Constance Shabazz
This interview is with Constance Shabazz, a social activist, feminist, and speaker from Chicago. After learning about the health care disparities and injustice faced by the African American community during her time working for the Sickle Cell Foundation in New York, Constance decided to become a physician and advocate for others. Constance talks about how reading the Autobiography of Malcolm X helped align her spiritual beliefs with Islam and informed her opinions on providing free health care for all. Constance moved to Texas in 2016 and continues to organize around community needs.
Sehar Ezez
This interview is with Sehar Ezez, a Pakistani-American with experience organizing with marginalized communities. Sehar talks about growing up Muslim in Alabama and the struggles her family and extended Muslim community faced in the aftermath of 9/11. She describes experiencing Islamophobic prejudice and violence when she wore hijab in college. She also discusses her involvement, tokenization, and various roles she has filled as an activist and ally.
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.
Ora Houston
This interview is with Ora Houston, a long-time civil servant and former city council member in Austin, TX. Ora describes the influences of her early life, like her mother’s social work, her education, experiencing Jim Crow segregation, and her exposure to and choice of religion. She talks about her involvement in the Episcopal church as a lay leader and how her religious convictions influence her work to uplift the voices of underrepresented people. She discusses her years of civil service and her four-year term in the Austin city council representing District One.
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.
Radames "Rod" Martinez
This interview is with Rod Martinez, a semi-retired radiologist and Cuban immigrant living in Longview, TX. Rod shares his memories of growing up in Cuba and escaping with his family after Castro came to power. He describes immigrating to the US and how his family lived during their first years in the States. Rod talks about the influences and education that led him to a career in medicine. He also shares about how he met his wife, how she influenced his faith, and his current relationship with Christianity.