Immigration MIC

Welcome Jhoana Monroy (@jhoanajojo) from Portland, Oregon to the @immigrationmicpodcast!

In this interview we talk about:

Johana’s work resisting, challenging, and dismantling “oppressive systems” through creative avenues.

Her relationship with her parents and coming to the U.S to live the “American Dream”, and not recognizing her father as a young girl at times.

Attending a school that specialized in dual language programs, the social worker whose generosity inspired Johana’s current work in mentoring.

How moving to a “white” community with different educational systems led to bad influences, and how going to an alternative school, becoming a young mom, and her brother’s deportation led her to her current path.

Joining Momentum Alliance (@getyourmomentum) and later on being recruited/ inspired by someone who was “undocumented, unafraid, and unapologetic”, (Johana was denied through the citizenship process through her spouse).

Leading efforts in creating a gala fundraiser for undocumented students at the institution she was attending, which led to the creation for a center, and now has an endowment that awards full ride scholarships.

The 2016 elections “my heart still drops still thinking about it, I still get nervous” - “I don’t even know how I survived that day’.

Her ambitions to run for a position, finish her master’s degree, serving her community, --- and words of inspiration: “be resistant, activate others, step outside your comfort zone”.

And much more!

Bonus: Sample of an NYC panel discussion for HBO's "Make Love Great Again" with Director Aaron Agrasanchez and Hommy Diaz that I attended!

Welcome longtime immigration activist Hector Alessandro Negrete and who recently won re-election to the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council to the Immigration MIC Podcast!

We talk about:

His intersection of his queer and undocumented identity, his early experience in the immigrant rights movement at Cal State LA.

Working with the Immigrant Youth Coalition (@immigrantpower), and being the first statewide director for the California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance (@ciyja) and his work advocating for healthcare for his community, and much more movement work.

He talks about the journey to the passage of DACA (nonprofits vs. movement), the reason why he didn’t qualify, and why he didn’t see it as a ‘be all, end all’.

Running for neighborhood council once gentrification began happening in Boyle Heights and his experiences being able to work on LGBTQ advocacy, housing issues, and air quality issues as the transit and environment chair (@boyleheightsnc).

The 2016 election and the lessons learned, and how it has reinvigorated activists to return to pushing for immigration reform legislation.

He encourages for people to reach out to him and talk to him, his concern with high schoolers for having access to DACA, his current work demystifying business ownership and business models, and having been a fellow for Immigrants Rising (@immigrantsrising).

And much more!

(also, I talk about going to see the screening of the film The Unafraid at NYU)

On the @immigrationmicpodcast @hannita.art a digital artist based in NY, who strives to provide beauty through arts and educate around DACA and immigration joins the podcast!

From Guadalajara, Jalisco Hanna’s artistic influence came through her father who owned two prestigious art stores but due to the economic crisis they immigrated to San Jose California.

Hanna’s family became a mixed status family, with her parents receiving residency, but due to complex immigration laws, neither she or her brother received the same relief.

Theater, animation, and paintings - Hannah has always used the arts as a form of therapy, she goes in-depth into how arts to her is a form of escapism for her.

She talks about the challenges she faced before DACA, and talks about her positive spin on fear to motivate her in life (she also tells us the story of how she found out she was undocumented, and how one of her closest friends distanced herself as a result)

Seattle, Portland, Montana, LA and moving to NY, rock climbing, skydiving - DACA helped Hanna find the freedom and adventure she was looking for.

The uncertainty post the 2016 election, and her drive in the days after to not let the new administration tear down everything she had worked for and built for herself.

“My art is about being an undocumented immigrant, about mental health, and about what an identity crisis looks like to an undocumented immigrant.”

Hanna leaves us off with a passionate moment of wanting to connect with other undocumented artists and the “time capsule” she wanted to help create and be a part of.

… and much more! This was one of Hanna’s first interviews, she was nervous, but it ended up being a good time, so check it out!

Alejandro Flores Munoz joins @immigrationmicpodcast! In this episode, we talk about his experiences growing up undocumented, finding community through the sport of wrestling and transitioning that feeling into his organizing and political work, his side hustles @unumsunglasses/ @progressivebutton/ @stokespoke, and his advice for 2020 candidates!

*I also speak on the outrage of Selene Saavedra Roman's detention, and the impact this incident has, and the lessons to take away from it.

Welcome immigration and education advocate, musician/ hip-hop artist, and founder of Mass Dreams, Daniella Vieira to the Immigration MIC Podcast!

Daniella tells us about her family’s experience with immigration from Brazil and initially settling in Massachusetts, to them returning to Brazil and her being born into a mixed status family, eventually immigrating to Massachusetts again for good.

Her experience growing up in Massachusetts, (which today has a booming Brazilian/ Portuguese community) Daniella initially going to school in a town where she was the first foreign language student, and the important support she received from an educator who is now the head of ESL program.

“I had to ramp up my lying a lot more”: Daniella talks about the challenges she began facing her junior year of high school, and how DACA was announced the summer right before her senior year, while she was looking at colleges (and pays tribute to her parents for their encouragement)

Daniella was accepted into all 8 schools she applied to, but was denied because the schools didn’t understand DACA, and eventually went to Ohio State because UMass Amherst would be charging out of state tuition.

The beginning of her immigration advocacy in 2015 which began at an school event where she unexpectedly stood up to talk about financial aid for undocumented students and in turn empowered herself and other students.

She talks about the impact of meeting Hillary Clinton and reflects on the significance of the presidential candidate at the time stopping and listening to her story, and in contract, the very real threat of the current president’s policies.

She goes into her musical influences, how she stepped out of her comfort zone and joining a hip-hop and beatboxing club at school, “I could spill all sorts of secrets in a cypher”,

and the story of being a part of John Daversa's album, American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom, which featured 53 DACA recipients, and being invited to be on stage at the Grammy awards.

The motivation behind her two songs 'Alien’, “owning my identity, and being real about the fears I have”, and “Nobody Else” which has a very interesting backstory, “a middle of college weird dating culture” song, which was written and produced over a long period of time.

Daniella is currently studying to take the LSAT and weighing her options in her career, and working on her new organization called Mass Dreams to help undocumented students in Massachusetts, and currently focusing on mental health and looking for participants.

Welcome Belén Sisa, immigration activist, Bernie 2016 campaign alum, and member of the #Dream7 to the Immigration MIC podcast!

Belen was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina - her family moved to the US right before the collapse of the Argentinean economy in 2001 to Arizona during the construction boom years.

Because she and her family were “white passing”, they fit in in their middle class white neighborhood and were able to keep their undocumented status hidden. She talks about how later on, her family buying a house in a different neighborhood near a detention center, and living in a conservative community exposed those differences.

She talks about living a double life - being the Homecoming Queen, a varsity cheerleader, and a bright student, while living in fear in the years of SB1070, her family nearly ending up homeless and how graduation felt like the end of her escape from those harsh realities.

She talks about her experiences in becoming involved and empowered in immigration activist with the Arizona Dream Act Coalition, and how her involvement led to longtime close friends separating themselves from her, but finding community in “belonging to her people”.

Her decision to be a part of the Dream 7 jail strike, and in depth describes the “traumatizing” experience, which involved cold temperatures, police brutality, inhumane conditions, and the faith they placed in everyone fighting for a Clean Dream Act, the psychological effects of the experience, and the inspiration that followed.

Her experience working with the Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign, a “life changing experience, working as a field organizer in Nevada, Arizona, Rhode Island, California, and later on becoming part of the Latino Outreach team. She talks about the skills and networks she gained, and the opportunity to be a page at the DNC as an undocumented woman.

We talk about the outcome of election night, her reaction, and how it led to her viral moment, taking a picture with her tax returns and tagging the president in it, because she wanted the real story to be told, which led to 1000’s of shares, a lot of hate mail, threats, but overall, the support she received, the national conversation it sparked, and how she became even more “unafraid”.

We end talking about the “unusual” political moment, her message of unity coming out of the 2016 elections, how she’s seeing the 2020 elections take shape, and the importance of mobilizing to win back the White House.

“Do the right thing and don’t be afraid to speak up”, — words of encouragement from Belen talking about her moments of personal growth, and how personal stories can move us forward, and her hopes that she can inspire others to have an impact.

Welcome newly elected New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi to the Immigration MIC podcast!

🔵Alessandra calls it the “honor of a lifetime” to represent New York’s District 34 and is looking to represent young women everywhere.

🔴Her Italian roots in the U.S. go back four generations, her great-grandparents coming through Ellis Island and her grandparents’ humble influences on her.

⚫️She tells us the story of the discrimination her great grandparents experienced at the Democratic club in East Harlem how she uses their story to connect with other people that experience racism/ discrimination.

🔵The ultimate underdog: Alessandra talks about all of the roadblocks she faced, from having ADHD, to transferring colleges, to being rejected from every law school to making $13 an hour as a legal fellow.

🔴 Her luck changing when she went to work for the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery - reflecting on the importance of “failing up”, and being honest about her feelings of hopelessness through defeat, and how exercise and meditation helped her.

⚫️At 29 she was the Deputy National Operations Director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign; she tells us how she learned “grace under fire”, how it taught her about infrastructure for her own campaign, and wanting to break barriers for people to work in future campaigns.

🔵She talks about the “tragedy” that was the 2016 elections, she is known for releasing a toolkit for engagement to increase civic participation right after.

🔴Her decision to run for office; progressive legislation wasn’t being passed because of 8 senators (IDC), and called the campaign the “hardest experience of my entire life”, also being outspent by 11:1 by her opponent.

⚫️As a senator, she has used her vote this past month for voting reform, the Reproductive Health Act, the NY DREAM Act, and the Child Victims Act (which she shared her personal story being a survivor when voting)

Welcome Miluska Aquije @heavenlyhope87 to Immigration MIC, who’s here to live out her passion for sharing her story as a DACA- recipient from Peru and theology in practice as a future pastor in residence!

🔵Milly introduces us to her world of loving books and anime, her passion for being a mentor, the role intervarsity at Hunter College has played in her life, and always looking to give back.

🔴Her parents immigration stories from Peru, beginning with her father’s journey to the US on a ship crammed with seven other migrants.

⚫️How she and her mother were stopped by agents at the border and were released because she was a child, and later were held “captive” at a house in California until the full amount of money owed was paid off.

🔵Growing up in Greenpoint, New York, and finding out that she was undocumented when she was filling out a CUNY application.

🔴In 2007, Milly went through an extremely difficult time in her life, almost taking her own life, and soon after receiving a personal message from God in a church, which led her to a personal commitment to her faith, and using her story to provide light to others.

⚫️The challenges she faced as an undocumented college student, and how the support from faith community at her college helped her to deal with and overcome many of those challenges.

🔵The DACA announcement in 2012 for her was “one of the greatest joys for me, one of the greatest victories”, which coincided with her graduation from Hunter College.

🔴How she initially wanted to be a psychologist, but couldn’t receive a license due to documentation, which led her to a career in working with students in Higher Ed.

⚫️Her reaction of the 2016 election, and provides a theological/ historical analysis of the rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the US, and the role she’s looking to play in the future.

Welcome Latinx advocate @paoramos to the new Immigration MIC: Vote 2020 series!

Here are some of the things we talk about in this episode:

🔵 Her family’s story has inspired her work throughout her life; her father @jorgeramosnews leaving Mexico to be able to practice journalism, and her mother and her family leaving Cuba because Paola’s grandfather was a political prisoner.

🔴 Growing up in Spain, how protesting and political organizing was a part of the culture, and how her trips to see her father in Miami were all a part of forming her identity.

⚫️ She talks about working in Washington DC, how she came to work for the Biden family, and later for the Obama White House, and the idealism that came with those experiences.

🔵 How unlikely courses at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government led her to wanting to pursue communications, working in her next position for the Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign.

🔴 She takes us through some of her personal reflections of the campaign, how Trump running for President was initially “a gift”, the night they lost the election, and the powerful moments shared seeing Hillary Clinton speak the morning after.

⚫️ Her insights as to what is needed from political campaigns in 2020 to win back the White House: “you have to cut through all the noise.”

🔵 Her current work with VICE producing content exploring the “Latinx” identity, which has allowed her to explore an emerging HIV epidemic in Texas, and get first hand perspective of what the refugee population is experiencing at the southern border.

And much more! Listen on Apple Podcasts, and leave a review letting us know what your thought’s on Paola’s experiences are!

New Immigration MIC Podcast with @OW.USA at SUNY Old Westbury!

In this episode, you’ll hear from two young women who are stepping up to share their personal stories during this hostile political climate, while working to grow their organization for immigration advocacy on their college campus.

Priscilla’s journey began in Quito, Ecuador where she was flown to Mexico, and made the journey across the Rio Grande to the United States. Growing up in Suffolk County, undocumented, she talks to us about her experiences, and how she works to be defined as much more than her legal status.

Giselle, Salvadoran-American is also from Long Island, and through her presentation pays tribute to her father’s efforts and sacrifices. She talks about his ambition to learn the English language, to attend night school, and obtain his GED, and how he supported the family through landscaping at high priced homes, and now works as a real estate agent. Giselle expresses her frustration at the current political moment; her parents are both TPS holders.

Both these young women are working their way to law school to become immigration lawyers, and are taking their personal experiences with them to be able to one day be able to help people deal with the injustices they have witnessed.

Bonus: Catch my full talk on the connection between hate speech and hate crimes that include the Brother Nature Twitter controversy and Kanye West.