Banterly

Maytha Alhassen is a multi-hyphenated career woman and activist. She is a staff writer on Hulu's show Ramy. She also teaches, she is a yogi and reporter, and the list goes on. Her journey is as fascinating as her bold sense of purpose, and along the way, she taught us a few things about artistry, vision, and healing. Produced by Saadia Khan   Written by Yudi Liu, Saadia Khan   Edited by Tom Whelan   Music by Evan Ray Suzuki

Our today's guest is Maliha Abidi. She is an artist who uses her work to shed light on critical social issues and celebrate the women who are leading them. Last year, she compiled these portraits to honor 50 inspirational Pakistani women from various walks of life in a book titled, Pakistan for Women. She represents the Generation Z mindset in the most eloquent manner. Produced by Saadia Khan   Written by Sarah Doh, Saadia Khan   Edited by Tom Whalen   Music by Evan Ray Suzuki

Zohran Kwame Mamdani is an Indian-Ugandan New Yorker, housing counselor, a democratic socialist, and a candidate to represent Astoria, NY in the State Assembly.  Zohran ran his campaign for the State Assembly on the grounds of guaranteeing housing to all New Yorkers, desegregate the schools, fund and fix the MTA, and apply critical changes to the criminal justice system such as eliminating cash bail and banning solitary confinement. Check it out. Produced by Saadia Khan   Written by Sarah Doh, Saadia Khan   Edited by Tom Whalen   Music by Evan Ray Suzuki

Today's guest, DJ Bembona is taking the New York music scene by storm. Her sets are known for their infectious Afro-diasporic tracks. At the core of her work, she is an activist. She uses her sounds to empower by bridging the gap between communities of color, activism, and generations. Her sets offer a space for healing, movement, joy, and liberation for black and brown communities. When she’s not DJ Bembona, she is Xiomara. A Brooklyn-Native who continues to advocate for marginalized communities through her daily work.

Welcome back to Season 7 of Immigrantly. Our today’s guest is Shruti Ganguly. She is an award-winning filmmaker whose work has been featured globally, at festivals like Sundance, Venice, and AFI. Shruti recently launched her own production company honto88 and its clients are just as impressive, including media outlets like MTV. Behind the glitz and the glam is just your neighborly, city girl with intense wonder and drive. Shruti believes in creating art that is brave and purposeful, which shows the strength of women and other minority communities. She is no doubt making a huge wave. Her journey to this present moment is like ours, complicated and far from straight. Check out her story!

81 Episodes later, we are gearing up to release our 7th Season of Immigrantly on June 30th.  81 conversations that have challenged the archaic stereotypes of what it means to be an immigrant, a child of immigrants, a person of color, and everything in between. And we’re far from being done. We have so many more conversations that we’re excited to share with you. Thanks for coming on this journey with us. We can’t wait for you to hear Season 7.

The focus of today’s episode is on the entertainment industry. Leading the battle from within for inclusion and accountability is Sue Obeidi, director of MPAC’s (Muslim Public Affairs Council) Hollywood Bureau, our guest today on Immigrantly. We spoke to Sue about her role at MPAC, Hollywood's representation of minority communities, tips on how consumers can become mindful of the content they are watching.

How do we navigate spaces in which we can have access to some privileges but not others? How can anyone claim their identity without first recognizing their entitlement?  Today, We will do a deep dive on these topics with Layla Saad. She is an esteemed writer, speaker, and podcast host. Layla is the author of the New York Times Bestselling book,  Me and White Supremacy, providing the tools to go inwards as you begin to unpack how you benefit from and further white supremacy. It’s not only for white people. The exercises are formatted so that anyone who benefits from white privilege can do the work as well. Outside of the book, Layla is the host of the “Good Ancestor Podcast,” where she facilitates conversations on the intersections of race, feminism, identity, spirituality, and leadership to foster social change.

Today on Immigrantly, we welcome an exceptional guest who is all about the environment and fighting for mother earth as our home. Gelareh Darabi is an environmental correspondent for the National Geographic Channel and Al Jazeera. She grew up with lakes, forests, islands as her playground and now fights for their health and existence today. She is an activist, a journalist, a filmmaker, yet what I see as most core to her identity is her familial connection to this planet. I am inspired by Gelareh’s passion and the way it drives her work. I hope for those listening that Gelareh’s story and this conversation draws you to your feet and that you feel a newfound appreciation for our earth.

A first-time candidate running for office to represent Queens in the House of Representatives, Sandra Choi joins a wave of progressive newcomers, hoping to ignite change at the most direct level. A lifelong Queens resident, Sandra is running her campaign on economic and social equality. These issues are close to her heart because they are her lived experiences. A child of immigrants, she grew up working class. She and her brother were raised by her grandmother, who lived with Parkinson’s disease, while her parents worked nonstop to make ends meet. And now, she’s channeling those experiences to advocate for the most vulnerable in her home borough.