Voices of a Highway

In our latest episode of Voices of a Highway , Vasti Pichardo, property manager for Atlanta’s Chinatown, a historical part of the Buford Highway corridor, shares what it looks like to lead with people first. What was once a quiet, underutilized space is now evolving into something much deeper, a place where small businesses are finding their footing, families are gathering, and cultures are inters...

David came to the U.S. from Thailand in 2004 to pursue graduate school. What he found along Buford Highway — access to familiar ingredients, vibrant food culture, and a sense of belonging — quietly shaped what would come next. In this episode, David reflects on immigrating from Thailand, falling in love with Buford Highway’s food corridor, and using flavor as a way to connect people across culture...

Carlo Gan, Kamayan ATL When Carlo and his wife Mia opened Kamayan ATL, they weren’t just bringing Filipino food to Atlanta. They were creating a space where culture, memory, and community could gather around one table. In this episode of Voices of a Highway , Carlo shares how a craving for home-cooked meals grew into a Michelin-recognized restaurant. From hosting family-style feasts to providing m...

Through the partnership of We Love Buford Highway and Open Table Community, Voices of a Highway returns to celebrate the people who make Atlanta’s most diverse corridor feel like home. Buford Highway is a community shaped by migration, resilience, and belonging. This series amplifies the everyday stories of neighbors, small business owners, and community leaders whose voices reflect the beauty, th...

In this episode we hear Delia Mendez-Valdez, We Love Buford Highway’s Program and Communications Coordinator. She shares her dreams and hopes for Buford Highway’s future, especially through the lens of her upbringing along the corridor. We hope you enjoy this final episode of the series Identities and Belonging. Thank you for listening to our stories this 2023. See you in 2024! Delia grew up along...

In this episode we bring back Jonathan Peraza, who has been a guest in this podcast before! Jonathan discusses his dreams for Buford Highway and how this vision is centered around building spaces that we don’t have yet. It is not only about questioning and advocating for institutions to be equitable and just, it’s also about going beyond and outside of these structures to build something new, powe...

In this episode Victoria García shares her stories about belonging on Buford Highway through the artistic medium she practices, photography. As a designer, visual artist, and community lover living along Buford Highway, Victoria shares her experiences discovering and deconstructing what art can mean, do, and foster for a community like this one. You can find Victoria on Instagram @ vlgarcia_ @ hig...

In this episode you will hear the voices of Natalia Garzón Martínez, Victoria García, Jonathan Peraza-Campos, and Delia Mendez. They come together to discuss the contradictions that exist with the term "Latinidad" and the importance of nuancing terms to include historically silenced and marginalized voices. When does fitting in become assimilation? How can we break the box instead of try...

En este episodio Lorena Castro comparte sus experiencias con la superación personal y la salud mental. Además, comparte su visión para las personas y comunidades que viven en el corredor Buford. Lorena es originaria de México y ha vivido en Atlanta desde el 2002. Desde el 2018 trabaja con las comunidades del corredor Buford y lo que más aprecia de este trabajo es aprender sobre otras culturas y po...

En este episodio hablamos con Aceli Zenil, quien comparte su historia de inmigrante con nosotros. Nos habla de la importancia de proteger y creer en los sueños y de cómo su vida en Estados Unidos ha cambiado con el pasar del tiempo. Aceli Zenil vive en Georgia desde hace 26 años y siempre le ha gustado apoyar e involucrarse en su comunidad y en las escuelas de sus hijos. A través de los años ha ap...

Join us for this English episode with Lina Vargas, creator and founder of @comadreandoatl , a social club for Latinx "Comadres" of all stripes in ATL. This conversation centers the importance of community building in private and public spaces, and centers words like "friendship," "company," and "gender." If you are interested in how to celebrate culture and...

En este episodio escucharemos las voces de Lina Vargas, Aceli Zenil, Lorena Castro y Natalia Garzón Martínez. Las cuatro mujeres comparten sus experiencias en Atlanta y hablan sobre cómo el contexto cultural de vivir en el sur de los Estados Unidos ha cambiado sus definiciones de “ser Latinas.” Abordan varios temas dentro de la noción de la cultura, incluyendo la importancia de no separar el objet...

We are bringing back one of our former guests on this podcast, Luis Andres Andino! He joined us a few months ago to talk about mental health and machismo, and now he is here to tell us the story of his upbringing on Buford Highway and how his childhood has shaped the work he does today. In this individual story, Luis shares with us what being different vs. feeling left out can look like. He takes...

En este episodio ( ¡completamente en español! ) hablamos con Ludemar Ball-Mora, quien nos comparte cómo se sintió al llegar a Estados Unidos desde Puerto Rico. Durante nuestra charla, Ludemar también habla de los idiomas, incluyendo el idioma Taíno, una lengua indígena de la familia arawak que se habló en las Antillas por la época de la conquista española. Aquí resalta la importancia de honrar y c...

In this episode we sit down with Angelica, who was one of our guests in last week's group discussion. She describes some of the places in her life that make her feel a sense of belonging. The conversation touches on finding family and building family when you are new to a city or space, and Angelica shares beautiful stories about her young adulthood and what Doraville looked like some years ag...

In this episode you will hear from Luis Andino, Angelica, Ludemar Ball-Mora and Natalia Garzón Martínez. They all spend some time discussing their definitions of Latinidad and how Atlanta has changed their sense of belonging over the years. Other topics discussed include language (loss and acquisition) for new generations of Latinos, educational gaps for communities, and much needed investments fo...

Latino identities exist beyond margaritas, taco Tuesdays, and mariachi bands. With over 21 countries and territories identifying as Latin American or Latino, and over 30 million individuals from these places living outside their country of origin and creating diasporas in many different parts of the world, Latino/Hispanic identities are important and here to stay.  In an effort to highlight these...

In this episode, Van shares her family's immigrant story. She also talks about optimism, and how she connects with people of different backgrounds. The conversation also revolves around the model minority myth, invisibility and hypervisibility and its effects on AAPI organizing, especially post the 3.16 Atlanta Spa shooting. Finally, she touches on how we can build genuine empathy with those a...

In this episode, Alina Lee talks about growing up in a primarily white neighborhood and the importance that Buford Highway had in her formation of an Asian identity. She also shares more about her journey in finding "home" and how the Asian Law Student Association at Vanderbilt helped her start her journey in community involvement here in Atlanta. *TW: conversations about racial discrimi...

In this episode, Alnory Gutlay talks about access to health for AAPI communities and the effects of the model minority myth in the public health sector. She raises important questions about accessibility and cultural awareness in the world of health equity, drawing from her own experiences as an organizer and advocate. Alnory Gutlay is a first generation Filipino. She is a community organizer and...

In this episode of the limited series AAPI Organizing in the South, five community leaders and organizers talk about organizing during COVID and what support to organizers as community members can look like. The conversation touches on intersectionality and generational divides, identity formation through organizing, and misconceptions about AAPI communities. Finally, they discuss belonging and ho...

In this episode, Ashley Mack talks about the AAPI organizing communities she is a part of and what it means to be heard at the local and national level. She reflects on what community and home can feel like and shares her experience on being an Asian woman in different spaces throughout her life, including corporate America. Ashley Mack has achieved several career breakthroughs in a short time. As...

In this episode, Bharat Bhatia shares the story of his family's immigrant background, the importance of cultural curiosity and how embracing different identities can build internal power. Bharat also discusses intersectionality and the impact it has had in his life. Bharat is a data analyst with the State of Georgia; he is passionate about fitness and is a 9-time marathon runner. He is a foodi...

In this episode, Michelle Kang talks to Jainey about her involvement in building relationships and organizing after the 3.16.2021 Atlanta Spa shootings. She also shares more about her work in encouraging Asian American History to be present in education in K-12 schools. During their conversation, Jainey and Michelle delve deeper into what it means to organize, and the effect that words like equity...

In this first episode of the limited series AAPI Organizing in the South, five community leaders and organizers talk about coordinating in times of crisis (such as the March 16 Atlanta spa shooting and the Monterey Park shooting), and how mental health awareness plays a big role in individual and collective healing to build a more unified AAPI community. The conversation includes thoughts on Asian...