SE3/EP22:Conversation with Saidu Tejan-Thomas a host of Resistance and an orator of Borders Between Us on African Immigrant Experiences and Intergenerational Relationship.

I learned about Saidu Tejan-Thomas in March 2020 while listening to a podcast called Snap Judgment. The story was called Borders between us, and Saidu recounted his complicated relationship with his mother before she joined the ancestors. After listening to his story, I could not resist my impulse to want to talk to this young man who eloquently told such a moving story that touched on African immigrant experiences, identity, intergenerational relationships, acceptance, self-discovery, and forgiveness. I was able to find Saidu on Instagram, and I sent him a short message about how his story had touched me. I further included in the note that I hold an intergenerational conversation within the African immigrant community in NYC. I would love to have him as a speaker at one of our community events. Since COVID did not permit such an event to take place and I launched the Pánsá Pánsá podcast, I invited Saidu to my platform for intergenerational dialogue.           Saidu was born in Sierra Leone, and at a young age, an opportunity arose for his mother to migrate to America with the hope that Saidu and his father would later join her in America. Saidu joined his mother when he was about eight years old, and hypothetically his father was to join the family after that. Sometimes, things in life do not turn out as planned. Saidu lost both of his parents during his adolescent years. His father passed away in Sierra Leone when he was about 15 years old, and his mother died about two years later. Saidu traveled across the world by visiting Sierra Leone, and after many years, he had left the country and visited his maternal aunt in Europe and talked about his mother. Through his aunt, he understands who his mother was before she migrated to the US, her personality, and her likes and dislikes. In this intergenerational dialogue, I anticipated creating a shared understanding, meaningful and collective experiences with Saidu speaking from his experience as a child of an African immigrant and me as an African immigrant parent raising children in America. We talked about the challenges both parents and children face in America as they try to balance between worlds of African identity, race relations, and navigating through the unknowns of American society. Saidu talked about his experiences, and he gave insights on how he dealt with being a first-generation immigrant child relating to his identity, racism, and navigating through diverse spaces in American society. Saidu gave insight into some of the trouble he faced in school while living with his mom, and he expands on how he dealt with those problems. We discussed his most memorable experiences being raised in an African immigrant home.  We talk about his podcast Resistance, a podcast that tells the stories of people who “refuse to accept things as they are” and about inequalities in America. We further discussed who or what helped mold his political view in America and his view on black struggles in America. I appreciate Saidu Tejan-Thomas for his generosity and his vulnerability in sharing his experience as a child of an immigrant who grew up in America. I would encourage our listeners to please subscribe to Resistance. I enjoy listening to his podcast, and I am also a regular listener.  To listen to Saidu's story on Snap Judgment, please click below, and I have also included his link to his powerful and beautifully delivered spoken words.  Borders Between Us - Snap Judgment https://gimletmedia.com/shows/resistance/94ha2ad?utm_source=gimletWebsite&utm_medium=copyShare&utm_campaign=gimletWebsite https://youtu.be/TKdKwI84t0s https://youtu.be/14bMd0nb37Q https://youtu.be/I5xR4JPHjN8