Immigrantly

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 Jorell 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-generation...

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.

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. 

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 Bertucci, 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. 

A little late, but we’re still excited to share a Thanksgiving Special. Come and reflect with us on this year’s Thanksgiving and make plans with us to celebrate next year’s Thanksgiving in a more honest and inclusive way. In this episode, Lisa Genn and Saadia Khan talk about their Thanksgiving day and looking forward how they can celebrate this day while acknowledging its history and honoring Nati...

Ahmed Ali Akbar is a writer, journalist, and the host of "See Something, Say Something", and incredible podcast where Ahmed talks to Muslims from across different industries and talks about culture, current events, and being Muslim in America. Ahmed talks about the things that "American Muslims are talking about right now," which can range from mass incarceration to memes. I am very excited to hav...

Asad Dandia is a young Brooklynite who is reinventing the way people approach religion esp, Islam. Asad was born and raised in Brooklyn and graduated from New York University (NYU) with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work in 2016; his focus was on community organizing. He is currently a graduate student at Columbia University's Middle East Institute, pursuing an MA in Islamic Studies. We spoke ab...

Kim Yi Dionne is an Assistant Professor in the Political Science department at the University of California–Riverside. She is also an editor of the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage, a blog devoted to making political science findings more accessible to the public, allowing us to have thorough conversations with integrity to the facts. At work, Kim teaches courses on African politics and ethnic politi...

Fahamu Pecou is an interdisciplinary artist and scholar whose work combines observations on hip hop, fine art, and popular culture. He takes on such complicated topics as black masculinity, stereotypes, and potential in his work with a deft touch that leaves a profound impact. 

Kulsoom Abdullah is a Data Scientist. She has a Masters and a Ph. D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and if this wasn't enough, she is also a Pakistani American Weightlifter who competed in the 2011 World Championship. Kulsoom represents Pakistan for the world and the U.S. for national-level tournaments. She made history by being the first fully covered Muslim woman contestant. We talk abo...

Donny Khan is the Senior Marketing Director at National Hockey League (NHL). Donny immigrated to America from Pakistan as a young teen and has been National Hockey League Senior Director of Marketing for eleven years. Donny helped create NHL’s national and international brand from the ground up. He won the Sports Emmy award in 2009 and 2011, created NHL’s most successful marketing campaign for 201...

Our today's guest is Dina Nayeri. She is the author of The "Ungrateful Refugee," Dina's first nonfiction book. Her essay of the same name was one of the most widely shared 2017 Long Reads in The Guardian. Dina is a former refugee who fled Iran with her family in the 80s. The book is a part memoir and also chronicles the lives of other refugees. Dina holds a BA from Princeton, an MBA from Harvard,...