Melody Seraydarian sat down with us this week to discuss her experience as a first generation American, a writer, and a fellow genocide prevention activist. Currently, Melody writes articles every week for her very own column titled “Hye Key” centered on Diasporan Armenian issues, culture, and lifestyle through the Gen-Z lens for the publication, Armenian Weekly.
Read moreLife in Public Service With Aram Choe →
We are so excited to kick-off season 4 of the Umuco Love Podcast with Aram Chloe, a Policy Sergeant in Southern California who opens up about his path to law enforcement and how he has overcome multiple tragedies, including the death of his mother and father.
We first met Aram back in 2017 while attending the Tools for Tolerance® for Law Enforcement (TFTLE) Program at the Museum of Tolerance. This program is dedicated to equipping law enforcement professionals with the tools they need to best serve the community in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex society, and it has been an honor to have the opportunity to work with these men in service in this safe space that encourages openness and dialogue.
Read moreChoose Happiness! Talking About Green Lights.
Last week, our co-founders Alex and Dydine discussed their recent read, Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey. Through insightful reflection, McConaughey shares a summary of his life-changing philosophy by changing the way we interpret our surroundings and life events.
Read moreChanging The World One Person At A Time Magda Zenon
following the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma, protests have erupted in South Africa with calls against social injustice and inequality that continues to persist 27 years after the official end of Apartheid legislation.
Read moreLearning to Listen with Cate Woodward
Cate also read our founder’s book, Embracing Survival, which caused her to reflect on the importance of sharing stories with others—no matter how painful or hard they are to share. We discussed how there’s always going to be someone who shares your heartbreak, which makes you realize that you are not alone. Here at Umuco Love, we totally resonate with this and see a similar value in sharing our stories!!
Read moreForming Our Identity with Candace Megerssa
This week we spoke with Candace Megerssa, a senior at Cornell University studying Policy Analysis and Management, who shared with us her experience forming her own identity as a Black woman growing up in Atlanta and then transitioning to being a student at an Ivy League school.
Read moreStudents Of Life with Monika Dorniak
Monika Gabriela Dorniak is a German-Polish interdisciplinary artist, who draws upon her background in choreography, psychology, and fashion design along with her story of intergenerational trauma to create meaningful art. We had the pleasure of speaking with her to understand how she has mastered the art of taking trauma and making it into something positive.
Read moreRefuge for All with Diya Abdo
The recent Atlanta spa shootings that left eight dead this past Tuesday come amid a surge of hate crimes and xenophobia directed against Asian-americans—stitching together stigmas of race, gender, and immigration.
At UMUCO , we are dedicated to navigating these stigmas and finding the HUMAN within all of us (#IAmYou). As an online community, it is our belief that we must preach unity and acceptance, a theme that we had the honor of continuing to explore during this week’s podcast with Dr. Diya Abdo, a first-generation Palestinian Refugee originally born in Jordan and now an English Professor at Guilford College in North Carolina.
Read moreWomen Empowered. Humanity Empowered. →
In honor of International Women’s Month, we are so excited to be releasing Season Three of Umuco Podcast Series, which will feature four amazing women in an effort to recognize their challenges as well as their achievements!!
To kick-off the season, Monica Singh shared with us her inspiring story of strength as an acid attack survivor and how she plans to use her passion for fashion to help other survivors.
Read moreCivil Rights Hero JoAnne Bland
In collaboration with the Baserange Community, we had the absolute pleasure of speaking with JoAnne Bland, the co-founder of the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma, Alabama and the youngest person to have been jailed during any civil rights demonstrations that took place in the 1960s.
Read moreRising from Adversity with Harry Anderson →
In honor of Black History Month, we are revisiting some previous conversations we have had with some amazing people we had the honor of talking to over this past year. One extra special guest was our very own Co-Founder’s father, Harry Anderson, who spoke with us about his experiences growing up in the 1960s amid segregation and racial tensions associated with the era.
Read moreRemember to Smile with Samir Zakir
We recently sat down with Samir Zakir, who shared with us his breadth of perspectives on topics ranging from entrepreneurship to mental health. While Samir has held over twenty jobs in different industries since the age of thirteen, the common theme has been his desire to have a positive impact on culture through producing and transforming stories into content. Loyal Umuco Podcast listeners should know that that’s exactly what we are all about!!
Read moreBe Yourself with Loida Vasquez →
Through our conversation with Loida, we uncovered her story as a lesbian and Latina woman growing up in Los Angeles as she learned to come to terms with all of these identities. Loida reflected on something we believe we have all felt at some point—just how utterly exhausting it can be to constantly pretend to be someone you’re not. Loida reflected, “It takes too much energy, too much effort, to try to impress people. One of the things that I learned when I was 15 is that it just feels so much better to be liked for who you are.”
Read moreMusic Is My Language
Next week we’re excited to introduce George Karpasitis. Quite literally a music genius, George blends his identity as a Cyprian immigrant and his love of music to share parts of humanity that are seldom seen. George played three songs with three different instruments to show his range of skills and his broad stroke of expression. There, we learned that we all “speak” differently. Our truth comes out in our strengths. That’s where the magic lies.
Read moreWorking Towards a Brighter Future
Next week we’re excited to introduce Arin DeGroff! Hailing from Texas, Arin brings a strong perspective on how young people operate in an activist setting. As the Vice President of social justice and activism group We The Movement LA, Arin uses her voice and her art to create social awareness about the disenfranchised and oppressed people of the US.
Read moreIntroducing a Civil Rights Hero: JoAnne Bland →
Next week, we have the honor of releasing another episode of a conversation we had with Joanne Bland, a Civil Rights hero! Joanne was gracious enough to walk us through her life as a key piece of the Civil Rights Movement in Selma, Alabama at an incredibly young age. The wealth of knowledge, stories, and advice she gives is truly a gem that anyone can learn from.
Read moreUse Your Voice for Change
Andre Lovelle is a former educator and blog writer that hails from Washington DC. In 2005, Andre launched his blog writing adventure with Blaxplanation. He used Blaxplanation as a tool to unpack black lives and start a dialogue about the vast and rich cultures the world has to offer.
We’re so excited for you to listen next week and hopefully you learn something new along the way!
Read moreIntroducing Umuco Podcast Season II
Season 2 will launch Friday, October 2nd, starting with this episode, on all major audio streaming platforms as well as our website. Thank you for walking with us on this magnificent journey. We can’t wait to see what’s next for us and the world!
P.S. if you are American, don’t forget to vote! Your voice can do wonders.
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