Self Evident Presents: "Underground Aams Trade, Pt 1" (by See Something Say Something)

06/10/21 • 35 min

We’re sharing this story from one of our favorite podcasts, See Something Say Something, by Ahmed Ali Akbar.

Pakistani-American communities in the U.S. rely on dealers on WhatsApp to gain access to their most coveted treasure: Pakistani mangoes. And they pay a premium for it. In part one of this two-part investigation, reporter Ahmed Ali Akbar searches for answers. Why are Pakistani mangoes so hard to find? And why is the Pakistani community resorting to deals on WhatsApp to procure them?

For part two, listen and subscribe to See Something Say Something: https://www.seesomethingpodcast.com/

Support Ahmed’s work on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ahmedaliakbar Ahmed originally produced this for the podcast Proof, from America’s Test Kitchen. Listen to more of Proof: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/proof

And to see our team and Ahmed eating some of the tastiest mangoes of the season, check out our Instagram, @selfevidentshow

We’re sharing this story from one of our favorite podcasts, See Something Say Something, by Ahmed Ali Akbar.

For part two, listen and subscribe to See Something Say Something: https://www.seesomethingpodcast.com/

And to see our team and Ahmed eating some of the tastiest mangoes of the season, check out our Instagram, @selfevidentshow

Previous Episode

Bonus: How Do We Build the Places We Want to Work For? Feat. Gautam Srikishan and Snigdha Sur (AAPIHM 3/3)

The phrase “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” is buzz-word-ier than ever, but what does it really take to empower workers and reduce racialized harm in the places where we spend so many of our waking hours? And when is it OK to simply stop trying?

In this second episode of a three-part series, guest host Alex Sujong Laughlin (Senior Producer at Transmitter Media) invites Gautam Srikishan (Producer at the On Being Project) and Snigdha Sur (Founder and CEO of The Juggernaut) to discuss their own experiences with creating more inclusive and equitable workplaces — whether that involves organizing your fellow workers into a union or breaking away from big media companies entirely to start your own workplace.

Along the way, Snigdha, Gautam, and Alex also open up about how difficult it is to take on this responsibility... especially when it’s hard to see the results of your efforts.

Credits:

Produced by James Boo and Julia Shu
Edited by Julia Shu and James Boo
Sound mix by Julia Shu and Timothy Lou Ly
Self Evident theme music by Dorian Love
Our Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda

Next Episode

Self Evident Presents: “Shikata Ga Nai” (by Julianne Sato-Parker)

Julianne Sato-Parker first heard the phrase, “Shikata ga nai” while watching a video series of interviews with Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals who were incarcerated by the U.S government after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The Japanese phrase translates to, “It cannot be helped.” It reminded Julianne of her grandmother, who has always said a similar phrase when navigating life’s unpredictable twists and turns: “That’s just the way the ball bounces.”

But the phrases may not be as passive as they seem. As Julianne became fixated on how one became the other, she turned to her grandmother for answers — and to better understand how we find resistance and resilience, even in things as seemingly simple as a phrase.

Resources

A longer version of this story — called “That’s the Way the Ball Bounces” — first aired on Asian Americana, where you can even hear host Quincy Surasmith’s interview with Julianne about the making of this piece. Check it out here.
“Nisei Soldiers Break Their Silence” by Linda Tamura
Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project (including an interview with Dorothy Sato, a.k.a. Bobbe)
Japanese American Museum of Oregon
PDX Japanese American Citizens League

Credits

Produced and written by Julianne Sato-Parker
Edited by Julia Shu and James Boo
Scored and mixed by James Boo
Our Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda
Music by Blue Dot Sessions
Additional music (“Umbrella Pants” and “I Knew a Guy”) by Kevin Macleod (licensed under CC-BY-4.0)
Hail archival tape via freesound.org

Self Evident is a Studio To Be production. Our show is made with support from PRX and the Google Podcasts creator program — and our listener community.