The Power of Imagination: 2024 in Review

Posted By The Pillars Team  /   December 18, 2024

Faith and imagination are inextricably linked. Both require us to envision possibilities beyond what we can immediately see or understand. It can be hard to tap into the power of imagination in times of upheaval and uncertainty, but this is when creative thinking is needed the most. As we reflect on 2024—a year that has required wells of faith and imagination—we are filled with gratitude for all of the Muslim civic and creative leaders who inspire us to keep believing. 

Join us as we look back on just a few of the incredible highlights from the Pillars community this year.

Amplifying Courageous, Creative Muslim Leadership

Leadership took on many forms among Pillars grantee partners and fellows in 2024, but the common thread was their willingness to take lessons from our histories to imagine our shared future.

• Pillars equipped Muslim youth and campus leaders as they made headlines, boldly challenging power and advancing justice. These changemakers promoted free speech, academic freedom and racial equity as they stood in solidarity with Palestinians under siege and activists around the globe. Pillars mobilized essential resources to protect and elevate their leadership as part of our broader grant distribution of nearly $3 million—powered by our community of Muslim philanthropists—to support legal aid, strategic research, compelling media campaigns, and critical mental health support. These leaders are not just responding to the moment—they’re building on a powerful legacy of global youth activism, challenging us all to reimagine what’s possible. 
• The Pillars Artist Fellowship welcomed 10 new Muslim filmmakers. In partnership with Riz Ahmed and his production company, Left Handed Films, we launched the second cohort of this signature initiative, sponsored by Netflix and Amazon MGM Studios. Each fellow receives an unrestricted $25,000 grant, mentorship and three all-inclusive learning retreats as they sharpen their skills as writers and directors. Reflecting on the Fall retreat in New York, fellow Nuhash Humayun said, “It feels great to understand more about our collective history and the legacy and to feel like a part of something bigger.” Video: Meet the Fellows
• We celebrated a groundbreaking documentary series on American Muslims as it reached more than 1 million viewers. This year, we proudly witnessed the launch of American Muslims: A History Revealed, on PBS digital platforms. This project, which Pillars first supported in its early research and development phase in 2019, spotlights everyday stories of individual Muslims to weave a larger narrative about how our communities came to be on this land. Notably, two executive producers—Zaheer Ali and Dr. Maytha Alhassen—are alumni of our Muslim Narrative Change Fellowship and used its frameworks to bring these critical, often-overlooked stories to light. “This is not a story about how Muslims became American,” Zaheer shared. “This is a story about how America is becoming and the role that Muslims play, alongside many other people, in that transformative process of this nation becoming what it is.” Watch Now 
• Across 2024, we gathered more than 750 people through a range of in-person events, large and small, designed not only to connect Muslim leaders, but also to process, align, collaborate and move together. As we continued to seek out light, we were reminded of the Qur’anic instruction to embrace our diversity and “know one another.” This timeless and universal guidance has anchored our work this year as we brought together visionary partners rooted in shared purpose. Pillars is committed to building bonds that celebrate who we are and strengthen our capacity to create lasting social change.

Each of these examples of leadership, community building, and resource mobilization illustrates what happens when the power of collective imagination turns to action.Thank you for being on this journey with us. 

With gratitude and hope,

The Pillars Team

P.S. If you’re as inspired by these leaders as we are, we hope you’ll take a moment to share their stories, support their work, and stay connected to be among the first to hear what’s ahead in 2025.