Change Agents The Podcast

Katika sehemu hii, Emma Yaaka, mkimbizi kutoka Uganda na mtetezi wa jamii, anaeleza jinsi habari za uongo zinavyoenea kupitia mitandao ya wakimbizi na wahamiaji na madhara halisi yanayoweza kutokea. Kuanzia makundi ya WhatsApp hadi TikTok na YouTube, hofu inaweza kuenea haraka, ikichochea maamuzi kuhusu afya, usalama, na hata kuhama. Emma anafanya kazi na jamii yake kusubiri, kuhakiki, na kupata habari katika mazingira ambapo uaminifu ni mdogo na hatari ni kubwa. Wataalamu Dkt. Zach McDowell wa UIC na Dkt. Michael Spikes wa NU-Medill wanaelezea kwa nini kutofautisha kati ya habari zisizo sahihi (misinformation) na habari za uongo za makusudi (disinformation) ni muhimu — na kwa nini mahusiano yanayoaminika yanaweza kuleta tofauti kubwa. 

Kipindi hiki kimetayarishwa na Grace Asiegbu, sehemu hii inachunguza jinsi habari za kidijitali, hofu, na jamii zinavyokutana katika maisha ya wakimbizi. Kipindi hiki kimetayarishwa na Grace Asiegbu @epitome_of_grace kwa ajili ya Reparations Media NFP | Kwa ushirikiano na Emma Yaaka na U.S. Refugee Integration Organization.

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In this episode, Emma Yaaka, a Ugandan refugee and community advocate, shares how misinformation spreads through refugee and migrant networks and the real consequences it can have. From WhatsApp groups to TikTok and YouTube, fear can travel fast, shaping decisions about health, safety, and even relocation. Emma works with his community to pause, verify, and navigate information in an environment where trust is fragile, and stakes are high. Experts Dr. Zach McDowell of UIC and Dr. Michael Spikes of NU-Medill explain why distinguishing misinformation from disinformation matters — and why trusted connections can make all the difference. 

Produced by Grace Asiegbu, this episode explores how digital information, fear, and community intersect in the lives of refugees. Produced by Grace Asiegbu @epitome_of_grace for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with Emma Yaaka and U.S. Refugee Integration Organization.

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Editor’s note: This episode was recorded before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on birthright citizenship. On June 30, 2026, in Trump v. Barbara, the Court struck down the executive order 6–3, affirming that children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment. The concerns Fatima describes reflect the uncertainty her community lived with while that case was pending. For stateless families like hers, the ruling does not resolve their own lack of citizenship — that path remains closed. 

Twenty-six-year-old Fatima is a stateless Rohingya Muslim who fled Myanmar in 2017. A state-sanctioned campaign of genocide against Rohingya forced her family to seek refuge in a camp in Bangladesh. They later settled in Chicago through the United Nations Refugee Agency in 2019. Through Fatima’s memories of Ramadan, this story shows how faith, community, and hope help Rohingya families rebuild a sense of belonging.

The Rohingya were made stateless by Myanmar’s 1982 Citizenship Act. In August 2017, a military campaign drove more than 700,000 people into Bangladesh; the United States formally determined in March 2022 that this violence constituted genocide and crimes against humanity. Seven years after resettling in Chicago, Fatima’s family still has no country and no clear path to citizenship — but at an iftar table on the city’s North Side, they found a community that speaks their language.

Produced by Bing Wang @bingwangnews for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with Rohingya Cultural Center of Chicago @rohingya_center_of_chicago 

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In this episode, Emma Yaaka, a Ugandan refugee and community advocate, shares how misinformation spreads through refugee and migrant networks and the real consequences it can have. From WhatsApp groups to TikTok and YouTube, fear can travel fast, shaping decisions about health, safety, and even relocation. Emma works with his community to pause, verify, and navigate information in an environment where trust is fragile, and stakes are high. Experts Dr. Zach McDowell of UIC and Dr. Michael Spikes of NU-Medill explain why distinguishing misinformation from disinformation matters — and why trusted connections can make all the difference. Hosted by Grace Asiegbu, this episode explores how digital information, fear, and community intersect in the lives of refugees.

Produced by Grace Asiegbu @epitome_of_grace for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with Emma Yaaka and U.S. Refugee Integration Organization

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Wakati Wote: Kazi ya Makazi (Always On: The Work of Resettlement)

Baada ya kukimbia Uganda ili kuepuka kifungo cha maisha kwa sababu ya utambulisho wake, Adam aliwasili Chicago akiwa hana kitu isipokuwa uzoefu wake wa kazi ya kijamii. Leo hii, anahudumu kama daraja muhimu kwa wahamiaji wa LGBTQ+ wanaokabiliana na kiwewe, urasimu, na hofu zile zile alizowahi kukumbana nazo. Hadithi hii inachunguza jinsi utafutaji wa amani wa mtu mmoja ulivyokuwa utume wa saa 24 kuhakikisha hakuna mwingine anayelazimika kupitia mchakato wa makazi peke yake. 

Katika hadithi hii ya sauti, tunachunguza makutano ya uhamiaji wa kimataifa na haki za LGBTQ+ kupitia sauti za wanajamii walioathirika moja kwa moja na wataalamu wa makazi. Inajumuisha mahojiano na Adam, maelezo ya kihistoria kuhusu sheria za enzi za ukoloni, na ripoti kutoka mstari wa mbele wa makazi jijini Chicago.

Imetayarishwa na Nadia Carolina Hernandez [@naddixo] kwa ajili ya Reparations Media NFP | Kwa ushirikiano na HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) [@HIASrefugees]

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After fleeing Uganda to escape a life sentence for his identity, Adam arrived in Chicago with nothing but his background in social work. Today, he serves as a vital bridge for LGBTQ+ migrants navigating the same trauma, bureaucracy, and fear he once faced. This story explores how one person’s search for peace became a 24/7 mission to ensure no one else has to navigate the resettlement process alone.

In this audio story, we explore the intersection of global migration and LGBTQ+ rights through the voices of directly impacted community members and resettlement experts. Featuring interviews with Adam, archival context on colonial-era laws, and reporting from the resettlement frontlines in Chicago.

Produced by Nadia Carolina Hernandez (@naddixo) for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) (@HIASrefugees)

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The Illinois Accountability Commission begins patching up Operation Midway Blitz wounds, though preventative mechanisms remain deficient

Operation Midway Blitz exposed deep flaws in federal oversight — and made Illinois the first state to investigate federal agents.

This audio feature examines Operation Midway Blitz through the voices of an affected Evanston resident, an asylum and immigration law expert, and Governor Pritzker’s Illinois Accountability Commission (IAC). The accountability-focused story investigates the operation’s aftermath, including how it exposed systemic flaws within the federal government. It also reports on recovery and reconstruction efforts through IAC's response and its unprecedented decision to become the first state to investigate federal law enforcement conduct.

Featuring eyewitness Jennifer Moriarty, DePaul asylum and immigration law expert Sioban Albiol, and IAC Vice Chair Patricia Brown Holmes — with a closing word from Gov. JB Pritzker. 

Produced by Caitlin Walsh @caitlinhwalsh for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with DePaul Asylum & Immigration Law Clinic @DePaulLaw

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English (Creole to come)

There is a fear many parents hold on to but rarely say out loud: the possibility of being separated from their child. For one Haitian mother facing deportation, that fear is now a reality.

"M" fled gang violence in Port-au-Prince while eight months pregnant, arriving in the U.S. by boat with only a cell phone and birth certificate. After her asylum case was denied, hindered by language barriers and lack of legal representation, she now wears an ankle monitor—a constant reminder that she could be separated from her four-year-old U.S. citizen daughter at any time.

This investigation reveals how not speaking English, not having legal support, and not knowing how the immigration system works can change the course of immigrant lives—and tear families apart.

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In April of 2003, rural McHenry County began a politically and financially volatile relationship with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by contracting to house immigration detainees at the McHenry County Jail in Woodstock, Illinois.  The relationship quickly exposed local residents to the horrors of immigrant detention, but knowledge of the facility was a well-kept secret. In 2020, that relationship was thrust into the public spotlight due to the COVID pandemic and the racially motivated murder of George Floyd.  As seen through the eyes of local organizers, this episode of Change Agents will immerse listeners in the almost 20-year fight to end immigrant detention in McHenry County.

Produced by Carlos Acosta @phoenixbilingual | for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with Coalition to Cancel ICE in McHenry County @ICEoutofMcHenryCounty

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There is a fear many parents hold on to but rarely say out loud: the possibility of being separated from their child. For one Haitian mother facing deportation, that fear is now a reality.

"M" fled gang violence in Port-au-Prince while eight months pregnant, arriving in the U.S. by boat with only a cell phone and birth certificate. After her asylum case was denied, hindered by language barriers and lack of legal representation, she now wears an ankle monitor—a constant reminder that she could be separated from her four-year-old U.S. citizen daughter at any time.

This investigation reveals how not speaking English, not having legal support, and not knowing how the immigration system works can change the course of immigrant lives—and tear families apart.

Produced by Obed Lamy @obedlamy for Reparations Media NFP | Translation: Edine Celestin | In collaboration with Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti and immigration advocates 

❤️ Support the Mission: DONATE TODAY

 Don’t miss out — subscribe today and be part of the movement!

Support the show

After fleeing Uganda to escape a life sentence for his identity, Adam arrived in Chicago with nothing but his background in social work. Today, he serves as a vital bridge for LGBTQ+ migrants navigating the same trauma, bureaucracy, and fear he once faced. This story explores how one person’s search for peace became a 24/7 mission to ensure no one else has to navigate the resettlement process alone.

In this audio story, we explore the intersection of global migration and LGBTQ+ rights through the voices of directly impacted community members and resettlement experts. Featuring interviews with Adam, archival context on colonial-era laws, and reporting from the resettlement frontlines in Chicago.

Produced by Nadia Carolina Hernandez [@naddixo] for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) [@HIASrefugees] 

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When buses of immigrants from Texas and Florida arrived in Chicago in the summer of 2022, the Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti (a local organization led by members of the Haitian diaspora) stepped in to help. The group has supported nearly 350 Haitian families who fled gang violence in Haiti as they began rebuilding their lives in the United States. 

As ICE operations have increased across the country under the Trump administration, the organization has continued to help families navigate the complex immigration system, access resources, and stay safe. 

In this episode, we speak with the organization's executive director about the challenges of supporting Haitian migrants and what continues to drive their work. 

Produced by Obed Lamy obedlamy.com for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with the Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti Haitian Congress.org

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