Gail Kennard is African American, Muslim and a native Angeleno. She converted to Islam more than 40 years ago while in graduate school at UC Berkeley. Today she attends the Islamic Center of Southern California and the Women’s Mosque of America, where she has delivered talks or khutbahs since 2015.

Gail is president of one of the West’s oldest African American–owned architecture firms, founded by her late father, Robert Kennard. A mayoral appointee to the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission, she serves as its vice president. 

Storyteller, Inspiring Stories: Dismantling Systemic Racism