FATIMAH ALI – ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE DIES AT 56
Fatimah Ali, one of the strongest advocates for social justice, was a great journalist,a brilliant radio talk show host, a compassionate and loyal supporter of One Step Away and a dear friend. She passed away on Monday, Jan. 23, peacefully asleep in her home in North Philadelphia.
I first met Fatimah Ali as a faithful listener of her radio talk show on WHAT more than a decade ago. She was always a calm, intelligent, insightful host who “kept it real” and made you think, not just about the problems in the world, but also about the solutions and what we could do to resolve the problems.
Her remarkable career began in 1981. She excelled in all fields of media. Besides being a talk show host, she was a veteran journalist, her opinion column for the Phila. Daily News provided a provocative and “a thoughtful voice in the mix of our editorial contributors”, Sandra Shea, Daily News editorial-page editor remarked.
Fatimah joined One Step Away in 2010 as the first Development Manager. The issues of homelessness, hunger and poverty have always been a priority for her.
I had the privilege to work on an article jointly with Fatimah and learned so much from the experience. It began with an over-the-phone interview with author Liz Murray detailing her inspiring life overcoming obstacles as she came from “homelessness to Harvard” and Liz Murray had just written her autobiography.
I was nervous about this phone interview since I had never conducted one before. I was grateful and amazed at how relaxed and professional Fatimah Ali, not only made the author feel but also myself. The interview was a great experience and the resulting article we both wrote was a pleasure. (see One Step Away, October 2010)
Her time with One Step Away was, unfortunately, brief but she became a true friend and mentor to both OSA reporter Leslie Miles and myself. She always promoted OSA at various community events. She frequently invited us on her show to highlight OSA articles and encouraged listeners to buy and support the paper faithfully.
Fatimah Ali was most recently host of the daily “The Real Deal with Fatimah Ali” , heard 10 to 12am on WURD-AM.
Sara Lomax Reese, president and general manager of WURD commented in a recent Philadelphia Tribune piece: “She (Fatimah) was an advocate of prisoners and incarcerated men and women and she just spoke truth to power and that was really her legacy of not being intimidated and not backing down to anyone l of their title or position. She was just a real, outspoken advocate for people who didn’t have a voice.”
Fatimah described herself as a “God-loving mother of 5 and a grandmother. I’m a journalist, a radiohead, who loves her family, her roots, people, art, food, news and information, and culture.”
Rest in peace Fatimah Ali. We miss you dearly. We respect you and we love you for you and for all you did to help people. We are committed to carry on your legacy of dedicated journalism for all those that need a voice.
All of us at One Step Away send heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.
posted by Leslie Miles and Erik Younge
I first met Fatimah Ali as a faithful listener of her radio talk show on WHAT more than a decade ago. She was always a calm, intelligent, insightful host who “kept it real” and made you think, not just about the problems in the world, but also about the solutions and what we could do to resolve the problems.
Her remarkable career began in 1981. She excelled in all fields of media. Besides being a talk show host, she was a veteran journalist, her opinion column for the Phila. Daily News provided a provocative and “a thoughtful voice in the mix of our editorial contributors”, Sandra Shea, Daily News editorial-page editor remarked.
Fatimah joined One Step Away in 2010 as the first Development Manager. The issues of homelessness, hunger and poverty have always been a priority for her.
I had the privilege to work on an article jointly with Fatimah and learned so much from the experience. It began with an over-the-phone interview with author Liz Murray detailing her inspiring life overcoming obstacles as she came from “homelessness to Harvard” and Liz Murray had just written her autobiography.
I was nervous about this phone interview since I had never conducted one before. I was grateful and amazed at how relaxed and professional Fatimah Ali, not only made the author feel but also myself. The interview was a great experience and the resulting article we both wrote was a pleasure. (see One Step Away, October 2010)
Her time with One Step Away was, unfortunately, brief but she became a true friend and mentor to both OSA reporter Leslie Miles and myself. She always promoted OSA at various community events. She frequently invited us on her show to highlight OSA articles and encouraged listeners to buy and support the paper faithfully.
Fatimah Ali was most recently host of the daily “The Real Deal with Fatimah Ali” , heard 10 to 12am on WURD-AM.
Sara Lomax Reese, president and general manager of WURD commented in a recent Philadelphia Tribune piece: “She (Fatimah) was an advocate of prisoners and incarcerated men and women and she just spoke truth to power and that was really her legacy of not being intimidated and not backing down to anyone l of their title or position. She was just a real, outspoken advocate for people who didn’t have a voice.”
Fatimah described herself as a “God-loving mother of 5 and a grandmother. I’m a journalist, a radiohead, who loves her family, her roots, people, art, food, news and information, and culture.”
Rest in peace Fatimah Ali. We miss you dearly. We respect you and we love you for you and for all you did to help people. We are committed to carry on your legacy of dedicated journalism for all those that need a voice.
All of us at One Step Away send heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.
posted by Leslie Miles and Erik Younge
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