Shannon Al-Wakeel is the executive director of Muslim Justice League (MJL), a Boston-based organization advocating for human and civil rights that are threatened under national security pretexts. She was one of four women who founded MJL after federal announcements that Boston would be a pilot city for the “countering violent extremism” (CVE) campaign. An attorney and printmaker, Shannon received her B.F.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. 

Prior to MJL, Shannon worked with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and later Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA). Her advocacy contributed to advances in immigrant access to education and health care, safeguards against unconstitutional deportation programs, and defeat of scores of anti-immigrant legislative proposals.  Shannon previously served as president of the Board of Directors of the New England Muslim Bar Association and, following the Boston Marathon bombing, provided “Know Your Rights” education and government relations assistance to Massachusetts mosques in response to increased targeting of local Muslim communities.