‘In Focus’ – An Interview with Khayriyyah MuhammadSmith
Khayriyyah MuhammadSmith (she/her) is a passionate advocate for gender equity with over 12 years of experience working in the non-profit and philanthropy sectors.
She has worked with foundations, grassroots organizations, NGOs, and other social impact organizations across the globe on empowering youth and young women through education and other opportunities. In addition to her professional experience, Khayriyyah is a graduate of Goldsmiths, University of London, where she earned her MA in Human Rights, Culture, and Social Justice. There, her research focused on girls’ education and the cross-cultural exchange between girls in the global North and South.
Currently, Khayriyyah is an Associate Program Officer with a focus on reproductive, maternal, and newborn health at the ELMA Philanthropies Services (U.S.). Khayriyyah strives to consider how gender inequality may affect policies and what can be done to improve outcomes for women and girls. She hopes to continue working in the social impact space to share her funder knowledge with girl-focused organizations based in the global South.
Khayriyyah MuhammadSmith | Associate
Program Officer, Gender Equity Advocate
“I like to think that my role in this work is to serve as a reminder to those working on these issues that girls need to be brought into all stages of the programming and policy process. I’m a strong believer in the concept nothing for us without us.”
Tell us about yourself and your work.
I’ve always questioned why I have the access to the things and information (or ability to obtain that information) I’ve needed to make constructive decisions throughout my life. Especially as I’ve met many people who have amazing talent, gifts, and visions, but lack the access or opportunity to act on them. This feeling has fueled my desire to make sure that people have access to the information and things that they need to make the best decisions possible – especially girls and women of color across the world.
I stumbled into the world of philanthropy as a high school student, and it has become a big part of my life. Philanthropy at its core is the giving of your time, talent, or treasure, and when done intentionally and through a trust-based model at the institutional level, there are opportunities to shift access and resources to those who need them. In addition to philanthropy, I have always been passionate about serving as an advocate for adolescent girls and have a research background in adolescent girls’ education and sexual reproductive health. I like to think that my role in this work is to serve as a reminder to those working on these issues that girls need to be brought into all stages of the programming and policy process. I’m a strong believer in the concept “nothing for us without us”.
Institutional philanthropy is an interesting world to navigate as a young woman of color, but I have been able to find opportunities to support talented people doing amazing and necessary work. I currently work as an Associate Program Officer with a focus on Global Health at ELMA Philanthropies Services (U.S.) where I support funding recommendations for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa.
I am also the host and producer of a podcast called Bring Your Own Chair, which serves as a space for young women of color to share their journeys, be the experts on their own stories, and share their voices with the world. Lastly, I write for Girls’ Globe, a digital media & learning platform for changemakers worldwide.
Hosting a session on Cross-Cultural Exchange in Girls' Education at the She's the First Annual Summit in 2018.
What challenges or barriers have you faced in your industry as a woman of colour?
As a young Black woman, it has been difficult to move through the nonprofit and philanthropic realms at times especially when you take into account the genesis and history of institutional philanthropy. Ultimately, the goal would be to not need these institutions as vessels to meet people’s basic needs and it can be difficult to push these fields into truly transformative and inclusive programming and funding approaches.
“Racism, sexism, and ageism have shown up in both overt and subtle ways throughout my career and I have felt the need to work extremely hard to be taken as seriously as other colleagues.”
Additionally, racism, sexism, and ageism have shown up in both overt and subtle ways throughout my career and I have felt the need to work extremely hard to be taken as seriously as other colleagues. Institutional philanthropy is often run by older white men with white women as program staff. So to step into the space as a young Black woman, there have been times where I have felt that my knowledge or expertise (for which I was supposedly hired) is questioned more or doesn't hold the same weight as other colleagues. In order to combat this, I find myself bringing forward my suggestions or recommendations with an overabundance of evidence and support for them to even be considered or listened to by senior leaders.
What are some strategies and approaches you use to cope with these challenges?
Building a supportive community has been extremely helpful for me. I’ve put a lot of time and effort into connecting with other women of color, and specifically Black women in the nonprofit and philanthropy sectors, and have learned so much from my peers and senior colleagues. It can be helpful to know you aren’t the only one experiencing the workplace in a certain way and discuss how to navigate it. My community also includes a lot of allies who have lifted me up and into spaces, I didn’t have access to on my own.
I also try to make space for joy within and outside of my work. It can be difficult working on these huge societal issues and I’ve found it important to intentionally celebrate the small wins because you can often see how they impact individual people. Additionally, it’s important to remember that I am so much more than the work I do. I have hobbies, relationships, and other passions that contribute to making me who I am and I try to spend time nurturing those parts of myself as well.
“ It can be helpful to know you aren’t the only one experiencing the workplace in a certain way and discuss how to navigate it.”
Participating in a Solidarity Share during MCC15 at the United Nations.
What advice would you give to younger women of colour in your industry?
Building a community is so important in the nonprofit and philanthropy sectors. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to people who you admire, want to engage in a knowledge share with, or just find interesting.
As difficult as this can be, try not to take judgment or criticism personally. 11 times out of 10, I am sure you are going above and beyond in your work and there are still these layers of racism and sexism at play.
As a young professional, there can be a tendency to seek out mentorship as it is such a valuable part of growth. But remember that you have value to add to these relationships as well. I have been told by senior colleagues that it’s always nice when networking can happen in a reciprocal sense as opposed to a one-way exchange.
When you need a break, take the break. Even if it’s taking time for a mental health day, don’t neglect rest because the issues and problems you are working on will most likely still be there after your break; you do yourself and your work a disservice when you don’t take care of yourself. This is much easier to say than to do, but creating the space for rest is really important.
“As a young professional, there can be a tendency to seek out mentorship as it is such a valuable part of growth. But remember that you have value to add in these relationships as well.”
How do you see the future of workplaces for women of colour?
I choose to be optimistic about the future of workplaces for women of color especially with entities like Thousand&One creating space for us to convene and dream. From my time as a professional, I do think there have been more conversations across industries about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
But I do think there can be more done to move from conversations to practices and what we can do to restructure our workplaces to be more inclusive, equitable, and diverse. There can be a tendency to try and do new things within an existing oppressive system and for more equitable workplaces to truly exist, there needs to be a relinquishing of power, transparency – especially around compensation, and willingness to truly approach workplace practices in new ways.