Personal Statement from the Executive Director:

As an African American Muslim woman of African and European descent, I carry the legacy of resilience, sacrifice, and progress. I am a descendant of enslaved ancestors from South Carolina who migrated to Washington, D.C., before the Civil Rights Act of 1965—ancestors whose strength lives on in every step I take toward justice, healing, and transformation. My life’s direction was forever changed through my study of Islam in the Middle East, where I came to understand the depth, beauty, and purpose of our faith. That knowledge awakened a deeper mission in me: to serve communities through the advancement of Islamic psychology and the reform of healthcare systems that too often neglect the emotional, spiritual, and cultural realities of those they claim to serve.

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Maryam Tree Center was established out of a sustained concern with systemic inequities in healthcare, education, and correctional systems and the ways these conditions shape mental health and human well being. The Center’s work is grounded in the recognition that psychological distress must be understood not only at the level of the individual, but also in relation to the institutional structures that influence access, support, continuity, and outcome. Through research, knowledge translation, and public scholarship, Maryam Tree Center examines how these inequities intersect with trauma, resilience, and recovery across diverse populations. Guided by Islamic psychology and contemporary psychological science, the Center contributes scholarship that keeps structural conditions and human dignity in clear analytical view.

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This work is deeply personal. It is dedicated to my beloved Aunt Carol Corbett, who fought tirelessly in her battle with cancer. To my Uncle Tommy Massey, whose fight during the COVID-19 pandemic left a space in our hearts that can never be filled. To my mother, Angenette Monroe, a breast cancer survivor whose strength continues to inspire me. To my father, a retired Navy Lieutenant Commander and former Chief Medical Officer of Chicago Naval Medical Center. To my grandfather, a Washington D.C. businessman and Charleston cement truck driver. To my grandmother, Dorthy L. Massey, an Operating Room Registered Nurse whose compassion and dedication to healing continue to inspire my journey. To my great-grandfather, Oliver Massey, who lived in Ardmore Ward 1 during the Black Wall Street Massacre. To all my ancestors from South Carolina, whose faith and fortitude have shaped my path. And to my paternal grandmother, Dorothy Crump, whose legacy continues through every effort I make.

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May this work bring benefit to many and be accepted as a small contribution toward justice, healing, and knowledge.

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Sincerely,
Darya Bailey, Executive Director

Maryam Tree Center