Chanda Parbhoo
This interview is with Chanda Parbhoo, an Indian-American organizer and immigrant from South Africa who lives in Dallas, TX. Chanda compares her early experiences of ethnic integration in Canada with her experiences of apartheid in South Africa. She also shares the challenges and prejudice her family experienced in Canada and the States. She describes the influence of her father’s business ventures and values on her childhood and career. Chanda talks about her activism for representation in her school district and for AAPI voting empowerment.
Daniele Volfe
This interview is with Daniele Volfe, a Brazilian immigrant and immigration attorney in McKinney, Texas. Daniele describes coming to the US with her husband, a pastor, and her family’s process of getting settled in Texas. She talks about her education and her decision to become an immigration attorney. She shares her relationship with her Brazilian culture and compares it with her daughters’ experiences of their heritage.
Duriba Khan
This interview is with Duriba Khan, a Pakistani-Indian Muslim and recent graduate from the University of Texas at Austin. Duriba speaks about spending most of her youth going to Islamic school and the culture shock that came with the transition to college life. During undergrad, Duriba ran for student government, joined a number of organizations and even served as co-president of the Pakistani Student Association. Duriba also discusses navigating immigrant kid guilt when she decided to go against her parents’ wishes and apply to law school instead of medical school.
Jin-Ya Huang
This interview is with Jin-Ya Huang, an artist and immigrant from Taiwan living in Dallas, TX. Jin-Ya describes her childhood in Taiwan and memories of the stark differences between her mother’s and father’s families. She shares about coming to the States, including the challenges of her parents’ career changes and working in family restaurants. Jin-Ya talks about influences on her life both good and bad, from keeping her cultural traditions to experiencing intergenerational trauma.
Juan Coronado
This interview is with Dr. Juan Coronado, a professor from the Río Grande Valley. Juan reflects on growing up surrounded by Latino culture and on his exposure to migration and the presence of the border. He talks as a historian about his impressions of changes at the border and in the US at large that followed 9/11. Juan also discusses the effects of wars in the Middle East on Middle Eastern populations, American troops, and American culture.
Khadeeja Moosa
This interview is with Khadeeja Moosa, a young Pakistani-American Muslim woman. Khadeeja describes growing up as a hijabi in North Texas and her experiences of othering and prejudice. She talks about how 9/11 was memorialized and taught in her public school and the ways in which this presentation impacted her. She discusses the misrepresentation of Islam in media and public education as a legacy that remains alive long after the events of 9/11.
Maesha Meto
This interview is with Maesha Meto, a public affairs grad student and activist in Austin, TX. Maesha talks about her childhood experiences as a young immigrant, such as learning English and feeling alienated from her peers. She shares stories of the Islamophobia she and her family experienced while she was growing up. She also talks about her political awakening and her activist involvement, including police reform work in New York City.
Marie Betcher
This interview is with Rabbi-Cantor Marie Betcher, a female rabbi in Austin, Texas. Rabbi Betcher discusses her upbringing, growing up in Brooklyn, NY in an Italian family. She shares her multicultural background and the migration story of her family. She also discusses the gender dynamics she experiences as a female rabbi. In this interview, we hear her account of life in the pandemic and her involvement in the community. She currently serves as a chaplain with the Austin Police Department.
Moureen Kaki
This interview is with Moureen Kaki, an Palestine solidarity activist with Jewish Voice for Peace in San Antonio, TX. Moureen describes her experiences of seeing the ills of settler-colonialism in Palestine first-hand, and how that direct exposure as a Palestinian-American has catalyzed her work. She talks about the politicization of her identity as a Palestinian, and of Muslim identities as well, and how she has felt uncomfortable sharing her identity and culture with others at different points in her life. Moureen also discusses misconceptions she would like to clear up about Palestinian solidarity and the nature of the conflict.
Omar El-Halwagi
This interview is with Omar El-Halwagi, an employment discrimination lawyer in Houston, TX. Omar talks about growing up as a Muslim in the American south and discrimination he faced at a young age. He tells his story of being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union in order to secure the time and place to pray during high school. Omar also describes co-founding the organization Grassroot Islam, a virtual space for a diverse and inclusive Muslim community created to combat pandemic isolation. He discusses coming into his relationship with God on his own terms and learning from the spiritual journeys of others.