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
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
Press
Mentions, Shoutouts, Quotes:
The Root - The Most Powerful Voices on Black Twitter
FASHION TRUST ARABIA - Because Fashion is Intrinsically Political
Essence - 21 Black Women Who Are Shaking Sh*t Up For The Better
Paper - Black Muslim Women Keep the Energy of #BlackOutEid Alive
Fashion Theory Volume 23, 2019 - Issue 2: The Body: Fashion and Physique- Modest Body Politcs
i-D - 7 young immigrants on their hopes and fears for trump’s america
Nylon - 8 MUSLIM JOURNALISTS YOU SHOULD FOLLOW
Paper Magazine - 10 Fiercely Political Women You Have To Follow On Twitter Right Now
Interviews/Podcasts: