Spirit Tawfiq

Spirit Tawfiq is the founder of Roots of the Spirit, a movement dedicated to uprooting racism through storytelling, education, and the arts. The daughter of Minnijean Brown-Trickey, one of the Little Rock Nine who desegregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957, Tawfiq carries forward a legacy of truth and courage. Discovering her mother’s story became the spark that inspired her life’s work, using story to bridge history and healing, past and possibility.

She has worked with the National Park Service at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, the very hallowed ground her mother desegregated, where she met people from around the world who testified to the global impact of the Little Rock Nine. She has also contributed to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, consulted with Color of Change, the Civil Rights Museum, and other entities dedicated to advancing truth and equity.

A playwright and director, Tawfiq created One Ninth, a powerful play illuminating her mother’s journey and the enduring light of the human spirit. Through her signature program "Let Your Light Shine" and her talks across the globe, she ignites the power of storytelling, truth-telling, and courage to inspire healing and remind us never to let our light be dimmed.

Tawfiq holds a BA in Mass Communications from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Master of Public Service from President Clinton’s Clinton School of Public Service. She is most proud of the light she shares with her sons Khalil and Nizami, and her husband Hisham.