Jamad Fiin is on a mission to change who you think of when you think about basketball. The Somali-American player found widespread attention thanks to a viral video of her playing in the hijab, and now she’s the founder of Jamad’s Basketball Camp.
Growing up playing basketball, Fiin explains that she never really had anyone to look up to or to go to for advice. Instead, she turned her love for the game into a purpose-driven organisation where she now teaches and inspires girls via basketball. Of course for Fiin, this abut more than just the game. It’s a way to empower them, and encourage them to rise above a society that tries telling them how to dress, or what they can achieve in life.
In this photo essay, photographer Gary Land documents the new generation of girls under Jamad’s mentorship.
Home turf
“Jamad Finn reached out to me one day and asked if I wanted to come by Jeep Jones Park in Roxbury, Massachusetts where she learned to play basketball and capture her and her Somali friends as they practised and shot around.”
The beauty of the hijab
“The thought of Jamad Fiin and a group of girls playing basketball in full hijab sounded incredibly picturesque. The contrast of their black hijabs against the white concrete playground would look amazing in black-and-white.”
Close friends
“The day of the shoot was warm, not a cloud in the sky. It was obvious from the beginning that the girls were all very close, some were childhood friends and others were students from Jamad’s basketball camps.”
The joy of sport
“My camera started filming as Jamad ran them through drills, pushing them physically and encouraging them mentally. Watching all their bright smiles pop off from under their dark garments was beautiful. I just let them be themselves and I was simply there as a witness.”
