Jason Ross Brown

Jason Ross Brown is a multifaceted African-American practitioner of Islam who ceaselessly seeks to affirm, validate, and amplify the beauty and resilience of the Black American experience through his work as an educator and writer. Affectionately known as Salah Abu Muna or “Tata” to his students, Salah is a passionate educator, artist, and social impact thought leader committed to unlocking the creative potential within young minds. Drawing from traditional African epistemologies and Afro-Caribbean spiritual and musical traditions, he weaves transformative learning experiences that encourage students to explore their inner power. Salah's teaching approach is grounded in the belief that fostering student inquiry sparks meaningful conversations about real-time issues, thereby developing their critical thinking capacities. By guiding students through the exploration of ideas, Salah creates a safe haven for them to celebrate differences and perspectives without the fear of being labeled as divergent. Beyond education, Salah owns Raw Human LLC, a business that offers community-designed and faith-based health and wellness interventions to individuals and organizations alike. Having studied abroad at the University of Nairobi in Kenya, Salah is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of Africans. He engages in social impact investments and African capital development through Casa Islam, his fiscally-sponsored nonprofit organization. In the past, Salah has served as head teacher in private and charter elementary schools, as well as a Teaching Artist mentor in public schools throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. From March 2008 to July 2015, he owned and managed Siete Potencias Africanas, a visual and performance art gallery in San Francisco, California, showcasing African art and culture. Currently, Salah works as the Development Director to Outreach, Engagement and Development Specialist for a BIPOC-centered youth development agency that provides drug and alcohol prevention, intervention, and treatment services to San Francisco youth. In addition, he is completing his Master of Science degree in Addiction Studies at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, where he researches barriers to professional drug and alcohol treatment services within Muslim American communities. Salah has been married for twenty years and is the proud father of three adult daughters. His personal philosophy is, “work like you're never going to die and pray like you're going to die tomorrow.” With unwavering dedication, Salah continues to champion the transformative power of African and Afro-Caribbean approaches to teaching, inspiring the next generation of artists and critical thinkers to embrace the creative education legacies established by and thriving within Black communities around the world.

Publications

It Is Only Love That Teaches: Disrupting Anti-Blackness and White Supremacy in Education Systems of the United States
It Is Only Love That Teaches: Disrupting Anti-Blackness and White Supremacy in Education Systems of the United States
Jason Ross Brown. © 2024. 24 pages.
This chapter presents a potent combination of personal testimony and scholarly analysis that highlights the unyielding resilience of Black youth navigating the challenging...