Haleema is a public servant driven by her commitment to the collective liberation of all people. Following the teachings of the Quran which says “stand firm in justice even against yourself and your parents,” Haleema speaks truth to power, practices freedom, and decolonizes her mind. Haleema is the Advocacy Manager at Alliance for Girls where she works with alliance members to mobilize for a girls policy agenda to elevate the needs of girls and girls organizations.

She believes in the power of people to make a positive change and facilitates equity-focused workshops for advocates on topics including bystander intervention, Islamophobia, racial equity, and gender justice and has trained over 500 people. Haleema is also a Board Member on the Muslim Democrats PAC of Alameda County that civically engages the Muslim community and holds public officials accountable.

Haleema studied Sociology at Seattle University, where she founded the Gender Justice Center, a student-led community center serving gender non-conforming, trans*, and female-identifying students, which provided trauma-informed healing circles, access to lactation facilities, non-binary sex education, and a free community food and hygiene pantry. Her work was featured in the Seattle Times #UsToo highlighting the voices of Muslim women of color. Her views have been shared in Teen Vogue, and The Evergray and other media outlets.