Husein Yatabarry, 32, is Muslim Community Network’s (MCN) Executive Director –– the youngest and first Black American to hold the position.
Founded in 2003, MCN is dedicated to redefining and shaping the Muslim experience in the U.S. through community education, leadership development, and advocacy.
Yatabarry was born and raised in the South Bronx and grew up with his fair share of challenges with bullying and fitting in. He only spoke Soninke, which was his native language, and he learned English at school. “My family immigrated to the U.S. from West Africa. Small country called Gambia,” he said.
His biggest inspiration, he said, was his mom, who was a home health aide for seniors and a big advocate for being educated. His father worked as a meat and fish packer. His other siblings were born in Gambia, so he didn’t get to grow up with the whole family.
“It was tough growing up,” said Yatabarry. “I mean, we were a very small community in the South Bronx because a lot of parents came there in the late 80s, early 90s. A lot of it was immigrant on immigrant tension with Latino and Hispanic communities because we were a growing population in that neighborhood.”
Yatabarry said that a lot of the infighting in the neighborhood was over the idea that the community resources were limited. His experiences in high school, at Brooklyn Tech, helped expand and diversify his friend group as well as his worldview. He went on to attend The City College of New York, and earned a degree in Biology and minored in Psychology. His first intention was to become a doctor, but realized that the career wasn’t meant for him. He was proud to be the first college graduate in his family, regardless.
After his matriculation, he became a public charter school science teacher at age 22 in the Bronx and Harlem. For seven years, he was dedicated to educating the city’s youth, but was a bit discouraged by the vast disparities certain districts faced. Witnessing this inequity and wanting to do more for his community partly inspired him to move into the nonprofit sector. His other influence was rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was known for his altruistic spirit.
He was nominated for the Community Leader of the Year at the Sene-Gambia West African Awards in 2021 and was recognized in the Black Muslim Series during Ramadan 2023.
He joined MCN in 2023. At the time, there weren’t a lot of strong Black voices at the organization, and leadership intentionally wanted to change that. “We are a target demographic of a faith community, and it’s an interesting crossover to be in. Any matters that deal with immigration, specifically with Muslim communities, and global matters,” said Yatabarry. “I think for me sometimes it does feel like information overload.”
Beyond his professional life, Yatabarry is an avid runner and traveler. He also cherishes spending time with his family.
