WiseUp TX

In this interview, host Areeba Amer interviews Judge Juli Mathew Fort Bend County Court at Law #3.  Judge Juli Mathew is up for re-election on November 8 and was first elected to this position in 2018.  She has been a lawyer for decades, and a resident of Fort Bend County.  She describes herself as a proud immigrant. They discuss the importance of the position of Judge, and why voters should vote all the way down the ballot.  She discusses how being a South Asian Judge is still rare, and when people see her, hopefully they see that being an Indian American or Asian American on the bench can inspire others to do the same.  

Learn more about Judge Juli Mathew on her website, here.

Learn more about WiseUp TX, volunteer, or donate on our website.

The WiseUp TX podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and the WiseUp TX website.  WiseUp TX is non-partisan and does not support any candidates or political party.  But, we love to hear from South Asian candidates, and other candidates who want to talk to our South Asian followers! WiseUp TX interviews candidates who (1) reach out to us (2) are running in regions with Asian population density and/or (3) are of South Asian descent. For the general election, WiseUp TX makes an effort to reach out to key opponents.

Host Alishba Javaid interviews Texas State Rep. Gene Wu.  Gene represents Texas State District 137 - he has been in the state legislature for ten years.  In this episode he shares what he's learned over the years about how to be effective politician and get things done, he talks about why representation matters, and some of the issues he thinks are most important for Texas going into the 2023 Legislative Session.  Gene Wu is up for reelection this November 8.  

Learn more about Gene on his website, here.

Learn more about WiseUp TX, volunteer, or donate on our website.

The WiseUp TX podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and the WiseUp TX website.  WiseUp TX is non-partisan and does not support any candidates or political party.  But, we love to hear from South Asian candidates, and other candidates who want to talk to our South Asian followers! WiseUp TX interviews candidates who (1) reach out to us (2) are running in regions with Asian population density and/or (3) are of South Asian descent. For the general election, WiseUp TX makes an effort to reach out to key opponents.

Host Alishba Javaid interviews Arati Singh who is running for reelection  on the Austin Independent School District Board.  Arati was first elected to the board in December 2018 and is the first Indian-American to serve on the Austin ISD school board. They discuss her path from teacher to elected official, and how she believes we can create an inclusive setting for students of all identities,  backgrounds, and from all communities.  She tells South Asians listening to get involved! 

Learn more about Arati on her website, here.  

Learn more about WiseUp TX, volunteer, or donate on our website. 

The WiseUp TX podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and the WiseUp TX website.  WiseUp TX is non-partisan and does not support any candidates or political party.  But, we love to hear from South Asian candidates, and other candidates who want to talk to our South Asian followers! WiseUp TX interviews candidates who (1) reach out to us (2) are running in regions with Asian population density and/or (3) are of South Asian descent. For the general election, WiseUp TX makes an effort to reach out to key opponents.

In 2019, WiseUp TX Founder and President, Azra Siddiqi interviewed Adnan Syed's  criminal justice advocate, Rabia Chaudry.  Rabia took Adnan's story to the Serial podcast. It went viral and showed the public the failures of the criminal justice system in his case, including how Islamophobia played a role in his wrongful prosecution.  Now,  after 23 years in prison for murdering his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, Adnan's conviction has been vacated, and he has been released from prison.  WiseUp TX podcast host, Punam Kaji kicks off the episode with a description of how the case got recently vacated, allowing Adnan to walk free.  Listen to hear about the long and hard fought journey to justice

Learn more about WiseUp TX, volunteer, or donate on our website.

Learn more about Rabia Chaudry and her work at https://rabiachaudry.com

In this episode, your host Punam Kaji, gets Back to the Basics, covering why this 2022 Midterm is so important!  Many seats are up for election - The Governor of Texas, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Texas State Senators and House members, AND U.S. House Reps are up for election, just to name a few.  We are calling this the Masala Midterm because it is a big deal for our community! 

We get back to the basics on registration - Today 9/20/2022 is National Voter Registration Day!  And we also talk on the podcast about how to register to vote.  Visit VoteTexas.gov to check your voter registration.  Check out the WiseUp TX Social Media pages for information on how to vote in various South Asian languages. 

Learn more about WiseUp TX, volunteer, or donate on our website.

In this episode, Alishba Javaid talks to Jan McDowell, running for the United States House of Representatives.  She hopes to defeat incumbent Republican Beth Van Duyne, but first, she has to win a Primary Runoff Election coming up on May 24.  She is running in District 24, which covers parts of Dallas, suburbs of North Dallas, Mid-Cities, and suburbs of north Fort Worth, against Derrik Gay in the Democratic Primary Runoff.  In this episode she talks about how her background as a CPA helps her analyze issues of importance, like the economy, and she discusses other issues most important to her, like climate change!  Tune in and learn more. 

Read more about her campaign on her website here.

Check out the Texas Tribune Primary Runoff Voter Guide here.

You can find that here.Learn more about WiseUp TX, volunteer, or donate on our website.

The WiseUp TX podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and the WiseUp TX website. Also tune in on Radio Azad – download the app or 104.9 FM in Dallas.WiseUp TX is non-partisan and does not support any candidates or political party.  But, we love to hear from South Asian candidates, and other candidates who want to talk to our South Asian followers! WiseUp TX interviews candidates who (1) reach out to us (2) are running in regions with Asian population density and/or (3) are of South Asian descent. For the general election, WiseUp TX makes an effort to reach out to key opponents

Punam Kaji talks to Jay Kleberg, a candidate in the Primary Runoff for Texas Land Commissioner.  This is a state-wide office heading to a Primary runoff on both the democratic side, and the republican side.  Jay is running in the Democratic Primary Runoff, which takes place on May 24, and early voting is May 16-May20.  In this episode, Jay explains what this office does,  from education, to veteran's services, to our environment.  Jay discusses how this office can be better used to combat climate change and help Texans  impacted by natural disasters.

To learn more about Jay Kleberg, visit his website here.

Check out the Texas Tribune Primary Runoff Voter Guide here.

Learn more about WiseUp TX, volunteer, or donate on our website.

The WiseUp TX podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and the WiseUp TX website. Also tune in on Radio Azad – download the app or 104.9 FM in Dallas.

WiseUp TX is non-partisan and does not support any candidates or political party.  But, we love to hear from South Asian candidates, and other candidates who want to talk to our South Asian followers! WiseUp TX interviews candidates who (1) reach out to us (2) are running in regions with Asian population density and/or (3) are of South Asian descent. For the general election, WiseUp TX makes an effort to reach out to key opponents.

Punam Kaji talks to Derrik Gay, running for the United States House of Representatives.  He hopes to defeat incumbent Republican Beth Van Duyne, but first, he has to win a Primary Runoff Election coming up on May 24.  He is running in District 24, which covers parts of Dallas, suburbs of North Dallas, Mid-Cities, and suburbs of north Fort Worth.  Derrik is a former marine, so he knows what it means to feel called to service.  This time, he felt called to public service by running for office after the January 6 attack on the capitol.  He is most focused on restoring democracy & voting rights, and economic solutions for Texans.  

Read more about him campaign on his website here.

Check out the Texas Tribune Primary Runoff Voter Guide here.  

In the interview, Punam and Derrik refer to the Texas Tribune redistricting map to help you find your district.  You can find that here.  

Learn more about WiseUp TX, volunteer, or donate on our website.

The WiseUp TX podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and the WiseUp TX website. Also tune in on Radio Azad – download the app or 104.9 FM in Dallas.

WiseUp TX is non-partisan and does not support any candidates or political party.  But, we love to hear from South Asian candidates, and other candidates who want to talk to our South Asian followers! WiseUp TX interviews candidates who (1) reach out to us (2) are running in regions with Asian population density and/or (3) are of South Asian descent. For the general election, WiseUp TX makes an effort to reach out to key opponents

In this episode, host Areeba Amer talks to Farha Ahmed, running for City Council At-Large Position 2 in Sugar Land, Texas.  Sugar Land is a suburb in Houston area with a large South Asian population.  Farha talks about the power of running as an immigrant and a South Asian and how that allows her to work with other communities, and also inspire more people to run.  

She is running in the local elections on May 7. 

Learn more about Farha on her website, here. 

Learn more about WiseUp TX, volunteer, or donate on our website.

The WiseUp TX podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and the WiseUp TX website. Also tune in on Radio Azad – download the app or 104.9 FM in Dallas.

WiseUp TX is non-partisan and does not support any candidates or political party.  But, we love to hear from South Asian candidates, and other candidates who want to talk to our South Asian followers! WiseUp TX interviews candidates who (1) reach out to us (2) are running in regions with Asian population density and/or (3) are of South Asian descent. For the general election, WiseUp TX makes an effort to reach out to key opponent