeson's. Excellent. He's a mentor. My other mentor is named Don Reed.
Maryum Ali:And if you look Don Reed up, he's done nine solo performances. He's been off Broadway. He's, he has awards, he's unbelievable. And I, and I, and I, you know, Don Reed, if I have a, if I'm lost, I go to Don. Don, how do you do this? You know? Um, that's important. So it's just, it's a lot of parts, moving parts and you have to be very organized and have everything.
Maryum Ali:I have a file for everything. Like I have a music file, I have a, so it's
Maryum Ali:organization, it's preparation, it's dedication, and it's spending time on each piece as a whole in and of itself. And then you go to the next piece. You know what I'm saying? So it just, it's, it's, it's a lot. I mean, I've never worked this hard on anything creative in my life.
Maryum Ali:Doing a one person show is not
Imam Tariq:say it is more than the notion.
Maryum Ali:Woo. I mean, it's, it's cool in a way 'cause you're not dealing with a bunch of people, but it's, it's a lot of work if you wanna do it. Well, yeah. Yeah. So that's what I would say. But any, any, to do anything like I had, I, my sister, one of my sisters, she wrote the most books on my dad.
Maryum Ali:I remember before she started writing. She goes, it's something you told me that's helped me so much. I said, Hannah, do you know how to write a memoir? No. Go get three books on memoirs and study those books before p putting pen to paper. Just study 'em. 'cause you're gonna write a terrible memoir. Memoir is different from novel novels, different from, you know,
Maryum Ali:nonfiction.
Maryum Ali:Yeah. So there's a format, A script format is different from a sitcom format is different from a play format. So study what you want to accomplish before even starting the process. 'cause you're gonna start it wrong, you know? So that, that's what I would say. That would be my advice.
Imam Tariq:Uh, wonderful advice. And I would ask is your observation of the importance of process, because you kind of talked about this before, uh, in terms of, uh, the art form of comedy, you know, putting a set together, being aware of the process and relating this to, uh, to the, to the one person's show.
Imam Tariq:Mm-hmm. Um, is this something that you have come to this conclusion that in order to have excellence in this particular endeavor, I need to have expertise? You know, I need to, you know, I need to immerse myself in all of these areas? Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. Or is this something that you would say is
Imam Tariq:more representative of just how you operate in general?
Imam Tariq:Do you apply this particular kind of observational, uh, awareness just broadly in, in life?
Maryum Ali:Mm hmm. You deep brother? Um, uh, um, I'm, I'm trying to figure it out without, well, yeah, I mean, I, I, I, I definitely think that's a yes you should broadly in life. I mean, you know, what, what is, you know, our, you know what, what do we do in Islam is read.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm.
Maryum Ali:You know, read, you know, you, you need to read. If you wanna do something, well, you should study it and understand it. And, um, even when it comes to self-improvement, um, if you're, you know, if you're finding that you're arguing with a lot of people or you're having it, you need to look to self and say, how am I communicating?
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm. You know how, how,
Maryum Ali:you know, I used to do it. I, I do a communication workshop and there's so many things about communication. It's a, it's a cliche word, but there's so many things about it that people don't understand. And as the eldest sister of many, I would, I would be that, and as a social worker, and I would be that, you know, advice person, but sometime in communication, the, you shouldn't lead with advice.
Maryum Ali:Right. And I had to study that. And then when I started studying it, my relationships became better. 'cause I started studying communication, and then my communication got better. Even though it was something you always have to exercise and remind yourself of, there were things i, I was doing in communicating that I, there was a, there were, there was a turnoff, but I, I didn't understand it till I studied it.
Maryum Ali:So yes, I would say understanding a topic and a subject in at deeper levels will allow you to be more successful with what you're, what you're trying to accomplish. For sure. Mm-hmm. And I think that's why the first performance went as went as well as it did. 'cause I've been kind of deep in study of the one person show for a
Maryum Ali:very long time.
Maryum Ali:And I wasn't worried about the outcome, I was worried about every part of the process.
Imam Tariq:Yeah.
Maryum Ali:So every part of the process I was concerned with, and then it came together. Um, instead of worried about, I want this to be so successful, I want this to be so, no, I, I, I wasn't there. That's not where my mind was at.
Maryum Ali:It was how do I, how do I make little, little things successful? Like when I started writing, I knew I didn't have access to a theater to just do readings all the time. So I collected a group of friends. From white women who are 70 years old to Muslims, to Christians, to, uh, teenagers, all different, all array of people, different religions.
Maryum Ali:And I said, would you be a part of a group where I can call you? I will never have you on the phone longer than 15 minutes where I will read a scene and you treat me like I'm audible. Like I'm, you're listening to a book and
Maryum Ali:you let me know whether you are engaged into the story. Mm-hmm. And so I will call random people, three different people per story, and read the same story to them and get their feedback.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm. And I did that for like two years. Mm. And they, it said, well, I didn't get this, or, oh my God, I was so engaged, or I wanted to hear more, or I didn't understand this, and I would start rewriting. So in that process, I was only concerned with. The feedback of these, these various people. Right. Um, and that's, that's all I was dealing with, was that.
Maryum Ali:So to bring it back around to what you were saying, yeah. You, you should, um, yeah. You, you need feedback, you need mentors, you need to study, you need all of those things. Mm-hmm. Um, and I tend to be like that in general, but I, I, but you know, a lot of times when you're working on a project, you're more dedicated to that project than anything else, you know?
Maryum Ali:Right. Um, yeah. And, and, but I think it's a good lesson to try
Maryum Ali:to be that way. Try to study things and understand folks.
Imam Tariq:Your father Muhammad Ali, uh, forgive me. Sins, grand in paradise. Having a father who was one of the most documented people in, in the world, and the most famous person in the world I know, rated for many years, it was the most, most famous, recognizable person.
Imam Tariq:What did that tell you? About people. Are, are there any things that you picked up throughout that experience that you observed from people?
Maryum Ali:Hmm. Well, huh, this is interesting. What, what stands out to most, I hope this answers the question, my father, what I respect so much about him, and it made me observe people in a certain way based on what I'm about to say about him.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm. He, he, he, it was
Maryum Ali:amazing to me how he treated, read it. People pretty much the same. He didn't judge people on their profession, their money, their looks, their degree, their status, their position. I just watched him. And people were always coming over to the house or always engaging with him. And I never saw him change the way he would treat people based on any type of descriptive characteristic or status.
Maryum Ali:He would just be talking to them in tune with them. And one thing I've heard people say is, you know, when I met your dad, I felt like I was the only person in the room. My father, you, you know, when your dad talked to me, it was like I was special. Like he looked at me, he paid attention to me and I observed that in him.
Maryum Ali:And, um, I think that
Maryum Ali:your best folks, I think we have to be very careful with judging folk based on what we think about them, right. Um, or talking down based on their education level or whatever, like really. Respect folks where they're at, and, and show them that, that they're important no matter what. And I, and I, that's what my father, I, I watched him do that.
Maryum Ali:And, um, I just love that, that, that about him, that characteristic that he had. Um, it was just beautiful. And so when people deal with me or when I see other people dealing with other people, I kind of notice that a lot, you know, in the way people are, you know, I, I don't, you know, I don't try to judge it, but I, I see it because him being as famous as he was, you would think he would have the, you know, he was arrogant in
Maryum Ali:terms of, I'm bad, I'm pretty, and now he's gonna fall around five.
Maryum Ali:But he was marketing, right? But when it came to people walking up to him, he really wanted to show them love and understanding and care. And I just thought that was beautiful, you know? Um. Yeah. So, and then, and then just in terms of my life, I mean, folks will assume things about me 'cause he's so famous and, and people will assume that I'm arrogant when I'm not, you know?
Maryum Ali:Or they'll assume I have money when I don't, or they'll assume, you know, I, I can do certain things when I can't. I mean, people throw all kind of assumptions on me. Yeah. And I'm used to that. Mm-hmm. You know, I'm just used to it. I'm just kind of looking, I'm like, mm. You know what I'm saying? I have, I have beautiful family and friends so that, that, that, that are in my life.
Maryum Ali:So I don't really need folk like that to, to care about me like that. But I can see it. So in answer to your question, um, yeah, being
Maryum Ali:young and watching hundreds of people always, you know, crowds of people gravitating toward him at any, any given time. We can walk down the street. A hundred people will be around him.
Maryum Ali:We can go here, 50 people. And I just kind of was, I was a studier of people. I would just study. And I think that helped me with the acting too. Mm. Because acting is about observation and how you use that observation for your craft. And I would just watch folks, you know, and, um, yeah. So that, I hope that answered your question, but the way he treated people made me kind of observe people in a different way, how they're treating other people, you know?
Imam Tariq:Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Um, yeah. What have you, uh, what have you taken on, as I know you said that, uh, youth were particularly important for you. Uh, and, and I, kind of the bookmark for what you refer to as the, the best time of your life, uh mm-hmm. Are youth, are youth still important for you
Imam Tariq:in the work that you do now?
Imam Tariq:And, um, and even as you, you know, as you've, as you've embarked on, on Float, you know, this 20 year project
Maryum Ali:well. Yes. Uh, I, it, it, it is a different, you know, the impact is a little different. The angle I'm coming from is different. In the past, like I said, I left, I left the, um, nine to five job in 2014, and, uh, I got kind of tired of the politics of the office, you know what I'm saying?
Maryum Ali:I just kind of, that drained me a bit, especially my last position at the mayor's office. Woo. The politics of that place was just, ugh.
Maryum Ali:Yeah.
Maryum Ali:Unbearable. Um, but yeah, I mean, I've, I've enjoyed the past 10 years, like I said. Um, you know, I think last year I was a speaker for the National Association of Social Workers at their conference in dc mm-hmm.
Maryum Ali:Just sharing my stories with people, doing the work, trying to be motivational and inspirational in, in that lane. Um, so that's been really nice for the past,
Maryum Ali:past 10 years, being able to. Speak to and network with and present to people still doing that direct practice. So that, that's been the past 10 years of my life.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm. I actually went to a conference, um, two weeks ago, uh, building Resilient Youth and it was like a, a a, a addiction misuse kind of conference. And I just wanted to be around my folk again. You know, just, I just went to the conference just to know what, what they were doing on the ground now. Mm-hmm. Um, but yeah.
Maryum Ali:But for the past 10 years it's been through public speaking. Okay. Right. Because most of my speeches are not about my dad. Mm-hmm. I may bring him in and the presentation has being an inspiration of my, the doing social services, but, um, it's been in my, in those communities I've always worked in. Mm-hmm.
Maryum Ali:But I, I'm gonna be honest, I knew at around in my fifties I would go back to performing arts. 'cause that's just my love and I had to give that up.
Maryum Ali:Yeah.
Maryum Ali:And I, and I want to, and now I can do it in my way. And I, and I do think. Having,
Maryum Ali:um, and I would say not so much youth, but having female African American and Islamic rep representation in theater, I think it's important.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm. Because I go to theater a lot and I'm seeing the same themes from the same people over and over and over and over again. Yeah. And you just don't have, what does the Muslim woman think? Like Yeah. You know, what did African Americans go through, you know, in the eighties, you know, um, we got the triple thing going for being female Muslim and black and telling those kind of stories in theater is important.
Maryum Ali:Right. And um, and for young people, you saw the play, there are a lot of different messages in it, right? Yeah. But for a woman or anyone to say, Hey. I don't need to succumb to peer peer pressure and get nude and do this. Yes. And I can stay who I am. I don't have to go to that. And if I have to go to that, I need to find another, uh, agenda in life.
Maryum Ali:I need to find another purpose, because that's the dark
Maryum Ali:side. So you don't really get that in theater, right? Mm-hmm. Most theater is about embracing darkness and, and normalizing it. And, you know, you know, the, the whole message is your freedom is in being able to embrace the darkness. That's really the message.
Maryum Ali:Yeah. You know, most entertainment, right? So this is different. And it's saying no, everyone doesn't think like that.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm.
Maryum Ali:Everyone even there are Christians and Jewish people and Catholics who don't think like that,
Maryum Ali:right?
Maryum Ali:And so, um, we shouldn't have to be invisible when telling these narratives in these stories, in these spaces.
Maryum Ali:And I think theater is that space where if you're gonna be able to. Tell those stories, that's the place to do it. Because, you know, there are gatekeepers in TV and film. Yes. You know, they, you know, I mean, you know, it, it is hard getting that story across, you know, in, in those kind. I mean, it's not that you can't, but it's difficult.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm. Um, so, so hopefully that's kind of
Maryum Ali:what, what I'm, I wanna do now is, is tell those stories and, um, and a little, a little selfish, a little selfish side of it is to be able to do my performing arts again. Do something I really enjoy.
Maryum Ali:Yeah.
Maryum Ali:That I kind of gave up. You know, I, and I enjoy, I enjoy it and it's, and I know it's, I'm, I'm doing something where I'm actually, I'm, there's a message in it, and there's lessons in it, and there's another narrative that's different from what's dominant out there.
Imam Tariq:Yeah. Well, and I, and I think one of the pluses for us as viewers, as consumers of the art is that we get a lot of joy out of watching your dedication and the vision. Come to life in the production. So thank you. Keep doing what you're doing. I wanna ask you one more, uh, one more question. Um,
Imam Tariq:mm-hmm.
Imam Tariq:Anyone who has listened, uh, to this conversation up to this point can clearly see you have carved out your own lane, uh, well many lanes, but what does it mean for you being
Imam Tariq:the daughter of Muhammad Ali and also having your, but do you feel a sense of legacy?
Imam Tariq:How do you negotiate that?
Maryum Ali:Yeah, I have always ac accepted the love people have for my dad and how they bring that to me. Mm-hmm. I've always accepted the, um, lack of understanding of who I am because of who he is. I, I get that too. Um, I, I embrace. Telling his stories and, and being his child. And of course I did a play where he's part of it, so I don't, you know, you have a lot of people making money off of my father.
Maryum Ali:You have, there's a TV series coming out about him. There was a Broadway play they were working on. My father's probably made more money for people, not in his family than anybody. Right. Yeah. So I don't reject or run away
Maryum Ali:from. Um, doing projects about my dad. If anything, they should come from his children.
Maryum Ali:We know him better than any, you know, biographer. That's right. Who studied him. And, you know, they, they weren't with us. These people who do these projects and it's nice they keep his legacy alive in one sense, but sometimes they take liberties and change his history too. And they didn't know the essence of his Islamic heart like his children did.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm. So that's not really in the, the script.
Maryum Ali:Mm-hmm.
Maryum Ali:In that kind of way. So, um, I embrace the carrying on that legacy. I think the kids, you know, should never be looked at as people who shouldn't do it. 'cause you have all kind of folks who don't subscribe to his beliefs, who none of that. Um, they're making money and writing scripts on him.
Maryum Ali:So we have to be in that conversation. We have to make, create our own narratives about him. 'cause if we don't, he, he'll end up being something come totally different 20 years from now. That's right. Right. So, so
Maryum Ali:yeah. I, that's important. And, um. And what you said, really, you know, if you think about what you saw in that performance, I'm, I'm getting into that.
Maryum Ali:What did he, what did he want his kids to do? What did he tell them about who they were and how to navigate this America? You know what I'm saying? Mm-hmm. And, um, so that's important. That's important. So yes, I've embraced all of that. And you know, brother, once you hit, you know, 45, 50 years old, you don't care about what people think.
Maryum Ali:No. About, you know, you, you not, it's like, whatever, okay. You just don't care. I'm not in that in my twenties, you know, where I really care about what you think about me and what I'm doing. So, um, yeah, I mean, good question. And, you know, I'll just say a, a a, you know, shameless plug. Um, if anybody wants to know more about the play, this is what's my focus is gonna be.
Maryum Ali:I, I do still have to public speak for, for business reason for right now. So I can do the play full, full out, full time. But
Maryum Ali:maryam ali.com go to my website and I'm going to. Keep up there, what I'm doing with it. And then if you're a part of a university that wants to bring me in mm-hmm. And, uh, you have a theater department and you're watching this go to my website, I'm, I'm kind of representing myself right now because I've heard horror stories about agents that you don't know well, and I don't, um, I, I don't have a relationship with any agents I trust at this point.
Maryum Ali:I will eventually. Mm-hmm. But I wanna make sure it's represented the way I would represent it as a black Muslim woman. Mm-hmm. And, um, when I find someone I can trust. You know, then I'll, I'll get an agent then, but right now I'm still in kind of in development and the money's not gonna be big at colleges, so I don't need agents to be taking percentages right now.
Maryum Ali:So right now I'm in, because I, I know my, I know how to do things administratively and represent myself well, business wise. So right now I'm gonna kind of keep ownership over it, ownership over it right
Maryum Ali:now. Right. So just contact me through my website and, uh, if you, I'm not doing theaters yet. Mm-hmm. So, and I'm not doing, you know, conferences and fundraisers and anything like that I have to do, uh, I'm doing theaters that are a part of universities or colleges.
Maryum Ali:So that's what I'm sticking to right now. Yeah.
Imam Tariq:Well, I, I have to make sure I, I have to share this with you, uh, as we prepare to close out. Um, so I have two stories. Matter of fact, one of the episodes of this podcast was. Dedicated a portion of it. I dedicated to this particular memory to sharing a bit of my, my story.
Imam Tariq:Mm. And I say Muhammad Ali picked me up twice now. The first time, the first time he picked me up was on 70, 73rd and Stony.
Maryum Ali:He remembers the cross streets. Well,
Imam Tariq:you know, it was at the Mechi. It was at the Mechi.
Maryum Ali:That's beautiful. And I was about, that's beautiful. I was about eight
Imam Tariq:years old. And he saw me.
Imam Tariq:And, uh, I, he picked
Imam Tariq:me up a couple of times there, but I remember him picking me up. He would hold me Mm. And, uh, put me down. And, uh, and then the second time, I say metaphorically. So I'm in, uh, I'm a student in Bay and Islamic graduate school in the, uh, doctoral, uh, program. And I'm a, and I also completed my Master's of Divinity there as a Muhammad Ali mm-hmm.
Imam Tariq:Scholarship recipient.
Imam Tariq:Beautiful. So
Imam Tariq:I say he physically picked me up as a child, and then metaphorically. Oh, that's so beautiful. You know, uh, being able to complete. My, uh, master's degree and now just about done with this, uh, doctoral program, so
Maryum Ali:that's nice. How old were you when he picked you up? I was about eight physically.
Maryum Ali:I was, yeah,
Imam Tariq:about
Maryum Ali:seven, eight years old. Oh, he loved picking kids up. Yeah. Oh man. I was on
Imam Tariq:top of the world and just like, just like you said, people and everybody felt this. And that's, that's the mark of a truly, um, genuine person is that when they make you feel like you are special, when they make you feel like you're the only person.
Imam Tariq:Yeah. All of
Imam Tariq:these people around. Yeah. And here I am just, you know, sitting up there. Yep,
Maryum Ali:yep.
Imam Tariq:So alah me, me, I reward him. That's
Maryum Ali:beautiful, beautiful story. I love that.
Imam Tariq:Yeah. And, uh, and may I continue to reward you and facilitate, uh, your success and open up the path for you to continue doing the work that you love doing.
Imam Tariq:Um,
Maryum Ali:thank you so much. So, and I have to go back in time and catch more of these interviews I have to catch. Yeah. Yeah. These, this is really beautiful platform. I love this.
Imam Tariq:Thank you so much.
Maryum Ali:Yes. All right. Thank you all sala, Kimberly, and my salon.
Imam Tariq:Alright, family, we thank you all for joining us. Our guest has been Ali activist.
Imam Tariq:Uh, artist, uh, created, uh, youth advocate. And, uh, we invite you to listen to our previous, uh, conversations, uh, American Muslim Podcast, wherever you get your podcast, uh, and uh, to continue to support the work of Bay Islamic Graduate School. To go to bayan online.org. You can
Imam Tariq:contribute to the Muhammad Ali Scholarship and you can also join our community of learners.
Imam Tariq:We have 32 classes that are available for your perusal at your pace, right from your fall, $10 a month. Okay? That's all I have. And in Shawah we'll join you or you'll join us again next week. I'm your host, K and I leave you as I agree with you, made the peace that only God.
