What happens when borders meet skin color? In our latest episode, we dive deep into the spicy intersection of race and immigration in America, exploring how these powerful social forces shape our identities and experiences in ways both visible and invisible.

Did you know that race isn't biological but a social construct that determines everything from where you can live to who clutches their purse when you walk by? We unpack how immigration reveals America's racial hierarchies, from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to today's border policies that criminalize certain immigrants while giving others a free pass. As we point out—nobody's building a wall for Canadians or setting up border checkpoints in Vermont.

For Black immigrants, America often presents a jarring identity shift. As Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie perfectly captured it: "I came to America and became Black." We explore how people who identified by tribe, nationality, or ethnicity in their home countries suddenly find themselves with the all-encompassing "Black" label in America, creating both tensions and opportunities for solidarity. While colonial mindsets have sometimes created divides between African Americans and more recent Black immigrants, we're seeing powerful movements emerge as communities recognize their shared struggles against the same systems.

The double standards are impossible to ignore—white immigrants with accents are "charming" while Black immigrants with accents face suspicion; celebrities like Drake and Rihanna (both children of immigrants) are celebrated while ordinary folks from the same countries struggle for acceptance. Race determines who gets seen as human, innocent, or American, even for third-generation citizens.

Ready to move beyond the myths and toward real solutions? Join us as we chart a path forward based on naming these systems, rejecting harmful "good immigrant vs. bad immigrant" narratives, and building solidarity across communities. Whether your ancestors arrived in chains or on a visa, we're all navigating systems that weren't built for us—which means we have the power to tear them down and rebuild something better together. Subscribe now to keep this essential conversation going.