Sankar Raman's guest appearances

Sankar Raman

PDXstorytheater

Clear Choices Podcast

Finding Fertile Ground: Stories of Grit, Resilience, and Fertile Ground

Leah Carey

Matt Aitchison

Jessica Williams

Jake Sullivan

Cory Huff

Natalie Taylor

Julie Lythcott-Haims

Diego Corzo

Matt Haynes

Alex Lewis

Kitty Hawk

Mike Ganino

Tim Stapleton

Andrew Cushman

Travis Mills

OwlTail

Immigration. America is a country made up of immigrants. My parents are immigrants and probably many of your parents or grandparents are as well. It is an important topic and my guest today is the stories of immigrants. Sankar Raman, an immigrant himself who came to America to attend college, ended up working and retiring here. It was around the time of the 2016 election that Sankar was preparing to relax and enjoy his retirement. When he heard the anti-immigration rhetoric and the theme of scapegoating immigrants and immigrants of color, he knew he could not sit back and watch. He had to take action and do something.  Sankar started interviewing and telling immigrants stories to counteract the rhetoric of hate and negativity against immigrants. He has now interviewed over 180 immigrants and, through these stories, is able to hold true to his mission- to foster empathy and build a more inclusive community by sharing immigrant stories.  Notable Quotes: “A lot of times we don’t take the time to understand our neighbors.”  “I think if you look at the common theme, these folks are resilient. To give up everything to come, to come to a new country without knowing the language. In most cases bringing a dollar or two with them, that’s what America.”  “And I think that is the beauty of human nature. And I think people are helping each other, giving a hand, at the same time once you are in a position to help, you return the favor.”  “This America is full of stories of all of us. You know, your story, my story, everyone’s story is what is the America’s story.”  In this episode, you will hear: - Why he started the Immigrant Story program and what he hopes to accomplish through it - Some of the profound changes he has seen with the conversations - The common themes through the different immigrant stories - Changes he would like to see regarding policy on immigration  Resources and links mentioned during this episode:  Link to my parent’s stories: https://theimmigrantstory.org/holocaust/?fbclid=IwAR1Hr_yM2pon0kFyrEEpviRUZipu-lJxQA_MV6tjHZ6IUkuyMS_asztn7Hs  Website: https://theimmigrantstory.org/ Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/many-roads-to-here/id1534252582 https://theimmigrantstory.org/manyroads/  Sankar is always looking to interview immigrants to share more stories. If you would like to tell your story, drop a note through the contact form on their website: https://theimmigrantstory.org/contact-us/   Are you ready to start a podcast? Use Libsyn, the podcast hosting, distribution, and monetization platform since 2004 and you can start for just $5 a month. Go to https://libsyn.com/ and enter the code “choices” for more than a month for FREE.  Coaching Information: If you would like more information on the Clear Choices business and life coaching program, please e-mail me at rob@robaigner.com or go to our website at https://clearchoices.live/.  Thank you so much for listening! Please subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share it with a friend. Find me on Instagram @clearchoicespodcast and on Facebook . If you have a guest idea or want to connect with me, please visit my website www.clearchoices.live. I am also available for speaking engagements.  **This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click one and decide to make a purchase, we receive a tiny commission at no additional cost to you. We only share products and services we have tested and used ourselves!**

Immigration. America is a country made up of immigrants. My parents are immigrants and probably many of your parents or grandparents are as well. It is an important topic and my guest today is the stories of immigrants. Sankar Raman, an immigrant himself who came to America to attend college, ended up working and retiring here. It was around the time of the 2016 election that Sankar was preparing to relax and enjoy his retirement. When he heard the anti-immigration rhetoric and the theme of scapegoating immigrants and immigrants of color, he knew he could not sit back and watch. He had to take action and do something. Sankar started interviewing and telling immigrants stories to counteract the rhetoric of hate and negativity against immigrants. He has now interviewed over 180 immigrants and, through these stories, is able to hold true to his mission- to foster empathy and build a more inclusive community by sharing immigrant stories. Notable Quotes: “A lot of times we don’t take the time to understand our neighbors.” “I think if you look at the common theme, these folks are resilient. To give up everything to come, to come to a new country without knowing the language. In most cases bringing a dollar or two with them, that’s what America.” “And I think that is the beauty of human nature. And I think people are helping each other, giving a hand, at the same time once you are in a position to help, you return the favor.” “This America is full of stories of all of us. You know, your story, my story, everyone’s story is what is the America’s story.” In this episode, you will hear: - Why he started the Immigrant Story program and what he hopes to accomplish through it - Some of the profound changes he has seen with the conversations - The common themes through the different immigrant stories - Changes he would like to see regarding policy on immigration Resources and links mentioned during this episode: Link to my parent’s stories: <a href="https://theimmigrantstory.org/holocaust/?fbclid=IwAR1Hr_yM2pon0kFyrEEpviRUZipu-lJxQA_MV6tjHZ6IUkuyMS_asztn7Hs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://theimmigrantstory.org/holocaust/?fbclid=IwAR1Hr_yM2pon0kFyrEEpviRUZipu-lJxQA_MV6tjHZ6IUkuyMS_asztn7Hs</a> Website: <a href="https://theimmigrantstory.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://theimmigrantstory.org/</a> Podcast: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/many-roads-to-here/id1534252582" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/many-roads-to-here/id1534252582</a> <a href="https://theimmigrantstory.org/manyroads/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://theimmigrantstory.org/manyroads/</a> Sankar is always looking to interview immigrants to share more stories. If you would like to tell your story, drop a note through the contact form on their website: <a href="https://theimmigrantstory.org/contact-us/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://theimmigrantstory.org/contact-us/</a> Are you ready to start a podcast? Use Libsyn, the podcast hosting, distribution, and monetization platform since 2004 and you can start for just $5 a month. Go to <a href="https://libsyn.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://libsyn.com/</a> and enter the code “choices” for more than a month for FREE. Coaching Information: If you would like more information on the Clear Choices business and life coaching program, please e-mail me at rob@robaigner.com or go to our website at https://clearchoices.live/. Thank you so much for listening! Please subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share it with a friend. Find me on Instagram @clearchoicespodcast and on Facebook . If you have a guest idea or want to connect with me, please visit my website www.clearchoices.live. I am also available for speaking engagements. **This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click one and decide to make a purchase, we receive a tiny commission at no additional cost to you. We only share products and services we have tested and used ourselves!**

Ep 48: Sankar Raman on the Importance of Sharing Immigrant Stories

Sankar Raman immigrated to the U.S. from India to attend graduate school. After a successful career in high tech, he now applies his technical knowledge, managerial skills, and pragmatic mind to founding and leading The Immigrant Story, a nonprofit organization that fosters empathy and builds a more inclusive community by sharing immigrant stories. You can reach Sankar at sankar@theimmigrantstory.org.I’ve been volunteering this year with The Immigrant Story, working on a storytelling event featuring people from Mexico and Guatemala who entered the United States undocumented, and we just launched that event on Saturday. You can view that event on YouTube. Volunteering with The Immigrant Story has given me a wonderful opportunity to work with Sankar and see his incredible vision for the organization he founded in response to the heightened xenophobia after the 2016 election.Sankar grew up in a four-street village in deep southeast India, about 150 miles south of Chennai, and attended the only school in the village, which happened to be operated by his father. He describes it as India’s version of Kyoto, with thousands of temples and surrounded by silk weavers and rice paddies. His father was determined to make education accessible to all, including the Dalit community, which became a bit of a scandal. "He really wanted everyone in that village to go to his school, irrespective of which caste they belonged to," said Sankar. "He truly believed that if you get your education, you can get out of your poverty." Sankar and his friends could walk through the open door of any house and know they would be welcomed and fed. His parents didn’t worry about him returning until 8 or 9 at night because they knew the community would feed him and take care of him. The xenophobia after the 2016 election prompted him to start The Immigrant Story. After retiring from Intel, he’d been focusing on photography, traveling through India, Japan, and the East Coast, and capturing his travels digitally. He would write captions for his photos, and the captions became longer and longer until they became stories. Sankar decided to start telling the stories of immigrants, especially immigrants of color, by expanding his photography and captions. He officially opened the nonprofit in April 2017 with seven stories. Then in May, the MAX attack happened in Portland, devastating our city and exposing white nationalist hatred. Now The Immigrant Story has about 50 volunteers. To date, they have interviewed 170 people and published 150+ stories. In the last few years, the organization has begun delving into other initiatives (live storytelling events, photography exhibitions, videos, podcasts, and educational curriculum), but the core to the nonprofit is stories and photography. In 2019, The Immigrant Story was named as Portland's Best New Nonprofit at the Portland Monthly Light a Fire Awards.Read more about Sankar in this longer blog post. Next week we feature The Reformed Whores, a NYC-based feminist comedy musical duo.The Finding Fertile Ground podcast is brought to you by Fertile Ground Communications. Contact us if you can use some help with your writing, editing, communications, or marketing. 

Sankar Raman immigrated to the U.S. from India to attend graduate school. After a successful career in high tech, he now applies his technical knowledge, managerial skills, and pragmatic mind to founding and leading <a href="https://theimmigrantstory.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Immigrant Story</a>, a nonprofit organization that fosters empathy and builds a more inclusive community by sharing immigrant stories. You can reach Sankar at <a href="mailto:sankar@theimmigrantstory.org">sankar@theimmigrantstory.org</a>. I’ve been volunteering this year with The Immigrant Story, working on a storytelling event featuring people from Mexico and Guatemala who entered the United States undocumented, and we just launched that event on Saturday. You can view <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYzHV2fg1sE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">that event on YouTube</a>. Volunteering with The Immigrant Story has given me a wonderful opportunity to work with Sankar and see his incredible vision for the organization he founded in response to the heightened xenophobia after the 2016 election. Sankar grew up in a four-street village in deep southeast India, about 150 miles south of Chennai, and attended the only school in the village, which happened to be operated by his father. He describes it as India’s version of Kyoto, with thousands of temples and surrounded by silk weavers and rice paddies. His father was determined to make education accessible to all, including the Dalit community, which became a bit of a scandal. "He really wanted everyone in that village to go to his school, irrespective of which caste they belonged to," said Sankar. "He truly believed that if you get your education, you can get out of your poverty." Sankar and his friends could walk through the open door of any house and know they would be welcomed and fed. His parents didn’t worry about him returning until 8 or 9 at night because they knew the community would feed him and take care of him. The xenophobia after the 2016 election prompted him to start The Immigrant Story. After retiring from Intel, he’d been focusing on photography, traveling through India, Japan, and the East Coast, and capturing his travels digitally. He would write captions for his photos, and the captions became longer and longer until they became stories. Sankar decided to start telling the stories of immigrants, especially immigrants of color, by expanding his photography and captions. He officially opened the nonprofit in April 2017 with seven stories. Then in May, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Portland_train_attack#:~:text=On%20May%2026%2C%202017%2C%20Jeremy%20Joseph%20Christian%20fatally,a%20MAX%20Light%20Rail%20train%20in%20Portland%2C%20Oregon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the MAX attack happened in Portland</a>, devastating our city and exposing white nationalist hatred. Now The Immigrant Story has about 50 volunteers. To date, they have interviewed 170 people and published 150+ stories. In the last few years, the organization has begun delving into other initiatives (live storytelling events, photography exhibitions, videos, podcasts, and educational curriculum), but the core to the nonprofit is stories and photography. In 2019, The Immigrant Story was named as Portland's Best New Nonprofit <a href="https://www.pdxmonthly.com/news-and-city-life/2019/08/these-12-local-nonprofits-and-individuals-are-changing-the-world" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">at the Portland Monthly Light a Fire Awards</a>. <a href="https://www.fertilegroundcommunications.com/post/sankar-raman-collector-of-immigrant-stories" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read more about Sankar</a> in this longer blog post. Next week we feature The Reformed Whores, a NYC-based feminist comedy musical duo.The Finding Fertile Ground podcast is brought to you by Fertile Ground Communications. Contact us if you can use some help with your writing, editing, communications, or marketing.

Sankar Raman, Collector of Immigrant Stories

Sankar Raman, a Northwest Digital Art Photographer, is originally from India, but spent the majority of his adult life in the U.S. He is the founder and board president of The Immigrant Story which captures the stories of immigrants in short, accessible, visual and written formats. It is the perfect antidote to the divisive rhetoric that continues to scapegoat immigrants. His education includes a PhD in Engineering and he has enjoyed a very successful career in the high tech industry. Please visittheimmigrantstory.org/URBAN TELLERS  November 2, 2018IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE SHOWSankar Raman live at The Old Church Concert Hall in Portland, ORPortland Story Theater, hosted by Lawrence Howard and Lynne Duddypdxstorytheater.orgMAY THE NARRATIVE BE WITH YOU®

Sankar Raman, a Northwest Digital Art Photographer, is originally from India, but spent the majority of his adult life in the U.S. He is the founder and board president of The Immigrant Story which captures the stories of immigrants in short, accessible, visual and written formats. It is the perfect antidote to the divisive rhetoric that continues to scapegoat immigrants. His education includes a PhD in Engineering and he has enjoyed a very successful career in the high tech industry. Please visit <a href="http://theimmigrantstory.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">theimmigrantstory.org/</a> URBAN TELLERS November 2, 2018 IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE SHOW Sankar Raman live at The Old Church Concert Hall in Portland, OR Portland Story Theater, hosted by Lawrence Howard and Lynne Duddy <a href="http://pdxstorytheater.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pdxstorytheater.org</a> MAY THE NARRATIVE BE WITH YOU®

The Passive Activist: Sankar Raman