Episode description

In the eighth episode, meet Leyla, a journalist from Egypt. After reporting on historic events including the Arab Spring and the trial of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Leyla landed in the US in 2017. Following a stint in Miami, where her husband completed a medical residency, the couple came to New York to look for more opportunities. Used to tell other people’s stories, Leyla joins the Real People. Real Lives project as the subject of a story for once. One step at a time, she is eager to change narratives, telling stories that inspire and move away from stereotypes.

Real People. Real Lives. Women Immigrants of New York is a storytelling project from New Women New Yorkers that elevates immigrant stories, moving beyond statistics and political rhetoric. The third, 2020 edition of the project highlights a diverse group of immigrant women living in New York City – frontline workers, journalists, stay-at-home moms, artists and entrepreneurs, among others – on a series of podcasts to be released weekly from December 18, 2020 through March 8, 2021. Participants talked about their immigrant experience and reflected on ideas of home and belonging within the backdrop of a year like no other in New York City - marked by the pandemic, racial justice protests and a presidential election.