Model Minority: Uniquely American

In January, I sent out a request asking listeners to send in clips about what language means to them - regardless of if they can speak their native tongues or not.

And YOU all delivered!

In On Losing Our Tongues, we're hearing diaspora folks from over a dozen unique ethnicities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East share what if feels like to struggle to speak their native language, or to be unable to speak it altogether.

Some themes in this episode include:

• How monolingual people in the diaspora relate to the English language
• Being bilingual in English & Spanish but being unable to speak your native tongue
• Having to use Google Translate to communicate between generations of family

• How immigrants process trauma and share family histories in the face of language barriers
• The science behind language erosion and the impact of that on a person's relation to their culture
• The story of Bangladesh: the first country to fight a liberation war around language

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A very special thank you to everyone who sent in clips or interviewed with me for this episode:

• Abhinav Das, Shukri Ideis, Sophia Fel, Victoria Li, Annie Tan, Tommy Souravong, Farzana Haque, Marzia Chowdhury, Samantha Reyes, Stephanie Botchway, and Zamzam Dini

This is an episode made possible from viewers (*eh hem* I mean listeners like you ;), so please give this a share to help support my storytelling.

Shukriya, thank you!

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Listen/read my 4-min story on NPR/WBEZ: ⁠How a Queer Therapist is bringing bilingual (Mandarin Chinese to English) Mental Health Resources to people of color in Chicago⁠!

• It aired on National Public Radio (NPR) and Chicago Public Media (WBEZ 91.5FM), and is part of a series on what home means to our communities!

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Image credits: Dall-E

Music & Sound credits: CC Creative Commons & freesound (all artists are listed on our website!)

In January, I sent out a request asking listeners to send in clips about what language means to them - regardless of if they can speak their native tongues or not.

And YOU all delivered!

In On Loving Our Language, we're exploring the benefits of being bilingual in a non-western languages in the US (i.e. having access to unique forms of media and television & the ability to connect with others) as well as some barriers (i.e. facing discrimination or forgoing access to healthcare or government aide).

We'll be looking at the stats about who in our communities are bilingual and what resources they are (or aren't) given. We also busting open the American Myth of Bilingualism - i.e. the idea that teaching your kids a second language + English will cause them to struggle with English.

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Check out Ahmed Ali Akbar's podcast Radiolingo here!

Listen/read my story on How a Queer Therapist is bringing bilingual (Mandarin Chinese to English) Mental Health Resources to people of color in Chicago!

• It aired on National Public Radio (NPR) and Chicago Public Media (WBEZ 91.5FM) last week, and is part of a series on what home means to our communities!

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If you sent in a clip and didn't hear yourself featured here, stay tuned! This episode is the first half in a two part series called "On Loving and Losing Our Tongues" so please keep an eye out for the second-half featuring even more clips coming up in about a week. In this two part episode, we're hearing from listeners and friends of over a dozen unique ethnicities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East share what their native language means to them.

Part 2, On Losing Our Tongues, will cover what if feels like to struggle to speak your language, or to be unable to speak it altogether.

A very special thank you to everyone who sent in clips or interviewed with me for this episode:

• Daniel Lin, Ahmed Ali Akbar, Shruti Shah, Mukta Deia, Brian Chen, Meghali Mazumdar and Helen Li

This is an episode made possible from viewers (*eh hem* I mean listeners) like you, so please give this a share to help support my storytelling.

Shukriya, thank you!

Image credits: Dall-E

Music credits: CC Creative Commons

Give Zamzam's research a read: Immigrant Family Financial and Relational Stressors and Coping Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Follow Zamzam's work: LinkedIn | UM Website

Follow Model Minority: Uniquely American: Insta | Facebook | Website

Immigrant Tales is a sub-series of Model Minority: Uniquely American, aimed to be an immersive narrative from our communities' immigrants about their life stories. If you have a story to share, email me at [email protected]. Please be sure to follow this podcast, and share this episode. Shukriya!

As the launch of Season 2, we sit down with Sameer Gadhia, lead singer of Young the Giant, to discuss his heritage, thoughts on the American Dream, and the meaning behind the album American Bollywood.

When Sameer Gadhia and his bandmates started the band Young the Giant, few people in the alternative rock music industry knew of the influence of South Asian culture and rhythms on the genre. Since then, Young the Giant has released major hits such as Cough Syrup, Silvertounge, and Mind Over Matter, played shows at festivals like Summerfest & Lollapalooza, and performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

As the child of Indian immigrants, Sameer Gadhia grew up like many of us - caught between his two identities. He left Stanford University in order to forge his own path in music, one that stems from a long history of musicians in his family. With the band's latest album, American Bollywood, Sameer has shed a direct light on his culture and background, and in the process, gave so many third-culture kids a home within his music.

Check out ⁠⁠⁠Sameer's Op-Ed in The Rolling Stones Magazine⁠⁠⁠ that we referenced in the episode.

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Give Sameer and YTG a follow: IG - @SameerGadhia & @YoungtheGiant | Spotify | YouTube

Follow Model Minority: Uniquely American: IG - @minority_model | Facebook | Spotify | Apple Podcasts