WiseUp TX

October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but organizations like Daya (Houston) provide resources to domestic violence survivors in the South Asian community year-round.  Pam Otal is a WiseUp TX board member and the Outreach & Volunteer coordinator for Daya (Houston). On this episode, Pam joins host, Punam Kaji, and shares how domestic violence impacts the South Asian community, and...

Hey friends! Early voting is happening right now thru October 29, and election day is Nov 2nd.  What are we voting on?  Amendments to the Texas Constitution, plus there could be some local elections and local propositions on your ballot.  Tune into this short episode and learn about the 8 Propositions amend the Texas Constitution that you will find on your ballot.  Punam Kaji a...

This summer, Texas lawmakers passed new voting laws.  In this episode, WiseUp TX podcast host Punam Kaji interviews Louis Bedford, a voting rights attorney. He explains the impact of the changes in voting laws. Also learn about redistricting (the drawing of maps), a process that only happens every 10 years. Hear about how these changes to the voting process in Texas could impact communities o...

Hear Fawaz Bham talk about his work with the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program assisting people in need during the Covid-19 Crisis and DFWROS mentoring a refugee family from Afghanistan.   Fawaz is a real-estate and capital finance attorney focusing on commercial real-estate transactions at Hunton Andrews Kurth. Fawaz serves on the firm’s pro-bono committee and devotes time to several pro-bon...

WiseUp TX Board Members Punam Kaji, Azra Siddiqi, and Areeba Amer discuss the key events of the Texas Legislative Session (and special sessions) including Texas laws on Critical Race Theory in education, changes in election law that limit drive-thru voting and more, the expansion of gun rights in Texas, and the abortion ban. Oh, and what ever happened with the electrical grid after the ice storms?...

Cydnei Drake is running for school board in Carrolton Farmers Branch Independent School District.  This School District covers a number of DFW suburbs, including Carrolton, Farmers Branch and some of Addison, Coppell, Dallas, and Irving.  In this episode, Cydnei talks about the need for equity and and cultural competency in school leadership and her decision to run to address that issue....

Alexander Cornwallis is running to be on the school board of Prosper Independent School Board.  Prosper is a suburb in North Dallas, and Alexander decided to run to represent the South Asian community on the board and also bring attention to the need for a greater focus on technology in education and STEM for all students.  Prosper ISD and other municipal elections take place on May 1. &...

Diana Saleh wants to bring a fresh perspective to Arlington City Council as a young professional, a Palestinian American, and a Muslim woman. Diana discusses the rich diversity of the populous city of Arlington, TX. She shares her desire to make the city more equitable, starting with creating an accessible campaign through language translation. Arlington City Council elections are on May 1, 2021....

Rafat Jilani has worked with children for 30 years in schools as a special education teacher and a school psychologist.  Now she is running for Fort Bend Independent School District, Trustee Position 6. Fort Bend’s population is widely diverse, including a significant South Asian population. Jilani believes the board should reflect the diversity of the District. She talks about how she is sui...

Brody Mulligan is running for School Board Trustee in the Hurst Euless Bedford School District (HEB ISD). This area in the mid-cities of DFW has a substantial South Asian community, and Brody reached out to the WiseUp TX Podcast to talk to our followers. He has experience as an educator and a founder of a non-profit about government policy reform. In this episode he shares how he would improv...

Dr. Sana Syed is running for Dallas City Council District 2.  She talks about her desire to tackle challenging issues like homelessness and  her love for the city of Dallas and the district she is running to represent.  She is a South Asian American and Muslim woman excited to engage in the political process and hopefully bring people with her along the way.  Dr. Sana Syed is a...

Kamala Devi Harris will be the first woman Vice President in American History.  She is also a woman of color - the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant (father) and Indian immigrant (mother).  This historic moment marks many firsts, and the WiseUp TX Podcast Team shares their thoughts and feelings about the first South Asian American Vice President of the United States.  Tune in! ...

WiseUp TX podcast team members discuss the results from key races in Texas, including the U.S. Congressional Races, the U.S. Senate Race, and the critical Texas State Legislature races!  Election day proved that Republicans maintain a stronghold in Texas politics, particularly on the state level when you look at the Texas House, Texas Senate, and Texas Supreme Court.  The team also discu...

Hear the WiseUp TX podcast team discuss the outcome of the 2020 Elections, and answer the following questions: What motivated the record-breaking turnout nationally and here in Texas?  What have we learned about various minority populations and how they vote? What can we do to keep voters engaged in 2022 and 2024? How can we each help make our country less divisive? Oh, and, will President Tr...

The WiseUp TX Podcast Team (Punam Kaji, Azra Siddiqi, Zohaib Qadri, Sana Meghani, and Areeba Amer) discuss the upcoming 2020 election!  The team makes predictions on when we will have a clear outcome for the Presidential election in light of potential delays with mail in ballots.  The team predicts how close the Presidential race will be here in Texas, and talks about the interesting dat...

Sima Ladjevardian is running for United States Congress!  The 2nd Congressional district covers the west part of Houston, and then extends around the north side of the city, including some suburbs.  Sima talks about her background as an Iranian immigrant, and what she envisions for our country from immigration reform to managing the Covid-19 pandemic.  Before deciding to run for off...

WiseUp TX founder and board member, Azra Siddiqi, returns to the podcast to talk about the upcoming 2020 Election. It's a podcast jam-packed with important information such as who is on the ballot, how to participate in mail-in voting (if you qualify), utilizing safe practices to vote during a global health pandemic, what to do if you face voter intimidation, where to find your polling locations,...

Sri Preston Kulkarni is a South Asian candidate running for U.S. Congress in Texas' 22nd Congressional district (Suburbs of Houston such as Sugarland, Pearland, Katy, and Clearlake).  If he wins he will be the first person of color to represent this majority minority district.  He ran in 2018 and started the grassroots effort to get the South Asian community involved in a political campa...

Candace Valenzuela is running to represent a diverse district of suburbs between Dallas and Fort Worth (such as Addison, Irving, Grapevine, Southlake, Carrolton, Euless, etc). This district includes parts of Dallas County, Denton County, and Tarrant County.  She talks about the South Asian population in her district, and the power of diverse representation.  She discusses the impact of t...

State Representative Ed Thompson currently represents District 29, which includes Pearland and other suburbs south of Houston.  He talks about his service in this district as the State Rep. since 2012 and his current run as the Republican candidate.  He talks about the Covid-19 pandemic and its toll, but also about the continued economic growth and opportunity despite it. Learn more abou...

Mubasher Warraich is running for city council in the suburb of Euless (DFW metroplex).  He talks about bringing more of the technology industry to the city and his passion and focus on affordable childcare for working parents.  He talks about how South Asians could get much more involved in the political process and encourages others to run for office in the spirit of giving back to the...

MJ Hegar is running for the United States Senate as the Democratic candidate against longtime incumbent, John Cornyn.  She has served our country as a combat veteran, she has worked in the healthcare industry, and she is a working mom. She talks about how all these experiences led her to run for office and how she thinks he can make life better for Texans!   You can learn more about her...

Judge Staci Williams is running for TX Supreme Court as a democratic candidate.  This is a statewide race that will be on every ballot this November. Judge Williams currently serves as Judge of the 101st District Court in Dallas County. Judge Williams talks about the important decisions the Texas Supreme Court has made lately, and how she could serve Texans on our highest court after her...

Current Harris County Clerk, Chris Hollins, talks about safe and accessible voting this election seasons.  Harris County is the 3rd largest county in the nation, and in his role, Hollins manages the election and protects voting rights, a role he does not take lightly.  Listen to hear about unique things Harris County (Houston area) has done from increased polling locations,  infrast...

Travis Boldt is the Democratic candidate for Texas House of Representative for House District 29. He is challenging Republican incumbent Ed Thomson. House District 29 covers Pearland and suburbs southeast of Houston. A small business owner, husband to a public school educator, and father, Travis shares what inspired him to run for state house representative and the issues are front and c...