Modern Minorities

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Danny Hajjar (asks) the People Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

“For the longest time I couldn't really talk about my Lebanese identity or Arabic music, and then we'd go to Lebanon, and I’d have to justify being American.”

Danny Hajjar is a writer and media relations pro in Washington D.C. who we first met thru FrieMMd of the Pod and musician Soof. Danny’s a fellow music-lover - passionate about about hip hop artists in the Middle East and North Africa, tracking the growth of their music beyond the region.

Danny actually curates music and stories in his weekly newsletter, “Sa’alouni El Nas” - which literally translates to “the people ask me” - which we’d definitely recommend you check out and subscribe to. You’ll enjoy hearing us scratch beneath the surface of this tastemaker - from the Moon Knight to the Backstreet Boys.

LEARN ABOUT DANNY

twitter.com/danielghajjar
NEWSLETTER: saalounielnas.substack.com/
ARTICLES: english.alaraby.co.uk/author/70905/danny-hajjar

This episode is sponsored by the Department of Health & Human Services, who’s encouraging you and your community to make sure you’ve got the COVID-19 Vaccine & Booster. We can do this, together. Find vaccines and boosters near you @ VACCINES.gov

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Saniya Soni’s (a) Loudmouth Ladkhi Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

“I realized this is what good therapy is. This is what bad therapy is. There were a lot of things that came up with my culture that required a lot of explaining. I realized I wasn't alone in this.”

Saniya Soni’s a South Asian mental health advocate studying clinical psychology. Saniya ALSO co-hosts a podcast called “Loudmouth Ladkhi’s” (ladkhi’s means “girl” in Hindi) with her former debate rival Sapna — which focuses on the intersection of South Asian + Western identities with an emphasis on mental health. Saniya's early career has really been at the intersection of mental health and tech, and she's hoping to improve access to mental health service for all — especially those in her community. She's a student of psychology and criminal justice, she's conducted research on BIPOC mental health, she's implemented suicide prevention strategies. Saniya’s spoken publicly about the importance of not just representation, but cultural understanding in mental healthcare with The JED Foundation, the Epic Foundation, Morgan Stanley, MTV, and CNN. Saniya was introduced to us by FrieMMd of the Pod Jay Veraldi of the podcast Animalia. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation that goes many places - from dating, to parents, to indian dance teams. As an advocate for change in our culture - you’ll hear through her vulnerability and willingness to share her own story how we all have room to grow in our understanding and acceptance of this space.

LEARN ABOUT SANIYA

instagram.com/saniyasoniii/
Loudmouth Ladkhis (PODCAST): apple.co/3xRBLel // spoti.fi/3C3OE6n
instagram.com/loudmouthladkis

MENTIONS

DESI DANCE TEAMS: youtube.com/c/DesidancenetworkOrg
BOOK: Milk & Honey (Rupi Kaur) - goodreads.com/book/show/23513349-milk-and-honey
SHOW: Ms Marvel - imdb.com/title/tt10857164/

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Aftab Pureval's (Cincinnati) mayoral empathy Oct 03, 2022

Show notes

“Politics is all about empathy — people believing that you understand their plight, their issue, their life — and that you have a plan to help them.”

Aftab Pureval is the Mayor of the city of Cincinnati. As Cincinnati’s 70th Mayor, Aftab has made equitable economic growth a top priority of his administration, as well as a comprehensive reform and improvement of public safety, affordable housing, and environmental action. Formerly serving as the first Democrat to be elected Hamilton County Clerk of Courts in over 100 years, Aftab opened an award-winning Help Center and became the first countywide officeholder in Ohio to offer paid family leave. Mayor Aftab was born and raised in Southwest Ohio - he attended The Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati College of Law where he represented victims of domestic violence who could not afford an attorney. Aftab served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and worked as an attorney at Procter & Gamble working on brands like Olay. Mayor Aftab lives in Clifton with his wife and sons.

This is a special episode from one of Raman’s other podcasts - and NOT the one about comic books. On Learnings from Leaders: the P&G Alumni Podcast (pgalums.com/podcast), Raman and a few friends connect with fellow Alums from P&G - a company known for its purpose, values, and principles — for mentorship chats for the next generation of leaders. One of Raman’s podcast co-hosts is Andrew Tarvin, who he’s known almost as long as Sharon. Drew led had the chance to sit down with the mayor of Cincinnati - a town near and dear to our hearts - Mayor Aftab Pureval. And you can guess from Aftab's name, sometimes folks ask where he's really from. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about redefining what a name means - and showing up for what matters.

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Sharon & Raman (on) What’s Your Story Sep 26, 2022

Show notes

This week the mic gets turned on Sharon & Raman! Ever since we started this show, we've had the privilege of being invited to share our story on other folks' podcasts. One of those shows is "What's at our Story" by longtime FrieMMd of the Pod Matt Story - who you've heard more than a few times on this podcast. Waaaay back when in 2020, Matt asked us to share some of our story on his pod. We hope you'll enjoy it, and be sure to check out Matt's show "What's Your Story" wherever you get your favorite podcasts...

LEARN ABOUT MATT

mattestory.com
twitter.com/mattestory //.instagram.com/mattestory
Podcast: https://apple.co/2De6Tve

OTHER PODCAST CHATS WITH MATT

9/6/2020: Matt’s on “Modern Minorities” (part 1): modmypod.com/episodes/25-matt-story-knows-you-have-super-powers
2/28/2021: Matt’s 2nd MM appearance - modmypod.com/episodes/ep-63-black-history-to-be-continued
7/4/2021: Seeking Answers Through Allyship - Sharon & Raman’s 2ND appearance on “What’s Your Story”: https://apple.co/3L2DwKS

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Alice Hsu's (embracing) identity Sep 19, 2022

Show notes

“I knew I looked different, but didn't really notice it until kids started pointing it out. It was time for me to be proud of who I am. If you can't embrace who you are, how can you embrace others?”

Sharon’s good friend, Alice Hsu, has been on our podcast twice in the past, but this is the first time we’re focusing the discussion on her. Alice grew up in Canton, Michigan where she was one of the only Taiwanese kids in her area. Her first-generation story is similar to many of our previous guests, but unique in that we’ve only known Alice for who she is today: a bold, passionate Asian-American woman who is proud of her culture and heritage.

In our discussion, we dive deeper into stories that led to Alice becoming… well, Alice. We talk about how food was a way for Alice to connect with others and those around her as she learned to embrace her roots, while also being the source of bullying and a defining factor for social acceptance - “home lunch” of boiled tea eggs and steamed buns was alienating, whereas Lunchables were okay, who can relate?

From reminiscing about life in our early twenties sharing a 1-bedroom apartment in NYC among four roommates to talking about the types of men that Alice’s dad thinks would make for a great husband, this conversation was super fun and eye-opening for Sharon. We wish that we had time to truly get to know all of our friends in this way. We are so glad that we had a chance to spend quality time with an old friend and know that you’ll enjoy reconnecting with Alice too.

Note: You’ve heard Alice on our panel discussion about education and for the very first Lunar New Year episode from season 1. Links below to listen again.

LEARN ABOUT ALICE

Alice Hsu on MM to talk Chinese New Years: https://bit.ly/3rxYrKH
Alice Hsu on MM to talk about Teachers during COVID: https://bit.ly/3drjvRK
Apparel Producer : https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicehsu1/
Rodan + Fields Consultant: https://alicehsu.myrandf.com/en-us/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kistahsun/

MENTIONS

FILM: Amelie https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/
TV SHOW: Full House https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092359/
PERSON: Oprah Winfrey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey

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Kabir Sehgal’s (infinite) creations Sep 12, 2022

Show notes

“I don't wanna work at a company for 30 years, and then my entire identity is gone. So I ended up writing four books. And my officemates would say, ‘How do you do all this stuff?’ You gotta find the intersection points.”

Kabir Sehgal is a many things: A bestselling author of sixteen books (across nonfiction and fiction). A multi-Grammy-winning jazz musician. A producer and writer of documentaries on immmigration an work. Kabir and his work have been featured in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, PBS, NPR, C-SPAN, National Geographic and many more places. He’s done work with the late Congressman John Lewis, Muhammad Yunus, Andrew Young and many more. Sehgal is a US Navy veteran and reserve officer who served on active duty with special operations in the Middle East, and he received the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. He served as a speechwriter on presidential campaigns. But despite NOT being related (that we know of), Raman discovered him years ago...when someone gifted his daughter the book “The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk” - a book that has become a family favorite, and that we’ve gifted to friends with new kids around the world. So how does someone go from Wall Street and the Military to jazz music and kids books? One cup of chai and samosa at a time.

LEARN ABOUT KABIR

Kabir.cc
instagram.com/kabir.cc // twitter.com/kabirsehgal
FILM PRODUCER https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8903549/
MUSIC PRODUCER: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kabir-sehgal-mn0002637161/credits
AUTHOR: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1285051.Kabir_Sehgal
BOOK: The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk: goodreads.com/en/book/show/24885579
HBR: “Why You Should Have (at Least) Two Careers” https://hbr.org/2017/04/why-you-should-have-at-least-two-careers
ALBUM: American Dreamers Project (won 3 Grammys:): https://open.spotify.com/album/2mAJfyyvdfRuraIVqjUQJA

MENTIONS

TV: Succession - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7660850/
BOOK: Bullshit Jobs (David Graeber) - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/34466958
BOOK: Daily Rituals: How Artists Work (Mason Currey) - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15799151-daily-rituals
BOOK: The Omni-Americans (Albert Murray) - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/174142
PERSON: Trey Young (Atlanta Hawks) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trae_Young
PERSON: Lebron James - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeBron_James

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MMovies: (Relating to) The Namesake Sep 05, 2022

Show notes

“It really tugs at your heart in the shared experience of growing up with dual cultures - and then recognizing all that our parents had gone through” // “...and at every moment that loneliness was pervasive.”

MMovies returns to talk about important films that explain the minority experience for the rest of our majority ears. THE NAMESAKE is known by many as the 2003 book to decode most of your Indian friends. Adapted in 2006 as a family by Mira Nair - this is a work that many of us have a LOT of feelings about (esp if you’re a South Asian American boy between the ages of 25-45 years old). The film stars stars Kal Penn in the title role as Gogol Ganglani - alongside Zuleikha Robinson, Jacinda Barret as love interests, Sahira Nair as his sister, and Tabu + the late, great Irfan Khan who steal the film and bring us to tears as Gogol’s immigrant parents. The story follows the life of a young Bengali boy as he grows into adulthood across two cultures. But unlike the book, the film is not as much an interior reflection of Gogol, but a broader take on the family origins and experience - where his parents take just as much the center stage. While the book really spoke to many of us in our early 20s, you can’t help but watch the film in adulthood and see it from the perspective of the parents. Joining us today to talk about the Namesake is FrieMMd of the Pod, and our favorite Iranian Canadian by way of Ohio, Ida Abdalkhani. No tears this episode, just lots of the feels with this one.

LEARN MORE & MENTIONS

FILM: The Namesake (2006, Mira Nair):imdb.com/title/tt0433416/
BOOK: The Namesake (2003, Jhumpa Lahiri): goodreads.com/book/show/33917.The_Namesake
ARTICLE (2018): ‘Revisiting the Nameake’ pajiba.com/film_reviews/revisiting-mira-nair-and-kal-penns-the-namesake-after-crazy-rich-asians.php
GUEST: Ida Abdalkhani - youtu.be/-HJG63EXCmw

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Korey Watari’s (Able To) Shine Aug 29, 2022

Show notes

“Knowing what I know now and knowing our ethnicity, and where we come from, and what we know of our culture is what makes us unique, and what makes you powerful.”

Korey Watari is a sansei, or third-generation Japanese American, born and raised in Los Angeles. She played basketball for a Japanese American league, graduated from the University of California, Riverside, and studied at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.

Korey has worked in the animation and fashion industries for companies such as Disney and the Gap. I Am Able to Shine is her debut picture book and first collaboration with her husband, Pixar Artist and creator of Disney's Ellie series Mike Wu. In this gorgeously illustrated book, she shines a light on the AAPI experience, specifically the Japanese American experience, through the eyes of Keiko. The book was originally created for Korey & Mike’s two daughters and has made an impact for many little girls and boys worldwide. Korey joins us to talk about what inspired her to create this story and is excited to share Keiko's story with readers everywhere.

LEARN ABOUT KOREY

Website: Koreywatari.com
LinkedIn: Korey Watari-Wu
IG: @tinyteru, @wudog23
TW: @tinyteru

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Gender Queer: a must-read (banned) book Aug 22, 2022

Show notes

Banned books, awkward adolescence, and pronouns.

We recently read Maia Kobaba's GENDER QUEER: A MEMOIR on Raman’s other not-so-secret podcast Quarantined Comics. Created in 2014 - by Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns - created a cathartic autobiography of Eir's experience with gender identity — from crushes to fan fic, from coming out to making out. What started as a series of Instagram posts to explain to the author's family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer becomes so much more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.

And then it became the most banned book in the country. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/01/books/maia-kobabe-gender-queer-book-ban.html

What started as a simple, moving, explanation of gender identity - with the potential to create so much greater empathy and understanding for all of us got picked up by a parent on the wrong side of history, and a social media firestorm resulted, snowballing into headlines aroundthe country - with dozense of schools pulling it from library shelves around the country - from the Carolinas to Texas to Virginia - with many officials labeling it “pornographic.”

But we're not here to talk about the controversy surrounding the book (we do, inevitably) — we're here to talk about the work itself. in light of all the other not so positive change happening in our society, it felt really important to read Gender Queer, and can't recommend this book enough. Warning, this is one of the rare episodes where Raman & Ryan agree on almost everything =)

LEARN ABOUT

GENDER QUEER (comic): goodreads.com/book/show/42837514-gender-queer

Quarantined Comics (Raman + Ryan's podcast): qtdcomics.com

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Holly Hatam’s (drawing) beautiful empathy Aug 15, 2022

Show notes

“I can put my emotions into my art. I want to create characters so kids can see themselves and know that they are beautiful.”

Holly Hatam is an acclaimed picture book maker, designer, and textile engineer. Holly is the New York Times’s bestselling illustrator of “Dear Girl” and “Dear Boy” - as well as books like “Hair Stories'', “Jack (Not Jackie)”, “Maxine the Maker”, and the recently released PRINCESS CHARMING. Holly’s books have been translated into over 10 languages and sold over 1 million copies worldwide. But most importantly, Raman’s little kids LOVE her work. Diversity in children’s books is super important to Holly. Holly is Iranian, her husband is Chinese, and with their son being biracial it’s even more important for Holly to shine the spotlight on anyone that feels invisible or unheard.

LEARN ABOUT HOLLY

hollyhatam.com
instagram.com/hollyhatamillustration
twitter.com/hollyhatam
BOOKS: goodreads.com/author/show/15051379.Holly_Hatam

MENTIONS

AUTHOR: Oliver Jeffers - goodreads.com/author/show/173545.Oliver_Jeffers
BOOK: “Just As Long As We’re Together” (Judy Blume): goodreads.com/en/book/show/37731.Just_as_Long_as_We_re_Together

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