In this episode we hear Delia Mendez-Valdez, We Love Buford Highway’s Program and Communications Coordinator. She shares her dreams and hopes for Buford Highway’s future, especially through the lens of her upbringing along the corridor. We hope you enjoy this final episode of the series Identities and Belonging. Thank you for listening to our stories this 2023. See you in 2024! Delia grew up along Buford Highway and she became a passionate advocate for community engagement. Starting as a...

In this episode we bring back Jonathan Peraza, who has been a guest in this podcast before! Jonathan discusses his dreams for Buford Highway and how this vision is centered around building spaces that we don’t have yet. It is not only about questioning and advocating for institutions to be equitable and just, it’s also about going beyond and outside of these structures to build something new, powerful, and unapologetically OURS. Jonathan reminds us that it is good to be critical about the...

In this episode Victoria García shares her stories about belonging on Buford Highway through the artistic medium she practices, photography. As a designer, visual artist, and community lover living along Buford Highway, Victoria shares her experiences discovering and deconstructing what art can mean, do, and foster for a community like this one. You can find Victoria on Instagram @vlgarcia_ @highwayinmigrante and find her work by going to vlgarcia.com

In this episode you will hear the voices of Natalia Garzón Martínez, Victoria García, Jonathan Peraza-Campos, and Delia Mendez. They come together to discuss the contradictions that exist with the term "Latinidad" and the importance of nuancing terms to include historically silenced and marginalized voices. When does fitting in become assimilation? How can we break the box instead of trying to fit into it? Listen to this episode to hear organizers and creatives discuss what it means to step...

En este episodio Lorena Castro comparte sus experiencias con la superación personal y la salud mental. Además, comparte su visión para las personas y comunidades que viven en el corredor Buford. Lorena es originaria de México y ha vivido en Atlanta desde el 2002. Desde el 2018 trabaja con las comunidades del corredor Buford y lo que más aprecia de este trabajo es aprender sobre otras culturas y poder crear espacios para que la gente se conecte. En Enero del 2023 se volvió cofundadora de la...

En este episodio hablamos con Aceli Zenil, quien comparte su historia de inmigrante con nosotros. Nos habla de la importancia de proteger y creer en los sueños y de cómo su vida en Estados Unidos ha cambiado con el pasar del tiempo. Aceli Zenil vive en Georgia desde hace 26 años y siempre le ha gustado apoyar e involucrarse en su comunidad y en las escuelas de sus hijos. A través de los años ha aprendido mucho y ha ayudado en diferentes organizaciones. En Enero del 2023 se volvió...

Join us for this English episode with Lina Vargas, creator and founder of @comadreandoatl, a social club for Latinx "Comadres" of all stripes in ATL. This conversation centers the importance of community building in private and public spaces, and centers words like "friendship," "company," and "gender." If you are interested in how to celebrate culture and beyond that, the people who create this culture, give this episode a listen and a share! Lina Vargas lives in Atlanta and enjoys...

En este episodio escucharemos las voces de Lina Vargas, Aceli Zenil, Lorena Castro y Natalia Garzón Martínez. Las cuatro mujeres comparten sus experiencias en Atlanta y hablan sobre cómo el contexto cultural de vivir en el sur de los Estados Unidos ha cambiado sus definiciones de “ser Latinas.” Abordan varios temas dentro de la noción de la cultura, incluyendo la importancia de no separar el objeto cultural del sujeto que lo crea. También hablan de la importancia de nutrir comunidades y redes...

We are bringing back one of our former guests on this podcast, Luis Andres Andino! He joined us a few months ago to talk about mental health and machismo, and now he is here to tell us the story of his upbringing on Buford Highway and how his childhood has shaped the work he does today. In this individual story, Luis shares with us what being different vs. feeling left out can look like. He takes us back to his time in school, as he navigated cultural differences in the US, and how people who...

En este episodio (¡completamente en español!) hablamos con Ludemar Ball-Mora, quien nos comparte cómo se sintió al llegar a Estados Unidos desde Puerto Rico. Durante nuestra charla, Ludemar también habla de los idiomas, incluyendo el idioma Taíno, una lengua indígena de la familia arawak que se habló en las Antillas por la época de la conquista española. Aquí resalta la importancia de honrar y celebrar nuestras raíces indígenas y cómo su experiencia en Atlanta la ha ayudado a aprender sobre...

In this episode we sit down with Angelica, who was one of our guests in last week's group discussion. She describes some of the places in her life that make her feel a sense of belonging. The conversation touches on finding family and building family when you are new to a city or space, and Angelica shares beautiful stories about her young adulthood and what Doraville looked like some years ago. She also gives us her best recommendation for Buford Highway and shares a story about a restaurant...

In this episode you will hear from Luis Andino, Angelica, Ludemar Ball-Mora and Natalia Garzón Martínez. They all spend some time discussing their definitions of Latinidad and how Atlanta has changed their sense of belonging over the years. Other topics discussed include language (loss and acquisition) for new generations of Latinos, educational gaps for communities, and much needed investments for communities in need. Read below to learn more about the people participating in this...

Latino identities exist beyond margaritas, taco Tuesdays, and mariachi bands. With over 21 countries and territories identifying as Latin American or Latino, and over 30 million individuals from these places living outside their country of origin and creating diasporas in many different parts of the world, Latino/Hispanic identities are important and here to stay.  In an effort to highlight these complexities, we created the “Identities and Belonging” series, a collection of group...

In this episode, Van shares her family's immigrant story. She also talks about optimism, and how she connects with people of different backgrounds. The conversation also revolves around the model minority myth, invisibility and hypervisibility and its effects on AAPI organizing, especially post the 3.16 Atlanta Spa shooting. Finally, she touches on how we can build genuine empathy with those around us. Van is a UX researcher by trade, but considers herself to be an active and engaged member...

In this episode, Alina Lee talks about growing up in a primarily white neighborhood and the importance that Buford Highway had in her formation of an Asian identity. She also shares more about her journey in finding "home" and how the Asian Law Student Association at Vanderbilt helped her start her journey in community involvement here in Atlanta. *TW: conversations about racial discrimination and sexual abuse are mentioned in this episode. Alina Lee is the Founding Partner of her law...

In this episode, Alnory Gutlay talks about access to health for AAPI communities and the effects of the model minority myth in the public health sector. She raises important questions about accessibility and cultural awareness in the world of health equity, drawing from her own experiences as an organizer and advocate.Alnory Gutlay is a first generation Filipino. She is a community organizer and nonprofit leader with over 10 years of experience serving and advocating for the Asian American,...

In this episode of the limited series AAPI Organizing in the South, five community leaders and organizers talk about organizing during COVID and what support to organizers as community members can look like. The conversation touches on intersectionality and generational divides, identity formation through organizing, and misconceptions about AAPI communities. Finally, they discuss belonging and how it is influenced by mass media and representation of AAPI identities in public spaces.The...

In this episode, Ashley Mack talks about the AAPI organizing communities she is a part of and what it means to be heard at the local and national level. She reflects on what community and home can feel like and shares her experience on being an Asian woman in different spaces throughout her life, including corporate America.Ashley Mack has achieved several career breakthroughs in a short time. Ashley joined Southern Company as a Corporate Accountant in 2012. At the age of 29, she became a...

In this episode, Bharat Bhatia shares the story of his family's immigrant background, the importance of cultural curiosity and how embracing different identities can build internal power. Bharat also discusses intersectionality and the impact it has had in his life. Bharat is a data analyst with the State of Georgia; he is passionate about fitness and is a 9-time marathon runner. He is a foodie who loves learning about different cultures and is active in the AAPI Organizing scene in Atlanta.

In this episode, Michelle Kang talks to Jainey about her involvement in building relationships and organizing after the 3.16.2021 Atlanta Spa shootings. She also shares more about her work in encouraging Asian American History to be present in education in K-12 schools. During their conversation, Jainey and Michelle delve deeper into what it means to organize, and the effect that words like equity and inclusion can have in the South. Michelle Kang is Secretary-General of Atlanta Korean...

In this first episode of the limited series AAPI Organizing in the South, five community leaders and organizers talk about coordinating in times of crisis (such as the March 16 Atlanta spa shooting and the Monterey Park shooting), and how mental health awareness plays a big role in individual and collective healing to build a more unified AAPI community. The conversation includes thoughts on Asian hate post COVID, how to show up for each other, how to organize across generations, and the...

In this episode, Victoria Huynh talks to Jainey about her immigration family story, her background in organizing, and how motherhood influences her journey as an organizer today. Victoria shares her journey in discovering what home and belonging can mean, barriers her and her family experienced, and how all of this informs her work in policy and advocacy for immigrant and refugee communities. Victoria Huynh is a Community Organizer that actively advocates on the local and national level for...

In this episode, Aparna shares her family's immigrant story. Her family opened the first Indian restaurant in Atlanta back in the 70s, which became a hub for South Asian communities in the South. Aparna takes us with her on the journey of what it meant to grow up being South Asian in the 70s (going to school as a young girl in the South and understanding her identity while at UGA.) Through her memories about her father's community organizing and her work today, Aparna highlights the...

In this episode, Sarah Park shares her thoughts on the model minority myth, motherhood and healing throughout generations, and what the future of organizing and community access can look like. Sarah Park is the President of the Korean American Coalition Metro Atlanta. In this role, she has been instrumental in enhancing the civic engagement of the Korean American community in Georgia through non-partisan initiatives. Her passion for building bridges between diverse communities and...