sharing the life stories of immigrants, expatriates, and refugees to the United States
Feel Like You Belong TV is your source for real stories about the real people we call migrants. They may be the seasonal workers who traverse the country picking our daily produce.* They may be the expatriates who come on temporary assignment for their multinational companies. Or they may be the intrepid** souls who have committed to calling these United States their new homeland.
People have been migrating since time immemorial.*** They have moved for safety from earthquakes and drought. From war and disease. From persecution and economic hardship. They have the same characteristics as our immigrant forebears who gave up the familiarity and comfort of home in order to take risks and build a better life.
Join us here every week with these heroic storytellers and learn about what it is that still makes America a destination for entrepreneurs and risk-takers. The people who moved themselves and their families across deserts and oceans. People who add to each new generation’s vibrancy**** and can-do spirit. Welcome to Feel Like You Belong.
Maha Freij is a community jewel and national inspiration. The first Arab woman to earn the CPA designation in Israel, she brings her immigrant pluck and Palestinian tenacity to any job she undertakes. Currently serving as Executive Director of ACCESS in southeast Michigan, Maha joins us to talk about Mobilizing, Organizing, Vocalizing, and Empowering the Arab American community and well beyond in her adopted homeland.
Born in Jordan to Palestinian refugees, Amer Zahr moved to the United States as a child and grew up as a member of a "suspicious" minority outside Philadelphia, PA. In his conversation with Alan, he talks about the discrimination against Arabs in the U.S. and how they need more representation on the national census. Billed as America's "funniest and smartest Arab," Amer shares with us one of his stand-up comedy routines in our What's So Funny? segment.
Feel Like You Belong is a sometimes serious, sometimes funny, always “touch-your-heart” real conversation about fitting into the American culture. It introduces guests who have made the immigrant journey to the United States. The stories–of both struggle and success–will help newcomers feel more confident in sharing their opinions and expertise, more likely to want to stay in the U.S., be more productive in their jobs, and fully invest in their communities.
