Immigrantly Podcast

I recorded my interview with Gosia Labno, a couple of months ago, but I am releasing it today because of its relevance to the current discourse on immigration. When I spoke to Gosia, The Dream and American Promise ACT HR 6 was introduced. We spoke briefly about its impact. Recently the House Judiciary Committee passed HR6. With the Democratic majority in the house, it will most like pass the chambers but not move forward in the GOP controlled Senate. Nevertheless, I am excited to publish the episode at the time of a historic victory for immigration advocates and DACA recipients! Gosia Łabno is a DACA recipient, but she is rarely taken for one because she does not match the American narrative of what a DACA recipient should look like, she is a blonde blue eyed immigrant from Poland. She is also a communications specialist at a firm in Chicago and the co-founder of KULTURA, an online magazine profiling changemakers to inspire those "who will undoubtedly follow." Gosia holds an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Media and Cinema Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We talk to Gosia about the challenges she faces as a DACA recipient and her hope for the future.  You can support the pod by clicking on the link below https://www.gofundme.com/the-alien-chronicles-pod

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Immigration has been a contentious topic in the United States for a few years now. However, the dialogue has, for some time, focused on legal vs. illegal immigration. In very recent years, the focus has shifted not only to criminalizing illegal immigration into the United States but also curtailing legal migration altogether. We see this in the current discussion around asylum seekers, especially those who are migrating from Central America trying to escape horrid conditions. Our next guest is Jorge Valencia. Jorge is the Mexico correspondent from KJZZ Phoenix. He joined the station in August 2016 as it's first senior field correspondent based in Mexico City. His reporting focuses on the business and economics between Arizona and Mexico. He has been the recipient of multiple journalism awards for his work in radio and in newspapers.  Jorge has seen first-hand the hardships that asylum seekers on our Southern border have to face to migrate into the United States. Since my interview with Jorge, two more migrant kids, one of them only 2½-year-old, died after crossing the border, becoming five minors known to have died after being detained by the Border Patrol since December.

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"What's in Name" is a special edition of The Alien Chronicles Podcast. It centers on the discussion around how some people who migrate to America change their names to more mainstream American names. 

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In this episode, Saadia Khan talks to a Syrian refugee living in Berlin. Thair Orfahli grew up in Syria, in a middle-class family. His childhood was relatively normal, and he was studying law in Lebanon when the Syrian war broke out, what ensued was a series of fateful events which led him to leave everything behind, risk his life by riding a flimsy boat across the Mediterranean to get to Germany and seek asylum. He is a refugee who was granted political asylum in Germany. His story is that of resilience, heroism and unfettered conviction in the face of unprecedented adversity. 

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Saadia interviews Jade Chang. Jade is the author of The Wangs vs. the World. The book has been named a New York Times Editors Choice as well as best Book of the Year by Amazon, Buzzfeed, NPR, and others. Jade has appeared on national programs and she has spoken to audiences at universities and book festivals. According to NPR "Her book is unrelentingly fun, but it is also raw and profane—a story of fierce pride, fierce anger, and even fiercer love." She is also the contributing writer to The Good Immigrant USA. Her essay titled "How to Center Your Story" is the perfect ending to the book. They talk about her writing, the notion of the American Dream and how Jade felt "othered" after the 2016 elections. Become a supporter of this podcast:

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Priya Minhas is a writer and producer from London. Her writing explores South Asian immigrant identity. Priya is a contributing writer to The Good Immigrant USA, an American edition of an award-winning best-selling anthology exploring race.  Her writing is featured in BuzzFeed, Burnt Roti, Kajal Magazine and Brown Girl Magazine. She is currently based in New York where she works with artists producing and directing original music content at Vevo. Saadia talks to Priya about her writing, her dual identity and things that matter! Become a supporter of this podcast:

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Huda Al-Marashi is the Iraqi-American author of First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story, a book the Washington Post called "a charming, funny, heartbreaking memoir of faith, family, and the journey to love. If Jane Austen had grown up as a first-gen daughter of Iraqi parents in the 1990s, she might have written this.” Her other writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the LA Times, al Jazeera, Refinery 29, the Offing and elsewhere.  Huda currently resides in California with her husband and three children. We talk about her book and her take on marriage, and relationships.  Become a supporter of this podcast:

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In this episode, Saadia talks to Chimene Suleyman. Chimene is the editor of The Good Immigrant USA, and a contributing writer to the original best-selling award-winning British anthology The Good Immigrant (Unbound, 2016). Chimene’s work has also appeared in the Guardian, Independent, IBTimes, The Quietus,  News night, BBC Radio 4’s Today Program, NPR, and Sky news. Chimene and Saadia talk about the intersectionality between gender and race. Chimene explains how she felt embarrassed about her parents' culture, when she was growing up in London and how she has come to embrace her identity as a Muslim woman of color. They laugh about Saadia's obsession with Chimene's twitter feed, which in Saadia's opinion is very informative and bold! Become a supporter of this podcast:

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Beth Schuman and Nizar Farsakh are part of an organization called Combatants for Peace.The egalitarian, bi-national, grassroots organization was founded on the belief that the cycle of violence can only be broken when Israelis and Palestinians join forces. Committed to joint nonviolence since its foundation, CFP works to both transform and resolve the conflict by ending Israeli occupation and all forms of violence between the two sides and building a peaceful future for both peoples. Nizar Farsakh is a Palestinian immigrant, he is a trainer, private consultant, and public speaker who focuses his work around leadership, negotiation and advocacy. Beth Schuman is the Executive Director of American Friends of Combatants for Peace. She has worked with the movement for two and a half years, forming the American organization a year and a half ago Become a supporter of this podcast:

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Saadia Khan changes the format for this episode. She introduces three immigrant stories. Each immigrant shares their experiences in the US in their own words from a different vantage point. You will hear from them what it's like to be an immigrant in the US. Each perspective is unique in that it unravels the complexities of being an immigrant through the lens of the narrator without any leading questions or any set direction.   

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