Modern Minorities

"I didn't have a choice. I came out and came to the black queer community because I wanted to hide - but this community saved my life." Ian Haddock, is founder and executive director of Normal Anomaly - a Houston-based nonprofit dedicated to assisting Black, Queer+ people with overcoming barriers and ending stigmas and problematic narratives. Ian is many things — Ian Haddock is a community empath,...

“Why change Robin? It was a no brainer. It happens to a lot of bisexual people, it seemed like natural character development.” Lately all the news has been about Superman’s son Jonathan Kent coming out recently as bi-sexual in the comics - and the not so-nice reception it’s has gotten in the real world (WTF...Louis Lane?!?). But just weeks before that, ROBIN - one of the most recognizable (Queer?)...

As you know here on Modern Minorities we are all about the COVID-19 Vaccine (we've gotten all 3 - so far). When it comes to the global pandemic we still find ourselves in - we have to think about not just ourselves, but also our communities and our families.. BUT much to the dismay of our parents, we are NOT doctors - so this episode’s sponsor - the US Department of Health & Human Services - a...

It has been a long couple of weeks...months, years?  There has a lot of...stuff going on 'out there', and we're not going to lie - it’s been hard to wrap our heads - and hearts - around everything. So to find a moment to catch a breath, stop being angry, stop crying when we think too much about the terrible things happening in this world (e.g. why our children have to practice active shooter drill...

“Filipinos love spam — but wherever you look in American history, I found how little I knew.” Gabrielle Berbey is a documentary audio producer and filmmaker who's done work with the Atlantic and WNYC / NPR. She's actually one of the hosts of the critically acclaimed podcast “The Experiment” by the Atlantic. Gabby recently released a three-part mini series talking about SPAM - beyond her personal F...

“It’s not just heroics - the highest compliment one soldier can pay to another soldier is he did his job.” Larry Hama is an American comic book legend — an accomplished artist, writer, actor, and musician who’s been in the business since the 1960s. Larry is also a US Army Veteran - where he became a firearms and explosive ordnance expert. Larry’s actually best known to American comic readers as wr...

Since May is Asian American Heritage Month AND we know you already sent your mom a card for Mother's Day, we thought have a chat with some frieMMds of the Pod to go beyond everyone’s favorite question, “What’s your favorite Mom dish”. Sophie Park is a new frieMMd of the pod, original from Korea and arguably one of the top fans of my other, nerdier podcast, Quarantined Comics (co-hosted by her husb...

“There's so few of us here in Kentucky. It's a self-reflection - to be able to claim the identity as a Southerner” Dan Wu and Charlene Buckles are the hosts of the public radio / podcast “Where Y’All Really From” (on Louisville Public Media) — but in their day job, they’re upstanding professional citizens - a restauranteur and a social activist who decided to create a show about a year ago - that...

Since May is Asian American Heritage Month AND we know you already sent your mom a card for Mother's Day, we thought have a chat with some frieMMds of the Pod to go beyond everyone’s favorite question, “What’s your favorite Mom dish”. You'll remember Paresh Jha from last May's chat about India and the Delta variant, and maybe even a few Quarantined Comics episodes. Paresh shares his story about hi...

“I love doing accents - Indian, Iranian, Arab. But now stand-up allows you to go do the movie of the week and then go on stage and make fun of it.” Maz Jobrani is a comedian, actor and entertainer - who happens to be Persian, but most definitely identifies as an immigrant. His Netflix special “Immigrant” at the Kennedy Center had him doing some Arab dancing to Public Enemy, he’s given two TED talk...

“Just by osmosis you pick it up.” “Culture, heritage, and language were passed down - celebrated traditions as a community” Since it’s AAPI heritage month, Sharon & Raman decided to have a chat about OUR own personal AAPI family heritage — stories about our parents, grandparents, and how the next generation - us and our kids - interact with that history. From Mahjong games with grandma to Gran...

“People tend to be afraid of the unknown. The most dangerous thing is the illusion of knowledge. We need to have an open mind and embrace the world.” Dian Alyan is the Founder & CEO of the GiveLight Foundation (GiveLight.org) — a non-profit inspired by Islamic values to help orphans across the globe regardless of nationality, race or religion. This is actually a conversation from Raman’s other...

“Music is a force that brings us all together, wherever you’re from.” For this ENTIRE holy month of Ramadan, we wanted to hear some music by MUSLIM artists (beyond Dua Lipa, Cat Stevens, AR Rahman, and Zane Mallick) — so we’re bringing back MMusic with longtime FrieMMd of the Pod + our favorite Egyptian American from Cleveland, Seif Hamid, aka the musical artist Soof. This week we’re listening to...

"No one had seen an actual Muslim's take. But I'm an artist - if I want something done right, I can just do it myself ." Sara Alfageeh’s a Jordanian American comics creator and creative director — but mostly just a major history nerd who just really wants to draw girls with swords. Sara's the co-creator of SQUIRE - a recently released graphic novel that blends the familiar hero's journey with a un...

“Music is a force that brings us all together, wherever you’re from.” For this ENTIRE holy month of Ramadan, we wanted to hear some music by MUSLIM artists (beyond Dua Lipa, Cat Stevens, AR Rahman, and Zane Mallick) — so we’re bringing back MMusic with longtime FrieMMd of the Pod + our favorite Egyptian American from Cleveland, Seif Hamid, aka the musical artist Soof. This week we’re listening to...

“It's unfortunate because the truth is right there — and at this point we're just pretending to be asleep.” Tehran Von Ghasri is a comedian, actor, tv/radio/podcast host, and activist. Tehran is many things - half iranian, half black, half amazingly nerdy and amazing. As a comic he’s a mix of Dave Chappelle and Stephen Colbert meet Maz Jobrani. He’s actually co-hosts “Back to School with Maz Jobra...

“Music is a force that brings us all together, wherever you’re from.” For this ENTIRE holy month of Ramadan, we wanted to hear some music by MUSLIM artists (beyond Dua Lipa, Cat Stevens, AR Rahman, and Zane Mallick) — so we’re bringing back MMusic with longtime FrieMMd of the Pod + our favorite Egyptian American from Cleveland, Seif Hamid, aka the musical artist Soof. This week we’re listening to...

“We weren't the only Black Muslim family at the Masjid, but one of the few. I was just listening to what they were saying and picking up on it.” Aaliyah “Ali” Habeeb is many things — a writer, actor, producer, teacher — with numerous film / theater credits and awards: the titular role in Henry IV parts 1 & 2, Back to the Real, Surely Goodness & Mercy, Love Ya Like a Sis, and even apprentic...

“Music is a force that brings us all together, wherever you’re from.” For this ENTIRE holy month of Ramadan, we wanted to hear some music by MUSLIM artists (beyond Dua Lipa, Cat Stevens, AR Rahman, and Zane Mallick) — so we’re bringing back MMusic with longtime FrieMMd of the Pod + our favorite Egyptian American from Cleveland, Seif Hamid, aka the musical artist Soof. This week we’re listening to...

"It's about sacrifice. It's about spirituality. It's about getting closer to God.” “Ramadan is a time to better yourself — a new beginning for many things.” Ramadan Mubarak (رمضان مبارك)! Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by 1.8 BILLION Muslims worldwide. It is ~30 days of fasting, prayer, reflection and community — lasting from one crescent moon to the next. And as beau...

As the crescent moon rises and the holy month of Ramadan is upon us (April 2 - May 1), we celebrate a month of voices and perspectives who bring light to the Muslim American experience, making the fabric of our culture so much richer. Also, dates and tea (but only after dusk). Special thanks to Seif Hamid, Lena Shareef, Aaliyah Habeeb, Tehran Von Ghasri, Sara Alfageeh, and Dian Alyan for sharing....

"We need an institution that is there to protect our rights — that every kid in this country knows exists for them." Satjeet Kaur is the former Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the United States — where she’s been involved for more than a decade leading as an organizer and activist providing direct support to Sikh communities across the countr...

Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright was an American diplomat — the first female Secretary of State in US history. Madeleine was born in Czechoslovakia 1937. During her early childhood, her parents converted from Judaism to Catholicism in 1941 to avoid anti-Jewish persecution. Madeleine immigrated with her family to the United States in 1948, and became a full citizen in 1957 while a student at Wellesle...

"The idea that a person can't relate to something because it's not directly about them is a misunderstanding of who's been reading books this whole time." Mariko Tamaki is an award-winning Canadian comics creator and writer — known for works like Skim and This One Summer (with her cousin Jillian Tamaki). Her latest novel is Cold , a haunting YA novel about four students who knew too much and said...

"These stereotypes of 'nerd girls are awkward' really plays on kids' minds. The world needs to know smart women who are very strong in their thinking and perspectives." Shalini Govil-Pai is a tech and media executive at Google, who previously worked at Pixar on films like Toy Story and A Bug's Life. Shalini’s worked on partnerships across YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max - at the center of d...