Najma Sharif is a journalist, culture writer, public speaker, and strategist from Minnesota.

Her work has appeared in leading publications worldwide, including GQ Middle East, Patta Magazine, NBC, Highsnobiety, Paper, Nylon, Teen Vogue, Vibe, Vice, Sole DXB, OkayAfrica/Player, InStyle, and Cultured Mag. Her writing has been read by millions across the globe.

Najma Sharif has interviewed the likes of Solange Knowles, Quinta Brunson, Ramy Youseff, Alisha Boe, Noname, Aminé, Warsan Shire, and Marsai Martin, among others.

Beyond journalism, Sharif is a sought-after strategist, working on narrative development with artists at Roc Nation and working on social media and content strategy for brands like Pinterest, Clinique, Paramount, Sephora, and Audible.

Sharif has also consulted on major cultural exhibitions, including Contemporary Muslim Fashions (de Young Museum, San Francisco Fine Arts Museums, Museum Angewandte Kunst, and Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum), The exhibition was the 2020 winner of Richard Martin Award, from the Costume Society of America and 2018 Enhancing Understanding Award, from Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Sharif has spoken on panels for Simon & Schuster and Slow Factory and has given talks at Tufts University, Wesleyan University, the University of Toronto, and Grand Valley State University. Her work has been quoted in books and included in university curricula..

Sharif runs a newsletter called Inconvenient Taste and is currently represented by Fuse Literary.

Najma Sharif is available for work. For inquiries, please contact her in the link above!

Selected Works

FULL PORTFOLIO AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Read Me

PROFILES , INTERVIEWS AND COVERS

American Gurl: home — land - Clash Magazine featuring Kilo Kish and Solange

Finally, Wafia Feels Free - GQ Middle East

Quinta talks Representation and World Domination - Soho House Magazine

Media Muslims, and Movements Noor Tagouri - AMAKA STUDIO

POET WARSAN SHIRE ON WRITING TO REBEL- NET- A-PORTER

Alisha Boe Embraces her Rising Sign - Cultured Mag

Welcome to Marsai Martin’s universe - MIC

Noname and the fight to abolish prisons - Dazed

Aminé Profile - SoleDXB

Dua Saleh Is Your Angel and Your Devil - Paper Magazine

Vinson Fraley Is in Perpetual Motion - Highsnobiety

“The Real Magic Is In Person:” Noname’s Book Club Is Building Community Across The Country- Okayplayer

5 Photographers On Documenting Protests Through Their Own Lens - Atmos Mag

Cherrie Talks Staying True to Her Somali Roots on Sophomore Album ‘Araweelo’ - Highsnobiety

Halima Wants the Next Generation to Dream Big - Paper Magazine

'Jinn' Is a Remarkably Honest Portrait of Black Muslim Girlhood - Broadly

Araweelo Abroad Is the Website Creating a Safe Space for Somali Women - Teen Vogue

CULTURE AND CRITICISM

On bell hooks, a Black Woman Who Loved Us - Pop Sugar

5 Things President Biden Should Do For Black Women in His First 100 Days - Instyle

Why Luxury Must Ditch "Aspirational" To Survive- Jing Daily

Kanye West Does Not Have the Skills to Make America “Great” Again - Highsnobiety

How 'I Am Not A Witch' Powerfully Satirizes Oppression Against Women In Zambia - Shadow and Act

XXXTentacion's Alleged Abuse Should Not Be Forgotten - Teen Vogue

Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Fever’ Is a Sexy, Palpable Joy to Behold - Highsnobiety

Leikeli47’s ‘Acyrlic’ Is a Powerful Dedication to the Transformative Black Woman - Highsnobiety

The hurdles and exploration that shaped Megan Thee Stallion’s Suga - The Fader

The Curious Case of Rapsody’s ‘Eve’ & Hip-Hop’s Contradictory Pedestal for Women - Okayplayer

Writers Reflect on Ms. Lauryn Hill’s ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ - Tidal

SPIRITUALITY

What the Niqab Actually Means To Muslim Women - SOLE DXB

Ramadan in a pandemic helped me rethink my relationship with fasting — and God - NBC

An Examination Of The Islamic References In Jay Electronica’s ‘A Written Testimony’ - Okayplayer

BLACK, QUEER, AND MUSLIM: ON FAITH, SELF-CARE, AND IDENTITY - Nylon

An Ode to the Women Who Taught Me About Selflessness and Community - Lenny Letter


INTERNET CULTURE

5 SOMALI CREATIVES ON HOW SURVEILLANCE CULTURE SHAPES THEIR WORK - Nylon

For Women Who Wear Hijab, Finstas Can Be a Space to Let Loose Online - Broadly

How the Internet Became a Home for Displaced Somalis -Vice

FASHION

Michael Love Michael Drops New Video. Luxury, Take Notes - The Popular Times

Popular Luxury: How Telfar Perfected The It Bag - The Popular Times

Nemhasis’ Debut Single Explores Autonomy and Spotlights Industry Tokenism - The Popular Times

JIIJ Imagines a Sustainable, Inclusive Footwear Future - The Popular Times

Did We Really “Get” The Pyer Moss Couture Show? - The Popular Times

Is Gossip Girl 2.0 the Popular Luxury Gen Z Wants? - The Popular Times

Modest Fashion - Equality For Her

 

Print

Mizna SWANA Takeover - Lover Girl

Writers Pay Tribute to bell hooks - The Cut

Sole DXB - Protest Music

Hanif Abdulraqqib Interview - Reconstructed Mag Vol. 2

Halima Wants the Next Generation to Dream Big - Paper Magazine, Transformation Issue

Uncovering Online - Privacy & Perception Issue of Vice Magazine, created in collaboration with Broadly.

Muhammad Ali helped shape my identity as a Black Muslim Halal If You Hear Me anthology

'The Promise of Patriarchy: Women and the Nation of Islam” (Ula Yvette Taylor) Book Review - Bitch Media Devotion Issue