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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.    

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Catherine Kapphahn’s mother, Marijana, died of ovarian cancer when Catherine was only 22. she found herself cut off from the past she never really knew. Born and raised in America, Catherine realized that she knew very little of her Croatian mother’s early life. As Catherine searches for clues to her mother’s elusive history, she discovers that Marijana was orphaned during WWII, nearly died as a teenager, and escaped from Communist Yugoslavia to Rome, and then South America. Through travel and memory, history and imagination, Catherine resurrects the relatives she's never known. But how does collective memory exist between mothers and daughters? And what does it mean to find wholeness? These are the questions that Catherine explores in her book, Immigrant Daughter: Stories You Never Told Me. 

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Our guest for today's show is Yara Elmjouie. Yara’s production “In Real Life”  is structured in short documentaries on conversations around food, from its flavors to its history to its sociopolitical implications. These episodes are abundant in wacky dishes and comical relief, just as they are tuned to discussions on what food means to identity and community. Besides his evident passion for cooking and sharing that passion with others, Yara is also politically involved. His journalism is imbued with themes of heritage and culture, how immigrants preserve and redefine theirs in the larger context of America and this global world.

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Our guest for today's show is Iram Parveen Bilal. She is a creator. A Physics-Olympian-turned-filmmaker, she wears eight rings on her body and appreciates honesty. She is an enabler who focuses on thought-provoking stories that are socially impactful and envision an inclusive world. All of these statements were provided by her. When someone uses these words to describe themself, you know that the art they produce is going to be interesting and thought-provoking. What more could you expect from someone who believes that “genuine curiosity is the antidote to fear?”  Iram’s films have addressed issues like feudalism, youth movements, cultural stigma, generational ties, and poverty. The interdisciplinary nature of her work has received praise for tackling these complex issues while incorporating an exciting degree of mystery and thrill.Her latest film is " I’ll Meet You There,” a story that follows the father-daughter journey of Majeed, a Chicago policeman, and Dua, his teenage ballerina daughter as he goes undercover in a mosque for a special FBI assignment.

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Aysha Khan is an award-winning journalist whose work is rapidly changing the narrative around Muslims in America and around the world.  What’s most impressive about her work is its justice-oriented nature. Aysha has dove headfirst into controversial, uncomfortable subjects that uplift the voices of marginalized communities. It’s daring and brave. Her work has covered federal anti-extremism programs, Muslim women spiritual abuse, a Uighur woman for her father's release from detention in China, and Muslim-led funds. She is also the founder of the newsletter, “Creeping Sharia,” which compiles the latest and greatest journalism on Muslims to help you understand the political, cultural, religious, and social landscape of American Muslims.

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Today we welcome a special guest, one who you might say shares a similar role as me, talking to people, researching stories, and broadcasting them to the public. His name is Latif Nasser. Most visibly, Nasser is the Director of Research at WNYC’s Radiolab, and he recently launched a podcast series called "The Other Latif" about his namesake, a detainee at Guantanamo held for his alleged involvement with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. For those who are finding they now have a bit more free time on their hands, it’s the perfect midday pick me up. Pour yourself some tea and be carried away. This story will no doubt transport you through other dimensions, thoughts, and emotions.

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Our today’s guest is She is someone who has lived through some of history’s most defining moments. Her early childhood took place in the heels of the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979. She remembers attending school and swearing her allegiance to revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhullah Khomeini and being encouraged by her teacher to report her parents if they did “bad things” like listening to music, drinking wine, and speaking poorly of Khomeini.  But at the age of six, this course of life was altered when her family uprooted them to a suburb of Los Angeles. Reeling with culture shock and speaking no English, she had to learn to construct a new life and identity in this new country that was rapidly-changing to reflect the ideals of the Reagan administration.  Nineteen years later, after a life-altering moment, she returned to Iran to rebuild her relationship with the culture and identity that was lost. A little while later, she wrote a memoir, to document her experiences. Parnaz shares her journey of self-discovery with us.

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