PRESENTER|AJ+
In this piece, I face the culture clashes of being first generation American, and planning my Indian wedding. I explore wedding traditions in minority communities in the Indian diaspora: Muslims and Sikhs. I reach back into my own family archive to explore arranged marriages, and grapple with it's impact for my partner and I as American millennials.
I report on the growing number of truckers in the U.S. who are Sikhs from Punjab, India and ride along with a long-haul trucker, Satnam Singh. Like some other truckers, Singh crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and faced detention to realize his American dream. I document his life on the road, explore what factors pushed him from Punjab and the discrimination he's faced in the U.S.
Islam isn't just the fastest-growing religion in the world, it's also the fastest-growing faith in U.S. prisons. I report from a state prison in California and delve into the intertwined history of the Nation of Islam and incarceration.
As white nationalists protest across the country, we researched the revenue streams behind real world and internet spaces where white nationalists are thriving. Their funding streams led us to mega donors, crowdsourcing platforms, and sympathizers in government. White nationalists are finding the money to ensure that they're heard and communicate that they're not going anywhere.
Only a tiny fraction of the student body at elite colleges and universities in the U.S. comes from low income families. And there is one low income student for every 25 wealthy students at elite universities. Richard Kahlenberg from the Century Foundation calls this “economic segregation.” But why is it happening? And why is class diversity at elite colleges and universities important? AJ+ visited UC Berkeley's campus to talk with students and find out.
DIGITAL PRODUCER|AJ+
Boston, Massachusetts, was once home to one of the first major Syrian communities in the United States, starting in the 1890s. This was at a time when Syrians fought to be classed as "white" to gain citizenship. Though no physical traces of "Syriantown" remain, the memory of the vibrant community lives on in one of its last residents: Olivia Waishek. This series won the 2017 Features and Storytelling Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
For the final part of this award winning series, we meet Zainab Abdo and her family to hear how their lives changed when the Syrian war reached their doorstep. Zainab escaped the war and is rebuildling her life in the suburbs of Boston. This series won the 2017 Features and Storytelling Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
INTERVIEW PRODUCER|AL JAZEERA
For this medical story, I researched what happens to the brain while it experiences and recovers from trauma. I interviewed coma survivors to hear their memories of the accident and their recovery and included the expertise of a leading neurologist, Dr. Adrian Owen, who made brain science come alive for our audience.
For International Week of the Deaf, The Stream built a show around deaf speakers. I connected with Gallaudet University to interview professor Lindsay Dunn via a program translating to and from American Sign Language. I arranged for Professor Dunn and a certified interpreter to join us in studio, and met with our technical team to arrange new workflows to accommodate live translation of ASL into our broadcast.