Lok Darjee: Preserving American Democracy Takes All of Us

Episode 47 April 09, 2025 00:41:36
Lok Darjee: Preserving American Democracy Takes All of Us
Mosaics
Lok Darjee: Preserving American Democracy Takes All of Us

Apr 09 2025 | 00:41:36

/

Show Notes

Lok Darjee works to empower others from refugee and immigrant backgrounds to use their vote and their voices to help shape and preserve the American democracy that he cares deeply about. His family is originally from Bhutan, but they were among the more than 100,000 Nepali-speaking people who were displaced in the early 1990s due to government persecution and attacks on their language, culture, religion, and citizenship. Lok resettled in Twin Falls, Idaho, as a teenager. While in Twin Falls, he founded a program to pair refugee students with American-born mentors.
 
He now runs Refugee Civic Action in Pennsylvania ‎and is a fellow at Foreign Policy for America. Lok holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia ‎University and has written extensively on immigration, policy, and identity.‎
 
 
Lok said pausing the refugee resettlement program goes against who we are as Americans. The program “gives a lot of hope to kids like me who are refugees, gives a second chance to people like ‎my family to come to this nation and build up again,” he said.
 
Check out his recent powerful op-ed in the Inquirer.

Other Episodes

Episode 57

December 10, 2025 00:43:24
Episode Cover

Each Refugee Experience is Unique: Sanga Zamaraikamal Pori

Within the term “refugee” is a wide range of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences - including ‎among refugees from the same country.Sanga Zamaraikamal Pori,...

Listen

Episode 3

June 07, 2023 01:01:06
Episode Cover

From becoming a refugee to leading a resettlement agency

Zeze Rwasama shares his story from DRC to Rwanda to the U.S.   Zeze Rwasama is the director of the College of Southern Idaho Refugee...

Listen

Episode 23

November 08, 2023 00:28:49
Episode Cover

Taste of Persia: Boise Family Opens Afghan Restaurant

Meet the Afghan-American family behind the newest and one of the only Afghan restaurants in Boise, Taste of Persia.   Hafiz & Bahija Karim left...

Listen