Tinny Widjaja
This interview is with Tinny Widjaja, a Chinese-Indonesian immigrant and political and interfaith activist living in Austin, TX. Tinny talks about growing up Chinese in Indonesia, and the discrimination she and her family faced there, as well as her decision to leave the country. She describes working abroad, meeting her African-American husband in Singapore, and moving to the US after having a son. Tinny shares how she went from politically ambivalent to politically active in the wake of the George Floyd protests, in hopes of making a safer world for her son.
Jessica Disla
This interview is with Jessica Disla, a member of the IslamInSpanish community and an aspiring teacher. Jessica talks about growing up and family dynamics in a Dominican-American family in Dominican Republic and New York City. She shares her journey in her career and education and is currently working towards her bachelor’s in education in order to teach ESL. She discusses spiritual seeking and asking difficult questions about religion, and how her curiosity eventually led to IslamInSpanish and her conversion to Islam. Jessica describes her love for the IslamInSpanish community and the many ways she participates in it.
Saleem Shabazz
This interview is with Saleem Shabazz, a retired postal worker and Air Force veteran living in Longview, TX. Saleem tells about his childhood, describing his family dynamics, the places he lived, and being Baptist in his youth. He talks about travel and work in the Air Force and being exposed to different cultures and beliefs. Saleem discusses converting to Islam and his experience of the hajj. He also talks about his engagement with his Muslim communities over the years, including being and imam for a time, and his observations on social and political change in the US.
Manahil Bilal
This interview is with Manahil Bilal, a young Muslim woman and software developer in Spring, TX. Manahil describes life in her close-knit extended family and tells the story of her immediate family’s immigration and their adjustment to life in the US. She discusses her relationship with her Pakistani and Muslim identities over time and learning to embrace them despite misunderstandings by those around her. Manahil also talks about how 9/11 was taught in her schools, including misinformation by teachers and under-emphasis on the long term impact the attacks had on Muslims and those perceived to be Muslims in the US.
Rhyma Castillo
This interview is with Rhyma Castillo, a journalist whose work focuses on the systemic challenges that face underprivileged communities. Rhyma speaks about the path and social concerns that led her into the field of journalism and how she believes in using her platform to speak for those whose voices are suppressed. She details her experience during the polar vortex, describing its impact on communities of color as well as her own mental health, in contrast with its lessened cost to the wealthy and privileged. She closes by speaking against ideas of profit over people and in favor of community engagement.
Brent Hampton
This interview is with Brent Hampton, a pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Brenham. Brent studied engineering and business in college, but was most interested in the history of religion courses, eventually leading him to attend Sunday school where he fell in love with preaching. Brent also discusses the complications of socially distanced worship.
Joanna Crawford
This interview is with Reverend Joanna Crawford from Live Oak Unitarian Church. Joanna left a career in marketing and was interested in process theology, eventually running a liberal church in Cedar Park, an area in Austin that is slowly becoming more racially diverse. Joanna has dealt with a fair share of hardships, like her daughter surviving cancer as well as being a woman minister, but all that has shaped her religious views in a positive way. Joanna also speaks to the hardships of virtual church service, which luckily, she’s accustomed to.