It began with an explosion of rhythm, poetry, and soul. The Schoenecker Center Performance Hall erupted into life as Meet You at the Crossroads opened with welcoming remarks from University of St. Thomas President Rob Vischer , who invited the audience to expand their understanding of “neighbor” through the parable of the Good Samaritan and then brought Somali blues into dynamic conversation with Black gospel-style music. With voices soaring and drums pulsing, the evening opened not with silence, but with celebration. At the heart of it stood two master storytellers: Somali author and poet Ahmed Ismail Yusuf and music legend J.D. Steele Muslim and Christian, Somali and African American, elder and youth, their presence embodied the very spirit of the festival: a harmony forged not through sameness, but through the beauty of shared humanity. A highpoint of the concert featured a young boy from the MacPhail Community Youth Choir delivering a stirring solo of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” drawing the audience to its feet in a moment that was as tender as it was electric. Curated by David Jordan Harris with the Jay Phillips Center and co-produced by Beck Lee and the Cultural Fluency Initiative – with support from the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Music, Film, and Creative Enterprise, Scene Setters, the Encountering Islam Initiative of the Theology Department, and the Chapel Arts Series – the sold-out performance launched the 2025 Culture of Encounter Ideas Festival with a profound sense of awe, welcome, and shared tears. With a waitlist that had to be closed and a crowd that rose more than once in standing ovation, the evening set the tone for what was to come: bold, embodied, and unapologetically plural. 

EMBLEM (Emerging Muslim Bridgebuilding Leaders Engaging the Midwest) is a grant opportunity for Muslim student leaders and their allies to build bridges across difference, grow as interfaith leaders, and design projects that support community cooperation. Projects will engage multiple religious communities in building meaningful relationships. Projects will be unique to the needs of each community, representing colleges and universities across the Midwest. Funding will range up to $5,000. Interfaith dialogue is important for peacemaking, civic engagement, and connecting neighbors. The equity vision of this opportunity recognizes Midwest schools and Muslim interfaith leaders as historically underrepresented and underfunded groups essential to interfaith organizing. Together, we can energize Muslim bridge-building efforts. This regional opportunity is organized by the Interfaith Institute of Augsburg University, with funding provided by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations .