Brooklyn to Beijing Podcast

The United States + NATO have withdrawn their forces from Afghanistan and ended a 20 year long war. Many experts believe it will create a range of opportunities and risks for regional security and economic development. Iordan Mentore interviews Jason Li of the Stimson Center to discuss 1) Beijing’s emerging role in regional crisis management and peacebuilding. 2) The security implications for China’s Xinjiang Policy & China’s interests across the African continent. 3) Domestic Cinese reactions to China’s Afghanistan foreign policy

Iordan Mentore speaks with Kadallah Burrowes (they/them), an interactive Media Artist, writer and technologist about their experiences living in China. This episode touches on a range of topics including their creative journey across the US and China at museums, conferences, and even nightclubs.

Iordan Mentore speaks with Zifeng Liu, aan intellectual historian Africana world with specializations in Black internationalism, anticolonial thought, and Afro-Asian solidarity. His current projects "Redrawing the Balance of Power: Black Left Feminists, Mao’s China, and the Making of an Afro-Asian Political Imaginary" explores how Black leftist women’s understandings of race, class, gender, sexuality, and empire evolved as they sought Afro-Chinese solidarity within often difficult geopolitical contexts. This episode touches on a range of topics that introduce Claudio Jones and discusses her view on nuclear weapons and her attempts to link Beijing’s nuclear project to global anti-imperialist movements.

Nnenia Muhammad- Stephens is a an incredible lifestyle youtuber from Phoenix, Arizona. After graduating from college in 2016 she opted out of the traditional route and became a flight attendant shortly after. As she adjusted to adulthood and began her personal journey in search of self and true freedom, her journey took her to Taiwan.. February of 2019 she landed in Taiwan, to work as an English teacher, a role that catalyzed major life changes and personal growth. Today, Nnenia and her husband are based in the NY/NJ tristate area and are working on getting their education related company off the ground.

Iordan Mentore speaks with Chang Che, SupChina’s Business & Technology staff writer about China’s past vocal support for black lives matter and its implications for US foreign policy and the BLM movement. Chang’s work has been published in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, Nikkei Asia, and The LA Review of Books.

Iordan Mentore interviews Cleopatra Wise, the Director for Asia Society's Center for Global Education, China Learning Initiatives (CLI) about her experiences as a black woman in China and why black Americans may have their strongest connection with Africa through China. She is responsible for managing the CLI team and executing programs that promote Chinese language learning among young people in the United States.Before joining Asia Society, Cleopatra served as an International Program Manager at Peking University for seven years. During her time there, she spearheaded the school's global outreach and special initiatives.

Learn more about our Podcast and stay tuned for Episode 1!