Shelby x Sameen Affaf
Sameen is a Pakistani Muslim woman, writer, sociologist, abolitionist, educator, spiritual activist, and radical empath living in the US. Her work is focused primarily on liberatory and revolutionary consciousness, decolonization, and the centering of the experiences, (un)learning, wellbeing, and joy of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. She has an HBA specializing in Crime, Law, and Deviance, and majoring in political science, and completed her MA in sociology in 2012 with a focus on punishment and the carceral state with a particular interest in racial justice. After completing her BEd she went on to teach at the high school level in order to reach students of color most often disenfranchised and marginalized by the school system, and now continues to emphasize the need for political education through her work outside the classroom.
Q1. Your writing really moves readers from a sense of fear that can be attached to the word revolution, to understanding, not only its necessity, but also its power for care, community and our collective progression. What’s been your journey to this understanding?
Oh wow, yes. For me recognition of the power of revolution came after first realizing the need for it. I was privileged to have had an education that was really instrumental in providing me with the critical lenses for questioning the ways we do things and the injustices and inequities of power that persist because of these choices. And as a woman of color I’ve always been aware of these, but this education allowed for me to situate personal experiences within broader systemic frameworks. It is so necessary for each of us to continue to learn our own history and relationship to colonization in making sense of why we allow for the suffering of others to continue and even contribute to it. My cultural and spiritual values have always been rooted in community and care, and our role and responsibility as individuals within and to the collective. But it’s taken ongoing, conscious engagement in the process of reclaiming these for me to remember that this way is not the only way. That we know of ways that prioritize the values of care and togetherness. Revolution comes with our remembering and realizing the possibility that lies in our power, and that there is power in possibility.
Q2. Text features heavily in your work, could you talk a little about this?
I have been trying to increase my own consciousness and awareness around how I choose to show up more meaningfully in the world, and what has felt most authentic and needed during this time is to do so through my writing. So the experiences and thoughts shared through these words are themselves the work and have been my primary means of expression. Text allows for me a directness, an incisiveness, and vulnerability that feels honest and cathartic. I am not experienced in graphic design by any means, but to make my writing accessible through a medium that is primarily visual has been such a joy for me. To be intentional in my self-expression- my word choice, its placement, use of color- is incredibly empowering. And if each piece can serve for others as it does for me- as a possible portal, an invitation to thinking about the world through an (un)familiar lens, to prompt introspection and awareness, to encourage thoughtful action, interaction, and being- then I am beyond humbled and grateful for the ability to share it.
Q3. You mention spiritual activism. How do you understand the need for care within radical political work?
Communal care must be at the very core of radical political work. It is its very purpose. There must be a deep recognition, reflection, and reckoning of our interconnectedness with one another and all living kin, of the ways that we have been harmed and cause harm in turn. That which is political is only to serve the ways that we live with one another, in ways that honor one another. And this requires unconditional care. Communal care can take many forms, but it requires the dissolution of artificial boundaries and the showing up for one another according to each other’s needs. This is what spiritual activism entails. It requires a deep, radical empathy that moves us from thinking of the self as independent from all others, to a feeling for others that necessarily implicates the self in their wellbeing. It is a deep knowing that when one is harmed, all are harmed, and that healing is a collective responsibility.
Q4. What do you think are some of the benefits of social media and some of the pitfalls?
I have such a fickle relationship with social media haha, and you’ll probably see me taking breaks frequently from online spaces when I recognize that my mental health would benefit from some distance. Virtual spaces also involve an exchange of energy- that which you put out, and that which you consume either consciously or unconsciously will have you feeling either renewed or depleted. And so being mindful of my consumption has been important for my wellbeing, especially as I am sensitive to the energies of others and give so much of myself when present. But the ability to connect with people with whom I would not be able to otherwise is such a gift! To (un)learn from and with others in this space, especially other BIPOC and women in particular, is itself revolutionary. The exposure to perspectives, voices, and experiences most marginalized in traditional spaces is so necessary, and while there is no doubt gate-keeping involved, there is much more room for those of us traditionally othered to show up. To be able to share these and have the messages received by those meant to receive them, is such a blessing. However in a capitalist system where absolutely everything is commodified, we are constantly encouraged to fall into the trappings of creating for reasons other than for the work itself. Competition, comparison, vanity metrics, and algorithms designed to enhance these- social media is intentionally designed to distract and detract. And so being very clear about what your purpose for being in this space is, and why, is so important. What is it that you want to share? What is your honest intention for doing so? I work very hard to ensure I check myself daily. The quality and authenticity of my work and its purpose must always be at the center of what I do. Playing by social media rules is not for me.
Q5. How do you use your platform to raise people’s consciousness of the need for decolonization?
It is important to recognize that decolonization is not a metaphor. And so much of our current condition has stemmed from our being unconscious of its need and of the harms a history of colonization and continued coloniality creates. And so the only way I can even endeavor to encourage a liberatory or revolutionary consciousness and our need to decolonize, is through my own centering of Black liberation and Indigenous sovereignty and the ways that my choices reflect my understanding and need for a world which prioritizes these realities. Political education, remembering, and reclaiming are key to our unlearning our internalized oppression, and so I share my own reflections as I too undergo this process in the hopes that others may do so with me and bear witness themselves.
Q6. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
I truly believe that collaboration is necessary not only for our survival, but the creation of the world we envision and which we know we deserve. Communal solidarity and organization harnesses an unmatched power for the deconstruction of oppressive systems and the imagining and creation of just and equitable ones. And so I am open to all opportunities to do so with anyone, particularly BIPOC, whose work aligns and resonates with my own. There are so many incredibly talented, creative, wise, dedicated, and giving souls, who are doing such important work in whatever capacity they can and feel called to do so, and if our collaboration allows for us to move closer in the direction of collective liberation, then I am all for it! It’s an honor for me to even be called on to be part of this effort.
Q7. Where can people find/buy/commission more of your work?
I share much of my work on my Instagram account @sameen.affaf, and can be reached there as well or by email at sameen.affaf@gmail.com for commissions or inquiries regarding collaborations. I am currently working on a compilation of my poetry, and a podcast, which I will be announcing on my platform as well! Don’t hesitate to reach out - I am always happy to connect!
