JT Kim (they/them) is an IT director and DJ from Philadelphia, PA. JT’s parents are both Vietnamese immigrants with mixed ancestry. JT wasn’t raised to identify strongly with their Cambodian, Black, and Indigenous roots and was sometimes shamed for their body, which JT claims, “doesn’t look 100% Vietnamese.” After the tragedy of an ex-girlfriend passing away, JT turned away from their Christian upbringing. Soon after, they had a spiritual epiphany, leading to the discovery of their alter ego and stage name Unicorn Daddy and finding healing through music. Unicorn Daddy website: https://unicorndaddymusic.com/ Listen to Unicorn Daddy on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3v71jb1hULvmzHUZWF6cKg Listen to Unicorn Daddy on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/unicorndaddy You can also find Unicorn Daddy on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/unicorndaddymusic/?hl=en and on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/UnicornDaddyMusic **Please note that at the time I recorded and edited this interview, JT Kim was using “he/his” and “they/them” pronouns, both of which are used throughout the episode. JT now exclusively uses “they/them” pronouns. With their permission, I left the episode as is but included a statement about this change. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/annie-prafcke/support

Aml Hamed is a campus life event coordinator at Bates College in Maine. She is also a practicing Muslim from Egypt and former international student at St. Olaf College, where she graduated last year. In this episode, Annie and Aml talk about identifying as Muslim in Christian-dominated spaces, being an international student on an American college campus, and navigating the blurriness of racial and geographic categories for North Africans. St. Olaf and Lutheranism: https://wp.stolaf.edu/curriculum-committee/ge/ https://wp.stolaf.edu/calendar/venue/boe-memorial-chapel/ https://wp.stolaf.edu/lutherancenter/about/#:~:text=Established%20in%202019%2C%20St.,meaning%2C%20purpose%20and%20life%20choices. Arab Spring and the Egyptian Revolution Sources: https://www.britannica.com/event/Arab-Spring https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55887869 https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/1/25/remembering-tahrir-square-10-years-on Muslim Brotherhood: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/egypts-muslim-brotherhood al-Sisi Human Rights Violation Accusations: https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/06/08/egypt-year-abuses-under-al-sisi One correction: In the episode, I say that the Egyptian Revolution took place 10 years ago. It was 11 years ago, starting on January 25th, 2011. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/annie-prafcke/support

Rick Leaman is an accountancy professor at the University of Denver Daniels College of Business. In this episode, Annie and Rick discuss growing up Jewish in Christian-dominated West Fargo during the 1950s & 60s, attending Stanford University in the midst of the anti-Vietnam war protests, and understanding generational differences regarding political activism and how discrimination should be defined. Rick Leaman: https://daniels.du.edu/directory/richard-leaman/ References for the Jewish community in North Dakota: https://www.valleynewslive.com/2021/12/06/jewish-families-celebrating-hanukkah-fargo/ https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/fargo-hebrew-congregation The article I referenced is “Jewish Homestead Communities in North Dakota, 1880-1920,” by William C.  Sherman (1982), North Dakota State University. (This article was sent to me in PDF form by Rabbi Yonah Grossman. There does not seem to be a copy available online) Chabad Jewish Center of ND: https://www.jewishnorthdakota.com/ Music Credits: Church music recorded by Arnaud Coutancier: https://freesound.org/people/arnaud%20coutancier/sounds/495028/ (clip was cut) Civil Rights speech by President John F Kennedy recorded by ERH: https://freesound.org/people/ERH/sounds/34420/ History of America » men of goodwill.wav (clip was cut) Funky Guitar Loop (played when I talk about the social changes of the 1970s) by Quinn Del Val --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/annie-prafcke/support

In this episode, Annie talks with Mike Kim, Founder and Creative Director of the L.A. and Austin-based kindness company Some Neat Place. Annie and Mike discuss the harsh awakening from the “American Dream” many immigrants experience, as well as a gang attack that transformed Mike’s life. They also address coping with depression combined with family tragedy and deciding to turn kindness into a career.   Find out more about Some Neat Place (SNP) here: https://someneatplace.com/our-story  You can follow SNP on Instagram and Twitter @someneatplace --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/annie-prafcke/support

In this episode, Annie speaks with Dillon Alexander Methven Cathro (he/him), a university program manager who supports BIPOC and other socioeconomically marginalized student populations. The only child of a single mother, and the product of a community-based approach to child-raising, Dillon has a passion for helping students access academic, professional, and social resources, in order to foster a wraparound approach to wellness and success. Dillon and Annie also discuss reframing identity when living abroad as well as drawing parallels between the refugee crisis in Europe and the situation of migrants in the U.S. Education programs referenced in the episode: IncluCity: https://www.inclusive-communities.org/inclucity/ TRIO ETS: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/triotalent/index.html Refugee situation in France: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-37750368 https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/07/26/france-police-attacking-migrants-calais# https://international-review.icrc.org/sites/default/files/irrc_99_5.pdf https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59444335 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/02/life-death-and-limbo-in-the-calais-jungle-five-years-after-its-demolition The Schengen Agreement: https://www.unhcr.org/si/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2017/06/The-%C2%BBSchengen-Area%C2%AB-and-Me_SLO.pdf Refugee Resettlement in France: https://www.resettlement.eu/country/france Dublin Regulation: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/policies/migration-and-asylum/common-european-asylum-system/country-responsible-asylum-application-dublin-regulation_en https://www.unhcr.org/4a9d13d59.pdf EU Funding for Refugee Resettlement: https://www.resettlement.eu/page/eu-funding-resettlement-erfamif Trotter Multicultural Center: https://trotter.umich.edu/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/annie-prafcke/support

Zhuhua Ni is a Chinese adoptee who has Asperger Syndrome (now considered part of autism spectrum disorders or ASD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Zhuhua describes herself as a “square peg trying to fit into a round hole” because of both her adoptee identity and her neurodivergent one. In this episode, Annie and Zhuhua discuss finding meaningful connections, understanding the loss of adoption, and managing mental health.    Aspberger Syndrome (now ASD):  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32491480/ https://www.autismspeaks.org/types-autism-what-asperger-syndrome  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352928?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=abstract&utm_content=Asperger-syndrome&utm_campaign=Knowledge-panel   https://www.massgeneral.org/children/autism/lurie-center/restricted-interests    In this episode, Zhuhua references Dr. Tony Attwood, a British psychologist who has done extensive research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Some advocacy groups, including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, have criticized Dr. Attwood for associating with groups they claim discriminate against individuals with ASD (see https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/AttwoodHenault  & https://autisticadvocacy.org/2009/06/asans-response-to-dr-tony-attwood/). Dr. Attwood’s views do not reflect the views of Misfits.    Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd  China’s One-Child Policy:  https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/china/   https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/the-one-child-policy-legacy-on-women-and-relationships-in-china/   https://www.npr.org/2016/02/01/465124337/how-chinas-one-child-policy-led-to-forced-abortions-30-million-bachelors   My other podcast – Not Abandoned or Alone: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chinese-adoptees-not-abandoned-or-alone/id1576259428    Zhuhua’s Story: http://www.ourchinastories.com/collections/show/43    Zhuhua asks you to keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to search for her birth parents.    Follow Misfits on Instagram @acxpmisfits  Support the show: https://anchor.fm/annie-prafcke/support --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/annie-prafcke/support

Kara Tupa doesn't like labels. In high school, she was known as an aggressive hockey player, leaving little room for her to be anything else. It wasn't until she moved away from home that she began to explore her sexuality and come to terms with other aspects of her identity. In this episode, Annie and Kara discuss redefining yourself after high school as well as reconciling religion and sexuality. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/annie-prafcke/support

Alex Elizárraga is a second-generation Mexican American from the small city of Albany, Oregon. He also identifies as white-passing. In today’s episode, Annie and Alex discuss managing family relationships, navigating cultural and racial identity in college, and moving back to one’s hometown.  Data on annual average hours worked per worker per country:  https://data.oecd.org/emp/hours-worked.htm  (data set for that chart: https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=ANHRS#)  https://www.worldbank.org/en/research/employing-workers/data/working-hours    Info on Concordia College and MSUM:   https://www.concordiacollege.edu/about/at-a-glance/  https://www.concordiacollege.edu/tuition-aid/2022-23-cost-of-attendance/2021-22-cost-of-attendance/  https://www.concordiacollege.edu/directories/offices-departments-directory/office-of-diversity/commitments-and-action-steps/ https://www.mnstate.edu/cost-aid/undergraduate/  https://www.mnstate.edu/about/facts/    Fargo-Moorhead friends, check out La Unica: https://www.facebook.com/La-Unica-433331116748342/ (not a sponsor) Follow Misfits on Instagram @acxp.misfits --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/annie-prafcke/support

Destini Hall identifies as a queer, mixed-race, Black woman, working as an educator in Berkeley California. In this episode, Annie and Destini discuss growing up in multiracial homes, thinking about motherhood, and navigating relationships.  Demographic stats on Loveland, CO, and Oakland, CA: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/lovelandcitycolorado https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/oaklandcitycalifornia  Gentrification in Oakland: https://www.frbsf.org/community-development/files/neighborhood-change-residential-instability-oakland.pdf  Wind sound effects by Tim Kahn on freesound.org; sound was altered https://freesound.org/people/tim.kahn/sounds/253899/  Follow Misfits on Instagram at @acxp.misfits --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/annie-prafcke/support

Join host Annie Prafcke on Misfits, a podcast where folks who felt like black sheep in their communities have conversations about identity. Every other week, we'll hear stories involving loneliness, resilience, and self-discovery and we'll discuss how these experiences shape us as humans. Misfits will be released in January 2022. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/annie-prafcke/support