Peace, I’m Zainab.
I build things.
- Systems.
- Stories.
- Campaigns.
- Experiences.
- Participation.
And sometimes, I build something that doesn’t have a name yet.
I turn ideas into strategies, systems, stories, and experiences that move people.
Some things I’ve built.
Ideas are only interesting to me once they start becoming real.
Sapelo Square
Deep scholarship on Black Muslim history existed — no system connected it to everyday, shareable content.
180
participants · 90 democracy organizations statewide
Blueprint NC — Midterm Convergence
Reusable infrastructure for a statewide convening ahead of the midterms.
$1M+
in City of Raleigh investment secured
Emancipate NC
Raleigh had no alternative-response option for mental health crises.
200+
Muslim women brought together
Inter-generational Eid Fashion Show
A counter-narrative space uplifting Muslim women's visibility and dignity.
Raleigh Youth Power
A YAP! experiment in making local civic life relevant to young people.
Give Zainab an idea.
Whatever it is — half-formed, messy, stuck in a Google Doc. Tell me what you’re actually trying to figure out.
Maybe the work is fine and the explanation of it isn’t.
Before a system or a campaign, there’s a story that has to be right. Here’s how that shows up when I’m in the room.
Sapelo Square (Consulting) · 2026
Sapelo Square
A brand and content system rooted in Black Muslim history and lived experience.
Umi's Archive (Founder: Su'ad Abdul Khabeer) · May–November 2021
Umi's Archive
Project management and systems design behind a six-part multimedia exhibition on one woman's life.
6 — person team managed through the product launch
See the full case study →Before adding another tool, find where it’s actually breaking.
A good idea drowning in twelve spreadsheets is still a good idea. It just needs different plumbing.
Emancipate NC · 2023–2024
Emancipate NC
Raleigh's first alternative crisis response program — city partnership, community mental health.
$1M+ — in public investment secured
See the full case study →Blueprint NC · 2025–present
Blueprint NC — Midterm Convergence
Reusable event infrastructure for a statewide convening that prepared 90 democracy organizations for the midterms.
180 — participants at one statewide convening
See the full case study →A room people actually want to be in is a strategy, not a vibe.
When the goal is bringing people together, the plan has to earn that — belonging doesn’t happen by accident.
Founder & Lead Organizer · 2025–present
Inter-generational Eid Fashion Show
A community experience celebrating Muslim women through culture, storytelling, and sisterhood.
200+ — Muslim women engaged
See the full case study →The Light House Project · Ongoing
The Light House Project
Narrative-driven campaigns and community storytelling centered on faith, identity, and belonging.
$100K+ — raised for community programming
See the full case study →YAP! — An Experiment in Civic Participation
How can technology, culture, entertainment, and storytelling make local civic life relevant to young people?
YAP! keeps its own identity — a civic innovation lab I co-founded, home to experiments like Raleigh Youth Power.
Explore YAP! →None of this is the point on its own. It’s what moved because of it.
$1M+
in public investment secured (Emancipate NC)
200+
Muslim women engaged (Eid Fashion Show)
200%+
digital engagement growth (Umi's Archive)
$100K+
raised for community programming (The Light House Project)
I’ve spent the last decade building across politics, policy, community, technology, and storytelling. The throughline: I build things that help people participate.
MPA, UNC-Chapel Hill · B.A. Psychology, NC State · Innovation & Entrepreneurship Certificate, Harvard University
Learn more →Give me something messy.
An idea that's been sitting in a Google Doc.
A campaign nobody knows how to launch.
A program with twelve spreadsheets and no system.
A story you know matters but don't know how to tell.
A convening everyone agreed to host and nobody knows how to pull off.