Immigrantly

This week on Immigrantly, we explore the relationship between the environment and religion through a physical vessel that is the Church of Holy Communion on West 20th & 6th Ave New York. The episode reviews the Churches many past lives, including a fitness center and an elite nightclub. Through this historical-social lens, Immigrantly is asking the questions we all have considered: what is a relig...

Today's guest Nouri Sardar is a Muslim poet, filmmaker, & co-host of the 786 Boulevard podcast. However, he stands as a change agent at the intersection of religion and social justice at a more fundamental level.  This episode is sponsored by Citizenpath. Go to citizenpath.com and use coupon code "Immigrantly" to get 15% off. This episode is sponsored by Db. Click on the link below to get 10%off y...

Our today's guest is Faisal Devji. Faisal is a historian who specializes in studies of Islam, globalization, violence, and ethics. He is a professor at St. Antony’s College at the University of Oxford. His multidisciplinary work grounds empirical historical issues in philosophical questions. Some of his published work includes "Landscapes of the Jihad: Militancy, Morality, Modernity," which explor...

Mira Sethi is an actor and a writer. Sethi has worked as a books editor at The Wall Street Journal. She has written op-eds for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian. She regularly appears in mainstream Pakistani drama series on television. Her debut book, ," is a collection of short stories in Pakistan. This episode is sponsored by Citizenpath. Go to citizenpath.com and use...

In partnership with Indiana University's "Muslim Voices Project," the Immigrantly team explores the relationship between spirituality and mental health. One of the writers, Sarah, sat down with two practicing Muslims from very different backgrounds to tackle the question of "What role does God play in your mental health?" The professional opinion of Jabir Tarin complements these conversations. Jab...

Arij Mikati is the Managing Director of Leadership & Culture at the Pillars Fund. She works on creating & supporting opportunities that advance storytelling & cultural change work. For example, the Pillars Fund teamed up with  and the Ford Foundation to create fellowships for Muslim storytellers. Arij’s work and its impact are felt in antiracism, coalition building, and solidarity action. The epis...

Today, we are speaking with the founder of South Bronx Mutual Aid, Ariadna Phillips. Ariadna is a bilingual educator and a seasoned community organizer based in the Bronx, NY. South Bronx Mutual Aid serves the Bronx autonomous free fridge community. The episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Special offer for Immigrantly listeners, get 10% off your first month at The episode is also sponsored by Citi...

Season 11 premiers as we begin our exploration of spirituality & religion in the modern world. Today we unpack Christianity. As the long-standing dominant religion, it’s impossible to deny the Christian influences on American culture. Kathy Khang gives a progressive take on Christianity. Kathy is a writer, speaker, yoga teacher, & lover of Jesus. She is also an activist who utilizes her faith to e...

The last episode of season 10 is with Khadjiah Johnson. She is a writer, animation enthusiast, & successful home cook. She writes for Black Nerd Problems & Funimation, with previous experience on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert & Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Stay tuned for season 11, which will start on June 29th. Producer & Host: Saadia Khan Associate Producer: Kylee Roberts Content wri...

Lyana Blount is the founder of . It is a meal prep and delivery service which started in a homely kitchen in the Bronx during the pandemic. When Covid hit, Lyana decided to make such meals available to the masses. With over 33k followers and sold-out boxes and prep kits, Black Rican Vegan may be an infant in the food world, but it sure is making a splash. Producer & Host: Saadia Khan Associate Pro...

Saira Rao is the co-founder of and is vocal about activism, especially when it comes to politics & speaking up against anti-Black racism. We spoke to Saira and Regina Jackson, the founder of Race2Dinner, in early March 2020 about their organization. Today, we build on the conversation further. Saira has a book coming out called “White Women: Everything You Already Know about Your Own Racism & How...

Leila Milki is an award-winning Lebanese-American singer, songwriter, and classical-pop pianist. She is the talented mastermind behind “Enjoy Your Meal, " a song from Disney Junior’s Emmy-nominated series, “The Rocketeer.” Her music explores rich dualities in a contemporary pop-alternative setting. Leila’s artistry is centered around providing a healing platform for emotional and cultural empowerm...

Today we’re continuing the conversation on AAPI representation in the National Hockey League (NHL). Our guests Harnarayan Singh & Amrit Gill, are the hosts of Hockey Night Canada Punjabi. After its launch in 2008, it became the most popular non-English iteration. Harnarayan & Amrit talk about their experiences navigating this space. Harnarayan Singh is also the author of the book "One Game at a Ti...

In honor of May being the Asian and Pacific Islander Month (API), the NHL and Immigrantly joined forces to bring you two exceptional episodes celebrating the role of the API community in hockey. Today's guests are Lali Toor and Dampy Brar (NHL’s Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award recipient). They are the founders of APNA hockey. Apna Hockey, which translates to ‘our’ in Punjabi, is the first South-...

Today's guest, Irisa Xiong, founder of Innermade and a yoga practitioner, sees mindfulness and self-created potential as powerful paths to healing and growth. Much of her philosophy comes from her family and Eastern traditions and remedies. She is every bit creative and driven. She is someone who offers incredible attention and renewed views to how we take care of our bodies and what agency we hav...

Sweta Chakraborty is a renowned scientist, consultant, communicator, and activist. She has appeared on MSNBC, CBS, spoken at TedTalks, runs her own podcast and works full-time as a consultant to public and private organizations on risk management.   This episode is sponsored by Baxtor Glasses. Click on the  to get a special discount. Producer & Host: Saadia Khan Associate Producer: Kylee Roberts C...

Serena Rasoul is a writer, actress, and founder of Muslim American Casting, who, in their own words, are “creating spaces and adding new faces.” Serena has made appearances on House of Cards, Veep, and America’s Hidden Stories. I got to pick her brain on what makes representation truly authentic. This episode is sponsored by Baxtor Glasses. Click on the link below to get a special discount. https:...

Craig Doble is British. He moved to the U.S. in 2015, fell in love with his wife, a U.S. citizen, and started to settle down. However, he mistakenly didn’t fill out a page in his visa renewal application, which led to his arrest by ICE. What ensued was a series of crazy events. Some of these include being listed as the wrong race twice, accidentally opening up an investigation against a cook who w...

Diya Khanna is the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Manager at Amazon in Seattle. Diya has a Bachelors in Journalism & a Masters of Education in Anti-Racist curriculum. She is truly a global citizen and has lived and worked in Canada, the US, Singapore, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, & Japan. We spoke about diversity, food, and the importance of humility and empathy. Producer & Host: Saadia Khan Associate...

Nik Sharma is a renowned food writer, recipe developer, and photographer with Bombay roots and currently resides in LA. His entry into the food scene was his hit blog, A Brown Table. Since then, he has published two bestselling cookbooks, including The Flavor Equation, just this past October. Nik writes for San Francisco Chronicle, Serious Eats, and Food and Wine Magazine as their food columnist....

Our guest today is sure to bring an expansive perspective on the topic of accent bias. Professor Rahul Chakraborty is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist who teaches at California State University, Fullerton, in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department. As a linguist, his research has been featured in many scholarly journals, much of which has focused on accent bias's social implicat...

Sharing today, we have Karina Ambartsoumian-Clough and Ekaterina, an alias used by our guest to protect her identity. What about their situation is so unique, you may ask. Well, Karina and Ekaterina have one crucial thing in common - that is their stateless status. Karina has a birth certificate with Odesa as the birthplace, a port once under the USSR. Ekaterina immigrated to the U.S. on a Soviet...

   Shazia Sikander is a self-proclaimed citizen of the world. She is a world-renowned multidisciplinary artist whose career spans over three decades. Her work offers a more inclusive way that addresses geopolitical borders' arbitrariness & radically disrupts assumptions around national, political, & historical boundaries.    The episode is sponsored by Indiana University's Muslim Voices Project &...

Tanvi Misra is a multimedia journalist primarily focused on immigration. Her work has been featured at The Fuller Project, Bloomberg CityLab, CQ Roll Call, The Atlantic, NPR, and BBC. We had the chance to dig deep into the narratives on migration within American political discourse and touch upon how immigrant communities make sense of their layered identity. Producer & Host: Saadia Khan. Content...

Dating is complicated. But what role does identity play in it? We sat down with Andrew and Ayesha to hear their experiences navigating the dating scene while balancing racial perceptions and cultural/religious expectations. The conversation is humorous, engaging, and informative. Sit back, relax, and prepare to laugh. Producer & Host: Saadia Khan.  Content writer/Associate Producer/Co-host: Sarah...