Category: Portraits & interviews
Written by Jahaida Hernández Jesurum It’s challenging to talk about Zahra Noorbakhsh without bringing up religion. So much of the California-born Iranian-American’s work focuses on the fact that she is Muslim — but perhaps not in the way you might expect: through comedy. Noorbakhsh, a comedian, full-time actress, writer, and host of the podcast #GoodMuslimBadMuslim, loves making people laugh in unexpected ways. In her second one-woman comedy show, Hijab and Hammerpants, which debuted in 2015, Noorbakhsh explored the conflicting...
Written by Ludmila Leiva The past year was one of heightened attention to various immigration issues. As 2015 came to a close, several of these topics again found their place in national news headlines. In this month’s news digest, we take a look at where the presidential candidates left off on some of this year’s major immigration debates and briefly discuss the Obama administration’s latest immigration policies, before turning to what’s going on in New York. Conversations on immigration:...
Written by Jahaida Hernández Jesurum Most of the time, children have no say over choices that are made for them — and immigrant children are not exempt from this. Kids must rely on the fact that their parents are making the best decisions for them based on their best judgement. And in most cases they do. This was the case of author Nadia Al Sultani’s mother, who decided to leave a prewar Iraq in 1980, when Al Sultani was 10...
Written by Kara DeDonato This month’s immigration news digest provides information about the positions the 2016 presidential frontrunners have taken on immigration and undocumented immigrants. Plus, we take a look at new initiatives and opportunities benefiting immigrants in the New York area. Democratic candidates and undocumented immigrants Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, announced her immigration reform plan over the summer, in which she voiced her support for a path to full and equal citizenship for individuals currently living...
