Nationly Podcast Debuts: What Election Issues Matter To Minority Communities?

 As summer time approaches, people expect historic heat, fulfilling vacations, and political candidates preparing for the fall campaign season.

Podcast networks are ramping up their election coverage with new limited-series podcasts and extensions of their existing political podcasts. 

Immigrantly Media has added a new, and frankly overdue, spin on the upcoming presidential election with their new limited-run podcast series, Nationly, that debuted in early June.

Nationly, co-hosted by J.D. Ramirez and Sara Sadhwani, discusses the “Why?” behind political issues that really matter to minority communities—immigrants and communities of color—specifically in the battleground states at the heart of this year’s election season. Focusing on minority communities—specifically, immigrants and communities of color—Nationly uncovers the issues that truly matter to these voters, ranging from global events like the situation in Gaza to local races such as the showdown between Kari Lake v. Ruben Gallego.

The podcast asks: Who's spearheading the uncommitted movement in Michigan? What key issues are driving Latino support in Arizona? Why is Gen Z stepping up to run for office in Georgia? Delving into the "why" behind political issues, each episode explores key defining moments in the lives of these voters, providing a comprehensive view of America's political spectrum and the diverse voices shaping it.

The first episode focuses on the Muslim population in Michigan and their response to President Biden's handling of the Palestinian crisis.

Co-host Juan Diego Ramirez is a multimedia bilingual journalist. Having lived as an undocumented immigrant for over 20 years, Juan Diego has focused on telling stories from communities that reflect his life experiences. Juan Diego is reporting on the rise in unaccompanied migrant child cases in immigration courts and the effects of the system's delays on their proceedings. He also covers corruption at the highest levels of the Mexican government. His works include the 2023 Webby Award winner podcast, Idolo; The Ballad of Chalino Sanchez, USA v. Garcia Luna, and the NAACP Award-nominated podcast, The Sum of Us. He also produced and co-hosted Racist Sandwich, a James Beard Foundation-nominated podcast on food, class, race, and gender

Sara Sadhwani is an assistant professor of politics at Pomona College, a Democracy Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. She is working on her first book, which examines voting rights and representation for communities of color in the multiracial era. The project offers a reflection of her service on the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Her research examines elections, representation, and public opinion with a focus on Asian American and Latino voting behavior. She has published widely in academic journals and her analysis of elections and politics has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times, Politico, Washington Post, NPR, The Guardian, and TIME Magazine, and she regularly provides political commentary for news outlets throughout California.

J.D. Ramirez shares, “I’m thrilled to be co-hosting Immigrantly's newest podcast, Nationly, where we will be talking about issues that impact minority communities across the country during this election year.” 

I listened to the trailer and the first episode, and Ramirez and Sadhwani excel as hosts and have managed to form a strong team, both as narrators and interviewers.

Nationly is brought to you by Immigrantly Media, creators of the Immigrantly podcast, Invisible Hate, and Banterly, and episodes of Nationly will be released weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast distribution platform

Immigrantly Media is a forward-thinking media company that specializes in authentic and unvarnished storytelling to redefine the immigrant narrative. In addition to Nationly, two more Immigrantly Media podcasts are currently in development and set to launch in 2024.

 Saadia Khan is the founder and CEO of Immigrantly Media.

Khan says: "My journey from a Business major to a Columbia University-trained Human Rights activist led me to the creation of Immigrantly, born out of a deep commitment to amplify immigrant voices in the wake of the transformative 2016 elections. Immigrantly began as a podcast challenging stereotypes and bridging gaps between communities. Today, it has evolved into a forward-thinking media startup that aims to explore America, the immigrant experience, and diverse stories through immersive storytelling.

Khan adds: "We are on a mission to challenge and disrupt one-dimensional narratives about 45 million+ immigrants and people of color in America."

Check out Nationly. The focus on nationwide elections through the lens of the minority community is unique and needed. More important, the show doesn't treat minorities as a monolith with identical viewpoints, priorities, and political strategies.