An L.A. School That Breaks The School-To-Prison Pipeline

On an unassuming building on Los Angeles’ Slauson Avenue, a signboard reads Islah Academy. Inside is a celebration of the students’ Muslim and Black identities. Posters of Nipsey Hussle, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali decorate the walls; shelves are stocked with books featuring Black lead characters. Sneakers of varying sizes are neatly arranged around the prayer room, where students sit cross-legged alongside community members to listen to the school’s founder, Imam Jihad Saafir, deliver the weekly Friday sermon.