Episode 15: Malaka Gharib
On the final episode of the first season of the Seen Jeem podcast, we have the pleasure of speaking with journalist, cartoonist and author Malaka Gharib about her award-winning graphic memoir, I Was Their American Dream, which explores themes related to the immigrant experience. Listen to this episode to learn more about how Malaka's identity as a Filipino-Egyptian-American person inspired her book!
About Malaka Gharib:
Malaka Gharib is the deputy editor and digital strategist on NPR's global health and development team. She covers topics such as the refugee crisis, gender equality and women's health. Her work as part of NPR's reporting teams has been recognized with two Gracie Awards: in 2019 for How To Raise A Human, a series on global parenting, and in 2015 for #15Girls, a series that profiled teen girls around the world.
Before joining NPR in 2015, Gharib worked at the Malala Fund, a global education charity founded by Malala Yousafzai, and the ONE Campaign, an anti-poverty advocacy group founded by Bono. She graduated from Syracuse University with a dual degree in journalism and marketing.
Gharib is also a cartoonist. She is the artist and author of I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir, about growing up as a first generation Filipino Egyptian American, and the forthcoming illustrated memoir It Won’t Always Be Like This (Ten Speed Press, 2023). Her comics have been featured in NPR, Catapult Magazine, The Believer Magazine, The Nib, The New York Times and The New Yorker.
