This is a prologue to a multi-part series about the Afghan diaspora in America reclaiming their past and trying to grow from the present. It’s a story about culture, identity and authenticity.

Show Notes:

1. [00:30] “The Layers of Heaven” by Jovica
2. [00:55] Hit rewind. (freesound.org / cognitu perceptu)
3. [01:00] “Our Son the Potter” by The Blue Dot Sessions
4. [01:10] When LeBron James threw up his arms at J.R. Smith
5. [01:20] The hit song of Summer 2017
6. [01:30] Why the Game of Thrones finale was awful
   1. The teaser to Season 7 for old times sakes
7. [01:45] Brigette Gabriel’s call to “protest”
   1. More on Brigette Gabriel
8. [02:10] The Southern Poverty Law Center’s take on ACT for America
9. [02:15] Saturday, June 10, 2017, “anti-sharia protests” take place across the country
10. [03:15] Dispatch from an “anti-sharia protest” in Santa Clara, Calif. (h/t @SarRavani)
11. [06:25] More on the 2017 Portland train incident
    1. Related: The Story of a Hate Crime
12. [06:40] The surge of hate crimes that followed shortly after the 2016 election
    1. See here, here, here and here
13. [09:00] Light reading on no-go-zones.
14. [09:10] Light reading on Dearborn, Mich.
15. [09:40] “Cupcake Marshall” by The Blue Dot Sessions 
16. [12:15] Light reading on “white genocide”
17. [14:40] “Verdigris” by The Blue Dot Sessions
18. [16:20] This is a throwback to the original prologue of this podcast. It’s meta.
19. [16:50] Light reading on that third culture wave.
20. [17:20] Spoiler alert: no.
21. [17:30] Afghan National Anthem performed on TOLO TV