Immigrantly

How do we navigate spaces in which we can have access to some privileges but not others? How can anyone claim their identity without first recognizing their entitlement?  Today, We will do a deep dive on these topics with Layla Saad. She is an esteemed writer, speaker, and podcast host. Layla is the author of the New York Times Bestselling book,  Me and White Supremacy, providing the tools to go i...

Today on Immigrantly, we welcome an exceptional guest who is all about the environment and fighting for mother earth as our home. Gelareh Darabi is an environmental correspondent for the National Geographic Channel and Al Jazeera. She grew up with lakes, forests, islands as her playground and now fights for their health and existence today. She is an activist, a journalist, a filmmaker, yet what I...

A first-time candidate running for office to represent Queens in the House of Representatives, Sandra Choi joins a wave of progressive newcomers, hoping to ignite change at the most direct level. A lifelong Queens resident, Sandra is running her campaign on economic and social equality. These issues are close to her heart because they are her lived experiences. A child of immigrants, she grew up w...

Catherine Kapphahn’s mother, Marijana, died of ovarian cancer when Catherine was only 22. she found herself cut off from the past she never really knew. Born and raised in America, Catherine realized that she knew very little of her Croatian mother’s early life. As Catherine searches for clues to her mother’s elusive history, she discovers that Marijana was orphaned during WWII, nearly died as a t...

Our guest for today's show is Yara Elmjouie. Yara’s production “In Real Life”  is structured in short documentaries on conversations around food, from its flavors to its history to its sociopolitical implications. These episodes are abundant in wacky dishes and comical relief, just as they are tuned to discussions on what food means to identity and community. Besides his evident passion for cookin...

Our guest for today's show is Iram Parveen Bilal. She is a creator. A Physics-Olympian-turned-filmmaker, she wears eight rings on her body and appreciates honesty. She is an enabler who focuses on thought-provoking stories that are socially impactful and envision an inclusive world. All of these statements were provided by her. When someone uses these words to describe themself, you know that the...

Aysha Khan is an award-winning journalist whose work is rapidly changing the narrative around Muslims in America and around the world.  What’s most impressive about her work is its justice-oriented nature. Aysha has dove headfirst into controversial, uncomfortable subjects that uplift the voices of marginalized communities. It’s daring and brave. Her work has covered federal anti-extremism program...

Today we welcome a special guest, one who you might say shares a similar role as me, talking to people, researching stories, and broadcasting them to the public. His name is Latif Nasser. Most visibly, Nasser is the Director of Research at WNYC’s Radiolab, and he recently launched a podcast series called "The Other Latif" about his namesake, a detainee at Guantanamo held for his alleged involvemen...

Our today’s guest is She is someone who has lived through some of history’s most defining moments. Her early childhood took place in the heels of the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979. She remembers attending school and swearing her allegiance to revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhullah Khomeini and being encouraged by her teacher to report her parents if they did “bad things” like listening to mu...

We are kicking off April with a new season of Immigrantly. You probably noticed, we took a small hiatus in recognition that so much is happening around us and like you, we needed time to adjust, root down, and grapple with what this nation and the globe is experiencing. I think everyone is feeling a mixed bag of emotions. Some are anxious, fearful even. Others are exhausted physically and emotiona...

is an acclaimed actress known for her provocative performances in a wide range of memorable roles on film and television. She has starred in over 20 feature films and many TV shows and has earned a loyal, international following. She is also a seasoned voice-over artist. Perhaps best known to mainstream film audiences for starring opposite Albert Brooks in Warner Bros’ LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN THE MU...

Saima Mir is a powerful writer who uses her personal stories to challenge notions surrounding patriarchy, Islam, and parenting. As a result, she has produced narratives that explain the intersection of identities, religion, and politics.  Her writing simultaneously educates and empowers the communities she is writing for. But even a reader who doesn’t share her background will find something to re...

Regina Jackson and Saira Rao are the co-founders of Race2Dinner, an organization that allows specifically white women to address their racism through a sit-down dinner they pay for. It’s innovative, and it pushes past social boundaries to get to the heart of the matter. Saadia talks to Saira and Regina about how they define racism in America, their encounter with white supremacy, and what led them...

Xiao Wang is the co-founder and CEO of the Seattle-based startup, Boundless. Boundless is an immigration company with a mission to “empower families to navigate the immigration system more confidently, rapidly, and affordably.” In 2018, they received the Torch Award for “Business of the Year” from the Better Business Bureau. Xiao’s credentials include leadership roles at Amazon Go, Providence Equi...

Wardah Khalid is a policy analyst, activist, and speaker on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, refugees/immigration, and Islam in America. She currently works on Capitol Hill as an APAICS Congressional Fellow. She is the Founder and President of the , a national civic education, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening American Muslim engagement with Congress. We talked about her...

Shamim Sarif is a British novelist and filmmaker. Her work often focuses on various aspects of identity; including gender, race, and sexuality. It often draws upon her own personal experience with cross-cultural, non-heterosexual love. Sarif described her film, I can’t think straight to be semi-autobiographical. With her partner Kattan, she runs Enlightenment Productions based in London. Her next...

Annie Tan is a Chinese American Special Education teacher, writer, activist, and storyteller from Chinatown, in New York. Annie has been featured in the New York Times, the Huffington Post, and The Moth Radio Hour on NPR. She will be featured in the upcoming PBS documentary series "Asian Americans." Her work centers around public education, teachers unions, tenants' rights, and Asian American issu...

This special minisode focuses on America’s immigration history in the context of family separation. It debunks the notion that the concept of family separation is new. The episode showcases how children have been separated from their families time and time again throughout America’s history. In each of the instances, Saadia explores how people of color, often children, were violently separated to...

Nusrat Alam and Jo'rell Whitfield are changemakers. They are the co-founders of I am Perspective (IAP). IAP aims to create a united society by fostering empathy, awareness, growth, and genuine human connection through open and honest dialogue between all races, genders, sexual orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, and political views in a free, safe, non-judgmental space. Nusrat Alam, a second-...

Dr. Simran Jeet Singh is a writer, a religious scholar, activist, and author. He regularly speaks on issues of diversity, equity, hate, violence, race, and religion, inspiring others around him. He also frequently offers his perspectives to television, radio, and print media, and today he is on Immigrantly to share his story with Saadia Khan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...

We all have an idea of what an American dream is, but how would you define an American nightmare? Aarti and her family encountered every obstacle that an immigrant family can run into in America. She is the author of a memoir; Here We Are American Dreams, American Nightmares. Aarti’s work has always been personal; she went from being a community organizer with a bullhorn defending the rights of im...

Mairav Zonszein is a second-generation Israeli American journalist and editor who writes about Israel-Palestine conflict and its role in U.S. politics. She was born and raised in NY., but she has spent most of her adult life in Israel. Saadia talks to Mairav about her experiences as an American Immigrant in Israel. Her publications include The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The...

Saks Afridi is a New York-based Pakistani American artist who explores the dichotomy of being an insider/outsider. Through his work, he recreates the historical and cultural narratives to highlight social issues. Saks collaborates with weavers, painters, and food vendors to address the problems around identity, Islamophobia, drone warfare, and social justice.  Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Qinza Najm is a Pakistani-American visual artist whose interdisciplinary artistic practice explores gendered violence and female subjectivity. Her work has been featured in Artnet News, the Huffington Post, N.Y. Daily News, International Business Week, Buzzfeed, and Herald. Saadia spoke to Qinza about her evolution from a psychologist and a professor at a prestigious University to a freelance arti...

This week's episode is centered around an incredible immigration love story. An Italian-born Designer/Media Advertiser, Francesco Bertocci, meets his future wife, Lucy Harris, an American who went to Rome to teach English after college. They fall in love, get married, and the rest, as they say, is history.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices