Immigrantly
253 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 months ago - ★★★★ - 155 ratingsWelcome to Immigrantly: a boundary-pushing, border-crossing podcast that gives diverse voices and stories home. Drawing on her own experiences as a rights activist and a first-generation Asian immigrant, creator & host, Saadia Khan tackles the big questions on race, identity & the immigrant experience while challenging mainstream narratives. Through Immigrantly, we are revolutionizing storytelling in America by offering a new kind of intellectual engagement that encourages listeners to learn and unlearn on their own terms without fear of judgment. Our vision is to normalize the immigrant identity within the American social discourse for a kinder, more humane world. Covering everything from love and dating to food and faith, each weekly episode explores a theme with inspiring guests such as Grammy-winning singer Arooj Aftab, bestselling author of 'The Kite Runner,' Khaled Hosseini, and comedians Hari Kondabolu and Aparna Nancherla. It's a true celebration of what makes us unique – and a timely reminder of all that unites us. If you'd like to be part of this fun, thoughtful, and inclusive community, all you need to do is subscribe!
Producer & Host: Saadia Khan
Podcast Assistant: Shei Yu
Content Writers: Michaela Strauther, Bobak Afshari, Rainier Harris & Saadia Khan
Sound Design & Content Editor: Haziq Ahmad Farid
Media Coordinator: Katie Lam
Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson
Other Music: Epidemic Sound
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Twitter @Immigrantly_pod
TikTok @Immigrantlypodcast
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Episodes
"Posturing Gratitude"
October 15, 2019 09:00 - 39 minutesOur 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.
"Did you grow up cooking with your Mother and Grandmother?"
October 08, 2019 09:00 - 39 minutesPreeti 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.
Dosa Man-A Quintessential American Story
October 01, 2019 09:00 - 22 minutesAn 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.
"If you believe you’re American, then you’re American"
September 24, 2019 09:00 - 30 minutesThis 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, N...
Inspired by 90s Bollywood
September 17, 2019 09:00 - 35 minutesToday 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 ...
Matters of the Heart
September 10, 2019 09:00 - 35 minutesDr. 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. Y...
"We have been Vilified for so long"
September 03, 2019 09:00 - 44 minutesSeason 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."
The Alien Chronicles is changing its name to "Immigrantly”
August 30, 2019 16:12 - 2 minutesThis 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.
"I call myself a Cook"
August 27, 2019 09:00 - 26 minutesHaya 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 stud...
"We are here now"
August 20, 2019 09:00 - 47 minutesSana 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...
"We live in an age of shameful hate & shameless weakness"
August 13, 2019 09:00 - 23 minutesElad 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. Ela...
"I am an American-whatever that means"
August 06, 2019 09:00 - 43 minutesToday, I’m speaking with Grace Talusan, the author of the memoir The Body Papers. Grace is a professor at Tufts University in Boston, and the Body Papers is her first book. In 2017, the yet unpublished manuscript of the Body Papers won the 2017 Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing. It has been incredibly well received and has been written up by such publications as the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and Nylon Magazine. Grace’s story is one about overcoming abuse and trauma and co...
Keeping up with the times: Iran Edition
July 30, 2019 09:00 - 46 minutesBorn and raised in Iran, and having attended the University of Tehran where she received a BS in Industrial Design, Shiva is an entrepreneur. She later moved to the US, where she received her Masters in Industrial Design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Shiva currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where she is working on a host of projects including in-it, a video-based social media campaign that’s intended to help individuals spread awareness about issues they ar...
Love Thy Neighbor
July 23, 2019 09:00 - 45 minutesJon Aragón is an entrepreneur who specializes in multidisciplinary design and branding. Intriguingly, Jon is also a preacher, which is a rather unconventional combination in my opinion. As a second-generation Colombian-American and as a part of the Afro-Latinx community, Jon’s background allows him to offer a unique perspective when approaching design and problem-solving. Jon’s spiritual identity wholly informs his work as a designer; he sees himself as a servant of Christ and works with the ...
It's just part of the Muslim Experience
July 16, 2019 09:00 - 53 minutesAymann Ismail is an award-winning podcast host, video editor, photographer, and writer at Slate whose work focuses on identity and religion. As a kid of Egyptian Immigrants, Ayman's early childhood experiences reflect reconciling with the duality of his identity. He wrote and produced "Who's Afraid of Aymann Ismail?" a video series that negates stereotypes of both American Muslims, and those are scared of them. He currently hosts "Man Up," a weekly interview podcast about men, relationships, ...
"I forgive you, my Cousin"
July 09, 2019 09:00 - 39 minutesYousef Bashir is the author of the memoir “The Words of My Father.” Yousef’s story is one that showcases the inherent complexities of what it means to be a Palestinian American, particularly one that grew up in the Gaza Strip. From a young age, he was brought face to face with the harsh realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that experience has very much informed the work that he does today. In an op-ed that he wrote in the New York Times this spring, Yousef says that his father t...
A Story of Love and Hope
July 02, 2019 09:00 - 26 minutesJennifer Asif's story was first reported by the Huffington Post. Her husband was recently deported by ICE due to an apparent error in their system. Jennifer is trying to reunite with her husband! You can support our podcast by donating to the gofundme. Here's the link Our music is composed by Basim Usmani, one of the lead vocalists of the punk band "The Kominas"
I didn't know I had my own American Dream
June 25, 2019 09:00 - 25 minutesMalaka Gharib is a journalist at National Public Radio. She reports on topics such as the humanitarian aid sector, gender equality, and innovation in the developing world. She is also the founder of Runcible spoon food zine and She has written a graphic memoir "I was Their American Dream" about family, identity, and fitting in as a Filipino Egyptian American kid of Immigrants. You can support our podcast by donating to our gofundme https://www.gofundme.com/manage/the-alien-chronicles-pod
Are you Exactly like Me?
June 18, 2019 09:00 - 42 minutesBasim Usmani is one of the founders of the punk band "The Kominas" that was born out of Massachusetts in the early 2000s. Since their inception, the Kominas were lauded for breaking cultural boundaries and turning that which is unexpected into a new reality. Saadia Khan talks to Basim about his music, sense of belonging within and outside immigrant communities, and how he balances his American and Pakistani identities. You can support our podcast by donating to our gofundme https://www.gofund...
One Story at a time
June 11, 2019 09:00 - 32 minutesSaadia Khan talks to Saadia Faruqi. Saadia is a Pakistani American author, essay writer, and interfaith activist. She writes children's early reader series "Yasmin" published by Capstone. She has also written "Brick Walls: Tales of Hope & Courage from Pakistan" a short story collection for adults and teens. As part of her activism, Saadia trains various audiences, including faith groups and law enforcement on topics about Islam. She was featured in Oprah Magazine in 2017 as a woman making a ...
"Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation"
June 04, 2019 09:00 - 32 minutesToday's guest Nevsah Fidan is a spiritual healer committed to personal enlightenment. Her focus is optimal breathing for improving health and performance. She is an internationally renowned breath expert, a meditation teacher, a well-known author of 9 best seller books, a mother and a wife. She was born in Izmir, Turkey, she is an architect who decided to create her org focused on breathing and thinking habits in 2004. She is a global citizen who travels between London, Istanbul, and NewYork...
A White DACA Recipient
May 28, 2019 09:00 - 38 minutesI recorded my interview with Gosia Labno, a couple of months ago, but I am releasing it today because of its relevance to the current discourse on immigration. When I spoke to Gosia, The Dream and American Promise ACT HR 6 was introduced. We spoke briefly about its impact. Recently the House Judiciary Committee passed HR6. With the Democratic majority in the house, it will most like pass the chambers but not move forward in the GOP controlled Senate. Nevertheless, I am excited to publish th...
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses"
May 21, 2019 09:00 - 25 minutesImmigration has been a contentious topic in the United States for a few years now. However, the dialogue has, for some time, focused on legal vs. illegal immigration. In very recent years, the focus has shifted not only to criminalizing illegal immigration into the United States but also curtailing legal migration altogether. We see this in the current discussion around asylum seekers, especially those who are migrating from Central America trying to escape horrid conditions. Our next guest i...
What's in a Name
May 15, 2019 04:00 - 39 minutes"What's in Name" is a special edition of The Alien Chronicles Podcast. It centers on the discussion around how some people who migrate to America change their names to more mainstream American names.
The one who rebels
May 08, 2019 04:00 - 35 minutesIn this episode, Saadia Khan talks to a Syrian refugee living in Berlin. Thair Orfahli grew up in Syria, in a middle-class family. His childhood was relatively normal, and he was studying law in Lebanon when the Syrian war broke out, what ensued was a series of fateful events which led him to leave everything behind, risk his life by riding a flimsy boat across the Mediterranean to get to Germany and seek asylum. He is a refugee who was granted political asylum in Germany. His story is that o...
Is the American Dream a myth?
May 01, 2019 04:00 - 40 minutesSaadia interviews Jade Chang. Jade is the author of The Wangs vs. the World. The book has been named a New York Times Editors Choice as well as best Book of the Year by Amazon, Buzzfeed, NPR, and others. Jade has appeared on national programs and she has spoken to audiences at universities and book festivals. According to NPR "Her book is unrelentingly fun, but it is also raw and profane—a story of fierce pride, fierce anger, and even fiercer love." She is also the contributing writer to The ...
Our journey is never complete
April 24, 2019 04:00 - 28 minutesPriya Minhas is a writer and producer from London. Her writing explores South Asian immigrant identity. Priya is a contributing writer to The Good Immigrant USA, an American edition of an award-winning best-selling anthology exploring race. Her writing is featured in BuzzFeed, Burnt Roti, Kajal Magazine and Brown Girl Magazine. She is currently based in New York where she works with artists producing and directing original music content at Vevo. Saadia talks to Priya about her writing, her d...
First comes Marriage, then comes Love
April 17, 2019 04:00 - 44 minutesHuda Al-Marashi is the Iraqi-American author of First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story, a book the Washington Post called "a charming, funny, heartbreaking memoir of faith, family, and the journey to love. If Jane Austen had grown up as a first-gen daughter of Iraqi parents in the 1990s, she might have written this.” Her other writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the LA Times, al Jazeera, Refinery 29, the Offing and elsewhere. Huda currently resides in California...
Am I a good Immigrant?
April 10, 2019 04:00 - 35 minutesIn this episode, Saadia talks to Chimene Suleyman. Chimene is the editor of The Good Immigrant USA, and a contributing writer to the original best-selling award-winning British anthology The Good Immigrant (Unbound, 2016). Chimene’s work has also appeared in the Guardian, Independent, IBTimes, The Quietus, News night, BBC Radio 4’s Today Program, NPR, and Sky news. Chimene and Saadia talk about the intersectionality between gender and race. Chimene explains how she felt embarrassed about her...
"A brave friendship"
April 03, 2019 04:00 - 51 minutesBeth Schuman and Nizar Farsakh are part of an organization called Combatants for Peace.The egalitarian, bi-national, grassroots organization was founded on the belief that the cycle of violence can only be broken when Israelis and Palestinians join forces. Committed to joint nonviolence since its foundation, CFP works to both transform and resolve the conflict by ending Israeli occupation and all forms of violence between the two sides and building a peaceful future for both peoples. Nizar Fa...
Three Immigrant stories
March 27, 2019 04:00 - 28 minutesSaadia Khan changes the format for this episode. She introduces three immigrant stories. Each immigrant shares their experiences in the US in their own words from a different vantage point. You will hear from them what it's like to be an immigrant in the US. Each perspective is unique in that it unravels the complexities of being an immigrant through the lens of the narrator without any leading questions or any set direction.
America is a Salad
March 20, 2019 04:00 - 33 minutesSanjana Bhatnagar and Stephanie Munn are high school students and Students for Refugees (SFR) representatives. S.F.R. is working to raise funds to support educational facilities and individual student programs in affected countries as well as supporting local refugees. There are a broad range of things that SFR engages in, but their primary goal is to get students involved in helping refugees. SFR works in three areas: resettlement, advocacy/education, and fundraising In addition to SFR, th...
My Immigrant Mother
March 13, 2019 04:00 - 33 minutesSaadia Khan talks Susan Muaddi Darraj, a Palestinian American. Susan talks about her experiences as a child of immigrants and how her dual identity has shaped her life. Susan is an Associate Professor of English at Hartford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland. Susan is also a Lecturer in the Johns Hopkins University’s MA in Writing program. In 2014, her short story collection, A Curious Land: Stories from Home won several awards and accolades. Her previous short story collection, The Inher...
Let's get to know each other
March 06, 2019 05:00 - 34 minutesSamira Sadeque is a New York-based Bangladeshi journalist and poet focusing on migration, the refugee crisis, gender, and mental health. She completed her M.S. in Journalism from Columbia Journalism School in 2017. Samira began her journalism career in Dhaka, Bangladesh, covering the 2013 factory collapse, the country's ethnic and religious minorities, and its LGBT community. Her work appears in Reuters, NPR, Al Jazeera, Quartz, The Lily, and the Dhaka Tribune among other publications. Her s...
Because I sucked at it...
February 27, 2019 05:00 - 43 minutesSaadia Khan talks to Suzie Afridi. She is a Palestinian American stand up comedian. She was born and raised in Jericho, in the West Bank. Her dad was a Welder, and her mom was a farmer. When she was fourteen, her family immigrated to San Jose, California. She attended San Jose State University. Suzie is an accountant by profession, but she realized she was terrible at her job and decided to pursue another career. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and kid. Suzie talks about her journey ...
Immigrants make America great
February 20, 2019 07:39 - 52 minutesSaadia Khan talks to Tahmina Watson about pressing immigration issues. Tahmina is a nationally acclaimed immigration attorney and the founder of Watson Immigration Law, in Seattle, Washington. She was a barrister in London before immigrating to America. Tahmina is also the author of “The Startup Visa: Key to Job Growth & Economic Prosperity in America.” In addition to appearing on CNN, Forbes and other media platforms, she is the host of “Tahmina Talks Immigration” a radio show turned podcas...
Where the East and the West meet
February 13, 2019 05:00 - 40 minutesSaadia Khan reminisces about her trip to Turkey as she interviews Melike Ayan. Melike is originally from Turkey. She is the New York Correspondent for Bloomberg HT Television where she provides in-depth coverage and analysis of major economic and business trends, including in-depth reporting on global corporations. Additionally, Ayan established her own company, Mel Strategies, which specializes in media relations and crisis communications Become a supporter of this podcast:
My Grandmother's legacy
February 06, 2019 05:00 - 41 minutesSaadia Khan talks to Lisa Genn. Lisa was born in Russia, she and her parents left Moscow in December 1989 on the verge of the collapse of the Soviet Union in hopes of resettling in America under a program for bringing Soviet Jews to the United States as refugees. Lisa is a lawyer by profession but has worked on human rights issues throughout her career. She is a city girl who spends most of her time in Manhattan but now lives in Westchester County in NY with her husband and two young childre...
I am a Bridge
January 30, 2019 10:29 - 40 minutesSaadia Khan talks to Edafe Okporo, an LGBTQ refugee from Nigeria. He is a fierce advocate for Human rights specifically those of LGBTQ community in NY and around the globe including West Africa. His passion to help others like him stems from his struggle which propels him to stand up for the defenseless. Currently, Edafe is the Director of RDJ Refugee Shelter. He is the author of BED 26: A Memoir of an African Man's Asylum in the United States. He also serves as a Board Member of First Frie...
I am a Survivor
January 23, 2019 05:00 - 41 minutesSaadia Khan talks to Reshad Ahmedi, an immigrant from Afghanistan. Reshad worked for ten years on U.S.-funded re-construction projects in Afghanistan, until insurgents targeted him for his affiliation with the United States. Reshad is in the US on a Special Immigration Visa (SIV) to the United States. He is now an Assistant Project Manager at a local Tectonic Engineering & Surveying. Reshad is also an Ambassador of the Westchester Refugee Initiative, helping to spread the word about refugees.
My Ancestors' Land
January 16, 2019 05:00 - 29 minutesIn this first episode of Season 2, Saadia Khan talks to Alyssa Mosley. Alyssa was born and raised in the homeland of Lenape people, also known as Bridgeton NJ. She is the enrolled member of the Nanticoke Lenni- Lenape tribe; it’s the largest Indian tribe in NJ. The history of the Lenape tribe goes back over 10,000 years. Most of Lenape people faced forced migration to Canada or midwestern US but some still left behind. In 2015, Alyssa was crowned princess to represent her people. She is stud...
We are more similar than different
December 26, 2018 05:00 - 38 minutesSaadia talks to Alessia Valfredini, an Italian American. Alessia is also a Professor at Fordham University in NY. She teaches modern languages and literature, and she is rarely taken for an immigrant, In this episode, we take a glimpse into her personal life and her perspective as a Western European immigrant living in America
Home is Elusive
December 19, 2018 05:00 - 50 minutesIn this Special Edition of The Alien Chronicles, Saadia Khan talks to Eric Maddox, a fellow podcaster and founder of the Virtual Dinner Guest Project and a US citizen living as an immigrant in Valencia Spain. They talk about the nuances of being an immigrant in the EU, racism in America and much more
From Kashmir to America: A Muslim Feminist's Journey
December 12, 2018 05:00 - 45 minutesIn this episode, Saadia Khan talks to Daisy Khan about her personal journey to America and her perspective as a modern religious scholar in America. Daisy Khan is one of the most prominent female Muslim leaders in the United States. She is also the Executive Director of the Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE) and Author of Born with Wings.
Guess what? I am not an Engineer
December 05, 2018 12:00 - 43 minutesSaadia interviews Ali Yarkhan, a branding executive, who has worked for internationally renowned brands like Prada and Giorgio Armani. He is also a director who wants to create documentaries that highlight social issues. On a personal level, he continues to explore and practice Sufism’s diverse cultural legacies in an attempt to achieve inner peace. In this episode, Ali talks about different facets of his life, from being a fashion guru to a filmmaker and a Sufi.
Oh sweet diversity..how I love thee!
November 28, 2018 12:00 - 25 minutesSaadia talks to Nadine Ali, a Pakistani American, about her journey to the US, her life as a baker and her rather unconventional path to sweetness. Currently, Nadine owns a successful business as a baker in NYC, she is also a mom and loves to dance!
I have Faith
November 21, 2018 12:00 - 27 minutesSaadia talks to Nicole Duran, Dominican Republic native. Nicole is currently working as a hairstylist and is also a student focusing on psychology and public speaking. With faith, she is trying to bring her community together. She believes that where you come from does not define where you will go.
A tale of a taxpaying DREAMER
November 14, 2018 11:38 - 1 hourIn this episode, Saadia talks to Juan Escalante, a renowned digital strategist and nationally recognized immigration advocate about his experiences as an immigrant in the US and his role in spearheading the immigrant rights movement for the last 10 years.
I am home
November 06, 2018 12:00 - 31 minutesIn this episode of "The Alien Chronicles", host Saadia Khan talks to Kelly Yzique, a former DACA recipient and now US permanent resident, about immigration and other issues that affect the migrant community. They talk about the immigrant caravan, misconception surrounding undocumented immigrants and how the United States needs to reconcile with its past.
What's with the accent?
October 31, 2018 04:00 - 39 minutesSaadia Khan talks to Sahar Saleem, an American Pakistani who immigrated to the US when she was 7 years old. A creative through and through, she is Marketing Manager at PepsiCo by day and an artist, musician, and writer by night. They talk about culture, food, stereotypes, religion & politics.