Immigrantly

Hey Immigrantly family! As we are working hard to get you some excellent content in the coming days, I also recognize we have some new listeners. Therefore, I thought, why not share something incredible from the Immigrantly vault? And I couldn’t think of a better episode than my interview with Marla Louissaint. This interview was first published in August 2021, over a year ago. In the interview, you will also hear from our then-associate producer, Kylee Roberts, who no longer works with us but is dearly missed every day. The conversation focuses on religion, racial justice, family values, and much more! I hope you enjoy it. Join the conversation: Instagram @immigrantlypod | Twitter @immigrantly_pod |  Please share the love and leave us a review to help more people find us! Host & Executive Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Sarah Doh I Editorial Review: Yudi Liu I Associate Producer: Kylee Roberts I Sound Designer & Editor: Manni Simon & Breanna Steggell I Immigrantly Theme Music: Evan Ray Suzuki I Other Music: Epidemic Sounds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ruby Jaffrey is a talented, contemporary calligraphy artist who has exhibited her artwork worldwide, including in London, LA, New York, and Karachi. Like many of us who rely on art for expression and play, Ruby describes hers as celebrations of color, spirituality, faith, and stylistic zeitgeist.    Ruby specializes in Arabic script and modern Islamic art. Visual art, calligraphy, and architecture are a massive part of Islamic culture, as seen in the vibrant and striking building designs of mosques and historical sites. However, there is a particular focus within the religion on the beauty of calligraphy and poetry– in Arabic, Urdu, and Farsi. Throughout our conversation, I was struck by how Ruby talked about art. She regarded it as a process with so much power and spirit.     Join the conversation: Instagram @immigrantlypod | Twitter @immigrantly_pod |  Please share the love and leave us a review to help more people find us! Host & Executive Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer:  Saadia Khan & Ziya Jaffrey I Editorial Review: Yudi Liu I Sound Designer & Editor: Manni Simon I Immigrantly Theme Music: Evan Ray Suzuki I Other Music: Epidemic Sounds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest, Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada, is a Colombian-American athlete, activist, and environmental sociologist who is always on the move. From the freezing valleys of Alaska to the cloud forests of Colombia, Vanessa spends her days' hiking, skiing, mountaineering, running, and ice skating through beautiful landscapes.  But at the same time, her travels go beyond mere wanderlust. Through her work as an environmental sociologist, Vanessa encourages everyone to remember the social and cultural dynamics of the environment. What is our relationship to the outdoors? How can everyone enjoy what the world offers regardless of identity, location, or economic status? And perhaps most importantly, how do we preserve our planet for the future? Join the conversation: Instagram @immigrantlypod | Twitter @immigrantly_pod |  Please share the love and leave us a review to help more people find us! Host & Executive Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Michaela Strauther I Editorial Review: Kylee Roberts I Sound Designer & Editor: Manni Simon I Immigrantly Theme Music: Evan Ray Suzuki I Other Music: Epidemic Sounds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest is Israa Nasir, a psychotherapist, and mental health educator. She is the founder of Well. Guide, a digital mental wellness brand on Instagram. Situated at the cross-section of technology and mental healthcare, Israa specializes in applying her knowledge of working with intersectional identities to improve the framing and delivery of mental healthcare to BIPOC individuals. Israa and I talk about the concept of boundaries or lack thereof in certain cultures but, more importantly, the process of setting boundaries, from boundaries in work life to our relationships, romantic, familial, and beyond. Israa helps me navigate these cultural ties. By the end of this session, I  have a better idea of how to approach these conversations! Join the conversation: Instagram @immigrantlypod | Twitter @immigrantly_pod |  Please share the love and leave us a review to help more people find us! Host & Executive Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer:  Saadia Khan & Ziya Jaffrey I Editorial Review: Yudi Liu I Sound Designer & Editor: Manni Simon I Immigrantly Theme Music: Evan Ray Suzuki I Other Music: Epidemic Sounds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is an expert on self-expression-Taiwanese-born Romana Lai, a renowned editorial makeup artist who has worked with many of the fashion industry’s leading names and publications, including Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. In addition, she has worked on shows for New York Fashion Week, French Connection, FCUK, and many others. She is also a published author: her book ‘New York Style’ is a worldwide best seller. I am so happy to welcome Romana to Immigrantly today!  Join the conversation: Instagram @immigrantlypod | Twitter @immigrantly_pod |  Please share the love and leave us a review to help more people find us! Host & Executive Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Ziya Jaffrey & Saadia Khan I Editorial Review: Kylee Roberts I Sound Designer & Editor: Manni Simon I Immigrantly Theme Music: Evan Ray Suzuki I Other Music: Epidemic Sounds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest Michelle Li is a broadcaster, founder of the "Very Asian Movement" &  Foundation and author of the upcoming book ‘A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food’. The "Very Asian movement" initially started as a hashtag in which other members of the Asian diaspora share solidarity with Michelle and united in a means of sharing Asian pride. Michelle's book is another response to the initial bigotry that she faced. Set to be published in October this year. "A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food" is a children's book detailing many traditional and modern Korean staples, with pronounciation guides for each. In the book, you can also find descriptions of the origins and customary means of preparation of different dishes, brought to life with colorful illustrations. Join the conversation: Instagram | Twitter |  Please share the love and leave us a review to help more people find us! Host & Executive Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Ziya JaffreyI Editorial Review: Yudi Liu ISound Designer & Editor: Manni Simon I Immigrantly Theme Music: Evan Ray Suzuki I Other Music: Epidemic Sounds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Today's guest is Mathangi Subramanian. She is an award-winning writer of adult, young adult, and children's stories. But, just as she runs the gambit in authorship, she is also a former policy analyst and public school teacher. Her book "Dear Mrs. Naidu," which won the South Asia Book Award, is her most notable young adult work. Her recent book is "A People's History of Heaven," about five girls in the slum of Bangalore, India. Today, we talk about Mathangi's experience in the field of education, how it has become politicized, how books are vehicles for sharing lived experiences, and what it means to foster a curiosity for reading.  Join the conversation: Instagram @immigrantlypod | Twitter @immigrantly_pod |  Please share the love and leave us a review to help more people find us! Host & Executive Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Yudi Liu I Sound Designer & Editor: Manni Simon I Immigrantly Theme Music: Evan Ray Suzuki I Other Music: Epidemic Sounds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode is in collaboration with the Oyate Group, a community-driven foundation dedicated to empowering youth and small businesses across New York City with career support and critical resources. One of their initiatives is the "Beyond Rising" internship program in partnership with the "Center for Engaged Community Learning."   From a competitive pool of candidates who identify as undocumented, twenty students are selected and provided with funds and resources to aid in their journeys into the workforce.  Joining us in the studio, we have two wonderful students who participated in the program: 17-year-old Shayla Leticia Victoria Valdez and 17-year-old & Eistgcher D' Jesús Ogando Parache.  Our guests are high school students in New York City. We talk about their experience at the internship, their hobbies, and how they engage in self-care.   Join the conversation: Instagram | Twitter |  Please share the love and leave us a review to help more people find us! Host & Executive Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Ziya Jaffrey & Saadia Khan I Interpreter: LymarieI Editorial Review: Yudi Liu ISound Designer & Editor: Manni Simon I Immigrantly Theme Music: Evan Ray Suzuki I Other Music: Epidemic Sounds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest, Elaine Castillo, is the author of the newly released book "How to Read Now: Essays," which attempts to observe American books and movies through a BIPOC lens. Elaine takes a close look at TV shows like "The Watchmen" and writings from Joan Didion to explore the politics of reading and how to read with intent.  Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she graduated from UC Berkeley and obtained her MA in Creative Life and Writing at the University of London, Elaine is a second-generation Filipino American. Her parents migrated from the Philippines in the 70s during the Marcos dictatorship, a story that inspired her 2018 debut novel, "America is NOT the Heart." Praised by NPR, The Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, and others, Castillo's book follows Hero, a Filipino immigrant born to an established family and later radicalized during the Marcos Regime, and her escape to the Bay Area after being captured and tortured by the dictatorship.  Join the conversation: Instagram @immigrantlypod | Twitter @immigrantly_pod |  Please share the love and leave us a review to help more people find us! Host & Executive Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Ashley Lanuza & Saadia Khan I Editorial Review: Yudi Li I Sound Designer & Editor: Manni Simon I Immigrantly Theme Music: Evan Ray Suzuki I Other Music: Epidemic Sounds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode is the second part of our two-part series. If you are tuning in now, please be sure to listen to the first part of this series titled "Human Rights be Damned-Part One." In the episode, I had a stimulating and insightful conversation with our guest, Rana Ayyub, the widely known Washington journalist and columnist. In our discussion, we talked about the human rights violations occurring in India along with a broader conversation surrounding foreign response or, as discussed in the episode, the lack of response. Today I talk with Brent Huffman, an American director, writer, and cinematographer. His work has been featured on Netflix, Discovery Channel, The National Geographic Channel, VICE, NBC, CNN, PBS, Time, The New York Times, Al Jazeera America, and Al Jazeera English and premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), and many other U.S. and international film festivals. He is also a Professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where he teaches documentary production and theory.  His new documentary, "Strands of Resistance" (2021), examining China's economic relationship with Pakistan, premiered on Vice and Vice News Tonight. An episode of the documentary "Uyghurs Who Fled China Now Face Repression in Pakistan" won a Rory Peck Award in the Best News Feature category at the British Film Institute in London in 2021. Given Brent's firsthand experience in China, filming this documentary Today's episode will center on what's happening in China to Uyghurs and Pakistan's response or lack thereof. Join the conversation: Instagram @immigrantlypod | Twitter @immigrantly_pod |  Please share the love and leave us a review to help more people find us! Host & Executive Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Sana Khan & Saadia KhanI Sound Designer & Editor: Manni Simon I Immigrantly Theme Music: Evan Ray Suzuki I Other Music: Epidemic Sounds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices