Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, MSEd, is a former English teacher who has educated children and teens for fifteen years. As an inaugural AMAL fellow with the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC), she developed foundational curricular frameworks for youth and adult anti-racist programming. Her picture books and short stories, which feature young Black and Muslim protagonists, have been recognized as the best in children’s literature by Time magazine, Read Across America, and NPR. These works include Mommy's Khimar, Once Upon an Eid (anthology contributor), and Your Name Is a Song, as well as soon-to-be-released books: Abdul’s Story and Hold Them Close.

Hatem Aly is an Egyptian-born artist who has illustrated many books for young people. They include The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S. K. Ali, a New York Times bestseller; In My Mosque by M. O. Yuksel, which received four starred reviews; the Newbery Honor-winning The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz; and the Yasmin series by Saadia Faruqi.