Stirring the Melting Pot

Today I'm talking (well sort of ranting) about the importance of individuality as a first gen young adult in America and on the common issue that children of immigrants tend to have with immigrant parents expecting us to be the exact replicas of their younger selves. 

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Today I'm talking about how the idea of "working hard" and "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" (aka the Myth of Meritocracy) to get what you want within Western societies, typically is not a phenomenon that is offered to black and brown people, immigrants, or anyone without a comfortable financial safety net/ generational wealth. I'll be analyzing how Tik Tok stars / influencers, Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae are both able to benefit from not having to follow these standards within the Myth of Meritocracy through using their likeness and social media presence in landing major brand deals and endorsements. I also discuss how harmful this ideal can be towards first-generation students, who may at times struggle in school despite coming from immigrant families where high academic achievement is integral for them to move upward within the socio-economic ladder. 

Let's stay connected! Please follow the podcast on IG and Twitter: @stmpot

STMPot Facebook Page (Search for Stirring the Melting Pot on Facebook if viewing this from a mobile device)

Have any questions or suggestions on what I should cover for future episodes? Make sure to email me at: [email protected]

For today's episode I'll be discussing the significance and similarities of the Brown Berets and The Black Panthers, two social justice/ civil rights and militant organizations which sought for better living conditions and socio-economic welfare for black and brown people during the 60's and 70's. Both organizations were founded by college students in Los Angeles, California and created an everlasting impact on establishing and protecting the rights of marginalized groups and co-opted similar political ideologies. I am also super excited to be interviewing my best friend and older sister Isoken, she's a nurse by profession and passionate scholar of black-led social justice political movements, founded in the 1960's! We also discuss how these two social justice organizations led the way for universities and colleges to establish educational departments centered on Chicano Studies and Afro/African-American Studies, as well as their relation to the ongoing political debacle of critical race theory being taught in US schools. 

Let's stay connected! Please follow the podcast on IG and Twitter: @stmpot

STMPot Facebook Page (Search for Stirring the Melting Pot on Facebook if viewing this from a mobile device)

Have any questions or suggestions on what I should cover for future episodes? Make sure to email me at: [email protected]

Today I'll be talking about everything that has inspired me to be an Immigrant Rights activist and my passion for this cause. I'll also be discussing the current events going down in Haiti and Afghanistan. 

**Just as a disclaimer, if topics on violence, death, or civil unrest within these countries are not your cup of tea / are uncomfortable for you then make sure to skip parts: 22:51-36:00 

Sources used in this episode: 

Al Jazeera Article on Haiti's Political Crisis

USA Today Article about the 2021 Earthquake in Haiti- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/08/22/haiti-earthquake-2021-death-toll-rises-over-2-200/8235246002/

Ways to help out our brothers and sisters in Haiti as well as Afghanistan: 

(For more in-depth articles see: USA Today's Article on Helping Haiti and NPR Article on how to help Afghan Refugees)                      

Let's stay connected! Please follow the podcast on IG and Twitter: @stmpot

STMPot Facebook Page (Search for Stirring the Melting Pot on Facebook if viewing this from a mobile device)

Have any questions or suggestions on what I should cover for future episodes? Make sure to email me at: [email protected]

For today's episode I'll be interviewing self-proclaimed MEDIA GHEL, fellow blogger and content creator, Lebene Mawutor on her experience with dating and relationships as a young Ghanaian woman living in Canada. Lebene is a Content Creator & Editorial Strategist at Everygirl (IG: theeverygirl, Twitter: @theeverygirl_) and a contributor for Amaka Studio (a black-owned magazine celebrating the diversity of African women all over the world, IG: amaka.studio, Twitter: amakastudio). We also discuss how certain influences from our immigrant parents, childhood experiences with other ethnic groups, and even where we live can effect us in the process of finding potential mates.  Follow Lebene on her socials! IG: lebenemawutor Twitter: lebenemawutor   

Navigation guide:  

For Naija folks interested in content creation, journalism, and other overlooked careers check out NaijaComm on IG: @naijacomm 

Let's stay connected! Please follow the podcast on IG and Twitter: @stmpot 

STMPot Facebook Page (Search for Stirring the Melting Pot on Facebook if viewing this from a mobile device) 

Have any questions or suggestions on what I should cover for future episodes? Make sure to email me at: [email protected]

For this episode I'm interviewing, Miami-born and raised, immigrant rights activist Yareliz Mendez-Zamora (@yari.elena) on her passion for and experience in advocating for immigrant rights. Yareliz is a current TPS Coordinator at the Florida Immigrant Coalition, a part of Latina Rebels (@latinarebels on IG) and CEO of The Brazen Collective! She is also the proud daughter of Nicaraguan immigrants

For this episode I talk about my favorite positive stories on immigrants/ asylum seekers from the past couple of weeks. I also briefly discuss the Biden Administration's plans on increasing the cap on refugees allowed into the US.

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Have any questions or suggestions on what I should cover on future episodes? Make sure to email me at: [email protected]

In this episode I talk with Deep Tripurana, a young Indian-American activist and scholar located in Chicago, about the recent Meghan Markle/ Prince Harry interview with Oprah. We discuss how the racist tropes and situations that Meghan and Harry found themselves in as working members of the Royal Family, relates to respectability politics and study the racist nature of the Royal institution within the United Kingdom. We delve deeper into just how colonialism has negatively effected African and Asian countries, which were former colonies of Great Britain; as well as how it continues to effect young black and brown people within the US. 

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Have any questions or suggestions on what I should cover on future episodes? Make sure to email me at: [email protected]

Check out Deep’s Food IG: @deepvtrip

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