Introducing Raha, a "pretty assimilated" first-generation Iranian American living in New York. We conducted this interview on Zoom. I apologize for taking so long to post it! I think this will be it for the series, with school now in full swing.
This was the first time I caught up with Raha since she left the Exploratorium and moved to grad school years ago. Her story resonates with me especially now because most Asians and Latinos I see every day never experienced the isolation of being the only whatever in the room their entire youth. That dynamic filled me with a deep sense of inferiority and difference that afflicts me to this day. It manifests in our struggles to learn our first languages and stay connected with family and culture.
Raha is on fire for combating and mitigating climate change. She links the solution to knowledge of people of place and the value of indigenous cultures, including those of colonizers and immigrants who carry cultural practices indigenous to their places of origin. Reviewing the tape, I realize we don't get much further into this idea, but the force of it is confidence in our capacity to tackle this serious threat. Considering how avidly citizens and consumers indulge in fear, climate change has been surprisingly difficult to keep in the spotlight.
Thanks for listening! Please feel free to share how climate change shows up in your life, or any other reflections in the comments below.
