Browsing by Subject "US politics"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7

Ahmad Kaki Interview
(2022-12-21) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Ahmad Kaki, a legal assistant and law student in Arlington, VA. Ahmad describes growing up Palestinian and Muslim in Texas and how his life changed after 9/11. He talks about his college experiences of involvement in the Muslim Students Association and pro-Palestine organizing. Ahmad shares the trajectory of his career, which brought him to law school and his current work as a legal assistant with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Hadi Jawad Interview
(2023-04-05) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Hadi Jawad, an activist in Dallas, TX. Hadi shares memories of growing up in Pakistan and coming to the US for college. He talks about his business and how he began activism work against US military involvement in Iraq. Hadi describes the impacts of post-9/11 Islamophobia on his community and his own interactions with the FBI.
Katy Murdza Interview
(2023-06-06) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Katy Murdza, the Texas regional organizer for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, in Houston, TX. Katy describes her start in immigration activism during college, her work at a detention center through the Dilley Pro Bono Project, and her work with SA Stand Coalition and Houston Leads. She compares life in the places she has lived and also recalls her travels, including being in the Peace Corps in Panama. Katy describes the connections between the causes she organizes for and believes in, such as immigration reform, abolition, and transit.
Ramon Mejia Interview
(2022-11-02) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Ramon Mejia, a veteran of the Marine Corps and anti-war organizer in Waxahachie, TX. Ramon describes his childhood in Oak Cliff, Dallas, leading up to his decision to join the Marines. He shares about his experience in the military, his deployment in Kuwait and Iraq, and being discharged for his health. He talks about his curiosity about Islam after deployment and his decision to convert. Ramon goes on to describe his work as an educator and organizer. He talks about how his intersecting identities influence the work he does, particularly in the post-9/11 United States.
Saatvik Ahluwalia Interview
(2022-10-18) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Saatvik Ahluwalia, an Indian-American political organizer living in Boston, MA. Saatvik talks about his mother’s influence on his values and activism work. He shares his journey toward self-love and pride in his culture by way of Bhangra dance. Saatvik also describes his vision for community, which includes humility in organizing and protecting minoritized children from hate.
Steven Kling Interview
(2021-11-19) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Steven Kling, a US Army veteran and former candidate for the Texas Senate. Steven talks about growing up in conservative settings and developing progressive values along the way, including his values of strength and service. He shares his story of joining Civil Affairs in the US Army at the age of thirty and serving tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. Steven also talks about running for the Texas Senate and aiding Afghan immigrants during the Fall of Kabul.
Tinny Widjaja Interview
(2021-02-06) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
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.