Xiao Wang is the co-founder and CEO of the Seattle-based startup, Boundless. Boundless is an immigration company with a mission to “empower families to navigate the immigration system more confidently, rapidly, and affordably.” In 2018, they received the Torch Award for “Business of the Year” from the Better Business Bureau. Xiao’s credentials include leadership roles at Amazon Go, Providence Equity, NYC Department of Education, and McKinsey. Xiao holds a BA/MS from Stanford University and an MB...
Mar 03, 2020•49 min•Season 5Ep. 67
Wardah Khalid is a policy analyst, activist, and speaker on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, refugees/immigration, and Islam in America. She currently works on Capitol Hill as an APAICS Congressional Fellow. She is the Founder and President of the , a national civic education, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening American Muslim engagement with Congress. We talked about her passion for political advocacy, Muslim involvement in US Politics, Muslim tropes & sweet stuff l...
Feb 25, 2020•46 min•Season 5Ep. 66
Shamim Sarif is a British novelist and filmmaker. Her work often focuses on various aspects of identity; including gender, race, and sexuality. It often draws upon her own personal experience with cross-cultural, non-heterosexual love. Sarif described her film, I can’t think straight to be semi-autobiographical. With her partner Kattan, she runs Enlightenment Productions based in London. Her next project is Polarized; a love story between two women from very different sides of post-Trump America...
Feb 18, 2020•48 min•Season 5Ep. 65
This special minisode focuses on America’s immigration history in the context of family separation. It debunks the notion that the concept of family separation is new. The episode showcases how children have been separated from their families time and time again throughout America’s history. In each of the instances, Saadia explores how people of color, often children, were violently separated to fulfill economic and political agendas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...
Feb 11, 2020•22 min
Annie Tan is a Chinese American Special Education teacher, writer, activist, and storyteller from Chinatown, in New York. Annie has been featured in the New York Times, the Huffington Post, and The Moth Radio Hour on NPR. She will be featured in the upcoming PBS documentary series "Asian Americans." Her work centers around public education, teachers unions, tenants' rights, and Asian American issues. Previously a teacher in Chicago, Annie, now teaches Latinx and Asian students in Sunset Park, Br...
Feb 11, 2020•52 min•Season 5Ep. 64
Nusrat Alam and Jo'rell Whitfield are changemakers. They are the co-founders of I am Perspective (IAP). IAP aims to create a united society by fostering empathy, awareness, growth, and genuine human connection through open and honest dialogue between all races, genders, sexual orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, and political views in a free, safe, non-judgmental space. Nusrat Alam, a second-generation Bengali American, grew up in Queens, NY. Currently, Nusrat is working on her first book, ...
Feb 04, 2020•40 min•Season 5Ep. 63
Dr. Simran Jeet Singh is a writer, a religious scholar, activist, and author. He regularly speaks on issues of diversity, equity, hate, violence, race, and religion, inspiring others around him. He also frequently offers his perspectives to television, radio, and print media, and today he is on Immigrantly to share his story with Saadia Khan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 28, 2020•41 min•Season 5Ep. 62
We all have an idea of what an American dream is, but how would you define an American nightmare? Aarti and her family encountered every obstacle that an immigrant family can run into in America. She is the author of a memoir; Here We Are American Dreams, American Nightmares. Aarti’s work has always been personal; she went from being a community organizer with a bullhorn defending the rights of immigrants to now speaking to millions as a Silicon Valley correspondent for National Public Radio. He...
Jan 21, 2020•51 min•Season 5Ep. 61
Mairav Zonszein is a second-generation Israeli American journalist and editor who writes about Israel-Palestine conflict and its role in U.S. politics. She was born and raised in NY., but she has spent most of her adult life in Israel. Saadia talks to Mairav about her experiences as an American Immigrant in Israel. Her publications include The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New York Review of Books, The Intercept, VICE News, Foreign Policy, and many more. She is a changem...
Jan 14, 2020•37 min•Season 5Ep. 60
Saks Afridi is a New York-based Pakistani American artist who explores the dichotomy of being an insider/outsider. Through his work, he recreates the historical and cultural narratives to highlight social issues. Saks collaborates with weavers, painters, and food vendors to address the problems around identity, Islamophobia, drone warfare, and social justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 07, 2020•51 min•Season 5Ep. 59
Qinza Najm is a Pakistani-American visual artist whose interdisciplinary artistic practice explores gendered violence and female subjectivity. Her work has been featured in Artnet News, the Huffington Post, N.Y. Daily News, International Business Week, Buzzfeed, and Herald. Saadia spoke to Qinza about her evolution from a psychologist and a professor at a prestigious University to a freelance artist in NY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 24, 2019•36 min•Season 4Ep. 58
This week's episode is centered around an incredible immigration love story. An Italian-born Designer/Media Advertiser, Francesco Bertocci, meets his future wife, Lucy Harris, an American who went to Rome to teach English after college. They fall in love, get married, and the rest, as they say, is history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 17, 2019•49 min•Season 4Ep. 57
A little late, but we’re still excited to share a Thanksgiving Special. Come and reflect with us on this year’s Thanksgiving and make plans with us to celebrate next year’s Thanksgiving in a more honest and inclusive way. In this episode, Lisa Genn and Saadia Khan talk about their Thanksgiving day and looking forward how they can celebrate this day while acknowledging its history and honoring Native Americans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 10, 2019•54 min•Season 4Ep. 56
Ahmed Ali Akbar is a writer, journalist, and the host of "See Something, Say Something", an incredible podcast where Ahmed talks to Muslims from across different industries and talks about culture, current events, and being Muslim in America. Ahmed talks about the things that "American Muslims are talking about right now," which can range from mass incarceration to memes. I am very excited to have him on my show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 03, 2019•46 min•Season 4Ep. 55
Asad Dandia is a young Brooklynite who is reinventing the way people approach religion esp, Islam. Asad was born and raised in Brooklyn and graduated from New York University (NYU) with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work in 2016; his focus was on community organizing. He is currently a graduate student at Columbia University's Middle East Institute, pursuing an MA in Islamic Studies. We spoke about nexus between Islamic Theology and Asad's work as a podcaster and blogger affecting change. Lear...
Nov 19, 2019•41 min•Season 4Ep. 54
Kim Yi Dionne is an Assistant Professor in the Political Science department at the University of California–Riverside. She is also an editor of the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage, a blog devoted to making political science findings more accessible to the public, allowing us to have thorough conversations with integrity to the facts. At work, Kim teaches courses on African politics and ethnic politics and recently wrote a book called Doomed Interventions, on the failure of global responses to AIDS...
Nov 12, 2019•58 min•Season 4Ep. 53
Fahamu Pecou is an interdisciplinary artist and scholar whose work combines observations on hip hop, fine art, and popular culture. He takes on such complicated topics as black masculinity, stereotypes, and potential in his work with a deft touch that leaves a profound impact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 05, 2019•44 min•Season 4Ep. 52
Kulsoom Abdullah is a Data Scientist. She has a Masters and a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and if this wasn't enough, she is also a Pakistani American Weightlifter who competed in the 2011 World Championship. Kulsoom represents Pakistan for the world and the U.S. for national-level tournaments. She made history by being the first fully covered Muslim woman contestant. We talk about her work and her passion for weightlifting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...
Oct 29, 2019•38 min•Season 4Ep. 51
Donny Khan is the Senior Marketing Director at National Hockey League (NHL). Donny immigrated to America from Pakistan as a young teen and has been National Hockey League Senior Director of Marketing for eleven years. Donny helped create NHL’s national and international brand from the ground up. He won the Sports Emmy award in 2009 and 2011, created NHL’s most successful marketing campaign for 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and has been recognized by major media outlets like the Today Show and the W...
Oct 22, 2019•39 min•Season 4Ep. 50
Our today's guest is Dina Nayeri. She is the author of The "Ungrateful Refugee," Dina's first nonfiction book. Her essay of the same name was one of the most widely shared 2017 Long Reads in The Guardian. Dina is a former refugee who fled Iran with her family in the 80s. The book is a part memoir and also chronicles the lives of other refugees. Dina holds a BA from Princeton, an MBA from Harvard, and an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...
Oct 15, 2019•40 min•Season 4Ep. 49
Preeti Mistry is the co-author of the Juhu Beach Club Cookbook based on her restaurant Juhu Beach Club in Oakland, CA. Her cooking was featured on CNN's Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain, and she was a contestant on Top Chef Season 6. Preeti Mistry is outspoken, bold, and she proudly accepts all the different layers of her identity. She identifies as a brown queer immigrant woman chef who challenges the historically male white dominance of the culinary industry. Learn more about your ad choice...
Oct 08, 2019•40 min•Season 4Ep. 48
An immigrant comes to New York City and makes it big with a simple idea. Known as Dosa man, Thiru Kumar has fans all over the world, from California to Japan. His name is listed on 42 countries guidebooks. His was the first vegan dosa cart in the World. Thiru Kumar's cart is situated at the southwest corner of Washington Square Park in New York. I sat down with Thiru Kumar to talk about his life as a small business owner and an immigrant in the US. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...
Oct 01, 2019•23 min•Season 4Ep. 47
This week we speak with Farah Kathwari. Farah is a Kashmiri American who is strongly connected with her Kashmiri heritage while she maintains a strong sense of her American identity. Her career has spanned different industries, including interior design, retail, merchandising, marketing, and philanthropy. Currently, she serves as a board member of the Westchester County Human Rights Commission, Steering committee member of Indivisible Westchester, NY, committee member of Human Rights Watch, NY, ...
Sep 24, 2019•32 min•Season 4Ep. 46
Today we’re going to be talking to Nisha Sharma. In 2018, Nisha released her first book; a novel called My So-Called Bollywood Life to great acclaim. Nisha excellently draws upon traditional Bollywood themes to tell you the story of Indian-American teen Winnie Mehta as she deals with heartbreak and new love, and her passion for film. Nisha just recently released the first book of her new series, The Singh Trilogy. She’s an active blogger, has a full-time job, and recently won the RITA award for ...
Sep 17, 2019•37 min•Season 4Ep. 45
Dr. Haider Warriach is a physician, writer, & clinical researcher. He is the author of Modern Death: How Medicine Changed the end of Life, and State of the Heart - Exploring the History, Science and Future of Cardiac Disease. His articles have featured in NYtimes, The Guardian, Vox and many more. Dr. Warraich recently sat down with Terry Gross to discuss breakthroughs in heart health. We are very excited to talk to him about his work and his experiences as an immigrant living in the US. You ...
Sep 10, 2019•36 min•Season 4Ep. 44
Season 4 starts with our interview with Rowaida Abdelaziz. She is a New York-based reporter at the HuffPost where she focuses on Islamophobia and social justice issues within the Muslim community. We talk about Islamophobia, the role of diversity in journalism and much more. You can support the podcast by donating to our gofundme. Music for Immigrantly is composed by Basim Usmani, one of the lead vocalists of the punk band "The Kominas." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...
Sep 03, 2019•46 min•Season 4Ep. 43
This fall, the Alien Chronicles is changing its name to Immigrantly. The name Immigrantly is more representative of our broader aspirations, to explore the intersectionality of racial identity, culture, and class through the lens of immigrant experiences. Our new name marks the beginning of a new journey, and I’m excited to embark on it together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 30, 2019•3 min
Haya Emaan is one of the few professionally-trained chefs from Pakistan. She started her career at a renowned Hotel, Avari towers in Karachi and proceeded to graduate from The Culinary Institute of America. She graduated top of her class and trailed at some of the most prominent restaurants such as Morimoto, Joel Robuchon, LeBernardin, Cosme, Per se, Restaurant Ramsay and Zuma before joining the Michelin starred Jean Georges. Haya took a sabbatical year to travel in 2018 during which she studied...
Aug 27, 2019•27 min•Season 3Ep. 42
Sana Saeed is a host and producer at Al Jazeera. Prior to working at AJ+, Al Jazeera’s online channel, Sana had pieces featured in publications such as the New York Times, The Guardian, Salon, Huffington Post, and Elle, amongst many others. Her work has tackled a wide range of topics, with everything from foreign policy to life as a Muslim in the west, to sexuality and civil liberties. We talk about Kashmir, diversity in journalism and much more. You can support our podcast by donating to the go...
Aug 20, 2019•48 min•Season 3Ep. 41
Elad Nehorai has spent most of his adult life creating and nurturing communities. From the time he started a small online arts magazine (before such a thing was common) in college, to his efforts as an online marketer for startups, to his work with Hevria, a community for creative Jews, and Torah Trumps Hate, a community for progressive orthodox Jews, Elad cares about nothing more than connecting people who are desperately looking for a community that doesn't exist in the physical world. Elad is...
Aug 13, 2019•24 min•Season 3Ep. 40
