PERSON: Najee Ali

Project Islamic H.O.P.E. (Helping Oppressed People Everywhere)

Founder

Born in Gart, Indiana, Najee Ali moved to South Central Los Angeles at the age of 11 and had lived most of his childhood in poverty. His life’s struggles inspired him to dedicate himself in the servitude of the less fortunate, leading him to create Project Islamic H.O.P.E. (Helping Oppressed People Everywhere). Project HOPE is a national civil rights organization based in South Los Angeles catering to many social justice initiatives including serving meals to the homeless, establishing gang truces, organizing rallies, protests and teach-ins to address the many issues affecting minorities in the communities, including their negative portrayals in Hollywood and mainstream media.

Some of the notable work and achievements of Project HOPE was helping the passage of legislation for Sherrice’s law, named after a slain African American child, Sherrice Iverson. This law legally mandates witnesses of child abuse to report to authorities in order to prevent more child abuse and molestation. More recently, Najee Ali’s Project HOPE initiated and co-sponsored the inaugural ‘Muslim Heritage Month’ celebration in the City of Los Angeles in July 2014, honoring local Muslim leaders and activists for their contributions to the city and communities at large. Najee Ali approached LA councilmembers to introduce a resolution recognizing July as Muslim Heritage Month in LA which became a reality once the representatives officially sponsored the resolution honoring Muslims and recognizing their contributions to the greater LA community.

Najee Ali’s commitment to social change has been recognized by many news outlets and renowned figures. In 2013, Wave Publications selected him as the “Most Influential African American leader in Los Angeles”. “Ali has established himself as one of the nation’s top young leaders who is always on the front lines.” – Rev. Al Sharpton

— CAIR Los Angeles