Can you imagine fasting from sunup to sundown while working in rice swamps and cotton plantations under the hot Southern American sun? Last week, the first installment of PORT OF ENTRY's series 'Ramadan Is American' focused on the earliest Americans: the enslaved Muslims who practiced their faith in secret.

Before public iftars and Ramadan commercialization, there was the struggle for survival and keep faith alive. From a tiny copper medallion found at Fort Shirley, Pennsylvania, to the writings of Omar Ibn Said, Bilali Muhammad, and Ayuba Suleiman Diallo,I trace a history of resilience, prayer, and fasting under unimaginable conditions in my latest.