Unveiling the Untold Story: Professor Mbaye Lo Explores the Life of Enslaved Scholar Omar ibn Said

Professor Mbaye Lo (AMES) has spent nearly two decades researching and sharing the life and writings of Omar ibn Said, a 19th-century West African Muslim scholar who was enslaved in North Carolina. Their efforts have led to the publication of the book "I Cannot Write My Life" and the success of the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera "Omar" by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels. Professor Lo continues to delve into Omar's story, hoping to uncover more Arabic documents and expand the digital repository for enslaved Muslim scholars. Read more.