Today we’d like to introduce you to Iqrama Muhammad.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I would say it “started” with an example that I realize today was modeled for me by my grandmothers, Frances Robinson, and Alberta Vance. They were very different in some ways; one lived in the northeast, New York and the other lived in the south, Tennessee. However, their character and values were very much aligned; they believed in the importance of family, faith, and friendships (community). And these three principles have been a driving force in my life. I grew up in New York, so I spent a lot of time with my paternal grandmother, Frances. I used to bake with her in the kitchen. I remember playing with the dough and rolling it around until it was almost black. No matter what my grandmother would bake it and eat it. As a grandmother now myself, I understand the lengths a grandparent will go through to make their grandchildren happy. She taught us etiquette, and there were many lunches and outings in the backyard to practice. One of the things she taught me that was instrumental in getting me where I am today was sewing. What I didn’t know at that time, and what inspires me in my work today, is that she owned a sewing shop where she made and sold clothes and fabric. She also taught all the young girls in our neighborhood to sew long after I had moved on. It’s a skill that I would put down and only pick up many years later.
My grandmother Alberta also built community through sewing. I remember seeing her quilts, running my fingers over them in awe. An awe that continues today anytime I am around quilts or quilters. My mother would tell me about how the women in the community would gather at their home to make quilts for one occasion or another; a birth, a wedding, a death. They would pull the quilts out from a ceiling rack in the living room, pull it down and work on it together as they shared stories, history, laughed, and comforted each other. I think about her as I gather with my quilting sisters who are helping me grow my quilting skills.
As a Muslim, service to the community is a central part of our life. In my faith community, the sisters, in addition to supporting and serving the community, practice sewing as one of our educational units. So, it makes sense that I would choose sewing as a vehicle for community service and in 2018, I founded and am currently the executive director of The PEACES Collective, a non-profit organization whose mission is to use creativity, art, and service to help build thriving communities through collective economics and education.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I am a fan of inspirational quotes, and I use them to motivate me when I struggle. I remember reading a quote that said, “Nothing is difficult if you seek it through your Lord; nothing is easy if you seek it through yourself.” Of course, there have been struggles. In my personal life, I lost a brother in a tragic boating accident. He was 4, and I was 14. That has impacted my life greatly. Regarding my professional life, the company I was employed with for 25 years downsized and “made me an offer I couldn’t refuse” five years before my eligibility for official retirement. As we were hosting pop-up shops in a gallery at the corner of North and Park Ave. and building momentum to open a brick-and-mortar store, the pandemic struck, and like other small retail businesses, we were forced to close our doors. As a non-profit organization relying primarily on volunteers, there have been many other struggles and obstacles along the way, such as staffing, sales, and funding. However, I believe that struggle is ordained for growth. Life is not smooth all the time. Struggles are inevitable. It’s how you handle them. So, despite all of my struggles, I have learned many lessons that have helped me improve, and I am grateful. In fact, the pandemic pushed us to develop our website. And through that website, ThePeacesCollective.org, we are able to reach more people with our programs.
Another quote I love is by Nelson Mandela, “It always seems impossible until it is done!”
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Over 10 years ago, after trading in corporate meetings and business trips for sewing tables and craft shows, I started my personal company, PEACES. When I volunteered for a thrift store program that was instrumental in developing my understanding of leadership and service, I noticed the number of items and bags that had to be discarded due to stains and defects. I thought, what a waste! People discard tons of clothing every year that wind up in landfills. I knew there had to be a way to utilize that fabric to make beautiful and useful things and at the same time, make an impact on the environment. That’s when the idea of PEACES was born. And when I was free to choose a new path, I started specializing in making decorative, reusable tote bags from recycled and ethnic-inspired fabrics. I started selling them at The Baltimore Farmers’ Market and Bazaar. With my work on display, I had so many people asking me if I taught sewing that I was inspired to seek out an opportunity to do so. That’s when I learned about Jubilee Arts, a community and cultural center in West Baltimore where they provide arts classes to the residents of Sandtown-Winchester, Upton, and surrounding neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland. I have been a teaching artist there, leading introductory sewing classes for the past seven years. While at JubiIee Arts, I developed a curriculum called “Sewing for the Soul.” The principle of PEACES is that one of our greatest powers is the ability to create. And that it is not just in some of us; it is in each and every one of us. I believe that all things have value when used for a productive and peaceful purpose. My vision is to use sewing as a vehicle for teaching peace and love. And to build a community where people are free to be their best selves.
There is an African proverb that says “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Knowing that we could reach more people and make a greater impact on the community together than individually, I founded The PEACES Collective. We are a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that supports people who make or desire to make handcrafted products. We come from a people who have a tradition of making things with our hands and we want to continue that tradition and elevate our heritage as Makers. The uniqueness of our non-profit is that we serve as a community common ground for three functions; we provide an affordable venue and cooperative environment for local makers and craftspeople, we promote and provide classes in the traditional handcraft arts, and we host workshops and events tailored to the needs of the community. We call it “wholistic retail” where the focus is people over profits. And we strive to live up to our slogan, “Happiness is Handmade!”
We offer handcrafted products for sale, which benefits local makers and economies. Then we contribute a portion of the proceeds from their sale to fund the organization’s programs. Currently, we have three program:
Resident Makers Leadership Program – a cooperatively led Maker training experience to learn about handcrafting, business, and community service.
Wisdom, Wellness & Wealth Program – free educational and cultural seminars with experts on a variety of topics curated to meet the needs of the community.
SpREAD the Word Community Literacy Program – fosters reading and discussions by providing books for children and adults in our community spaces and informal settings where we gather, such as barbershops and salons.
In addition, we host an annual Juneteenth 5k Walk for Wellness to promote wellness in our community, acknowledge the struggle and work done by those that came before us, and to raise funds for the organization.
This year we plan to introduce a fourth program, Sewing for the Soul, an online introductory sewing program that helps children and adults access their creativity through sharing the time-honored tradition of sewing. In addition to teaching a life-long skill and community tradition, the curriculum seeks to have students discover their creative power, added confidence, increased discipline, and patience. Characteristics we all need to be successful in life as well as the sewing room. We are also excited about the prospects of a brick-mortar store in Baltimore.
What I’m most proud of is the community of people that help run The PEACES Collective. I’m especially grateful to my sister, Karen Freeman who is the organization’s Director of Operations. And to my mother, who is my creative consultant, and all of the other talented and creative people who contribute to The PEACES Collective. I always say we are a small organization with a big vision. We operate on a primarily volunteer basis, and we wouldn’t be able to survive without everyone’s commitment to creativity, self-development, and community.
Another thing I am proud of is having the courage to change direction. So, my advice to anyone who has a passion for something but is hesitant about moving out on their idea is “you’re never too old. And it’s never too late.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
That question makes me laugh. I was so different as a child. I was painfully shy in public. Very sensitive. I would cry at the drop of a hat. I was out of school for more than a month when I was eight years old to have open heart surgery. A friend of mine explained my sensitivity by saying, “be nice to her; she has a soft heart.” I loved horseback riding, cooking, and playing cards, bid whist especially. Learning to play was a “rite of passage” in our family under the tutelage of my Aunt Minnie. I didn’t see myself as a creative person growing up. In fact, I didn’t tap back into my creativity until later in my adult year. However, I always loved reading and writing. My parents introduced us to theater, and we saw many Broadway plays when we were young. I loved the costumes, the music, the drama of it all. To this day, I love plays and movies. In fact, I love what I do, but I think if I had to do something else, I would be a director or writer.
One thing I do remember as a child that made an impact on me growing up is family and community gatherings. I remember people being so happy. Laughing, dancing, talking. That made a big impression on me, and today in addition to sewing, I love hosting events and bringing people together. And I am committed to working with others who also want to learn to make productive and peaceful communities.
Pricing:
- The PEACES Collective promotes and sells handmade products, including clothing and accessories, bath and body products, tote bags, pillows, jewelry, candles, and teas. We have a range of prices from $7 – $125 to suit any budget. We know that our customers have many shopping venues to choose from. We thank them for shopping consciously with us.
Contact Info:
- Website: ThePeacesCollective.org
- Instagram: @thepeacescollective
- Facebook: @thepeacescollective
