Tasleem Jamila Firdausee
Tasleem Jamila Firdausee is an interdisciplinary scholar, multidisciplinary artist, and holistic health expert whose work bridges religion, spirituality, art, gender, race, healing, and transnationalism. Her latest project uses a griot-style storytelling approach, blending narrative, social science, and poetic inquiry to explore the lived experiences of Black American Sufi women at the intersections of race, gender, class, and spiritual healing.
A trained scholar of world religions, cultures, and sociology, Dr. Tasleem is a sought-after speaker on Black Religion, Sufism, West African Sufi traditions, Black Muslim women leaders, sacred art, and holistic healing. She is the CEO of the My Soul Speaks Institute, which curates courses, international retreats, and events rooted in her Black southern, Islamic, and African heritage. She also founded the Art as Sacred Initiative, a platform highlighting the metaphysical journey of artists.
Dr. Tasleem is the author of three books—From Mississippi Clay to African Skies in Search of Sacred Presence (poetry), Black Baptist Muslim Mystic: From the Cosmos (poetry), and The Women’s Guide to Holistic Healing—as well as the play Portals Open. Her work merges scholarship and art to amplify marginalized narratives.
Dr. Tasleem’s keynotes, workshops, and performances have been featured at venues such as The Kennedy Center, Harvard, Columbia, University of Michigan, and University of Chicago, and internationally in Ghana, Senegal, Canada, England, and Malaysia. She is known for innovative healing and empowerment events like the Supreme Self Love Project and I Am a Queen, which weave together performance, meditation, dhikr, sound baths, and installations. Her documentary film My Journey Home chronicles her first trip to Ghana and premiered at the Black Arts Cultural Center in Michigan.
Her poetry has been commissioned by organizations such as the Cancer Society of Chicago and the Peace in the Streets Campaign, and her work has been featured on ABC News, NPR, BBC, the Chicago Tribune, and in numerous anthologies, music, and film collaborations. She has also hosted holistic retreats and major cultural events nationally and abroad.
Dr. Tasleem holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a focus on Black women and healing, Sufism, Black Muslims in the U.S., decolonization, and religion in the African Diaspora. She also holds a master’s degree in Spirituality, Culture, and Health, along with certifications in yoga, energy therapy, meditation, and sound healing.
