This fall, New American Economy (NAE) launched the New American Festival, a celebration of diversity and immigrant contributions to culture, in the arts, food, film, comedy, fashion, and more. Immigrant artists shared special performances, immersive experiences, films, panels, and more.
The immigration debate has been swallowed by the politics, but it’s really about the people. We believe change starts with culture. That’s why we host a festival like none other. This first-of-its-kind festival seeks to change the conversation around immigration by highlighting the incredible contributions immigrants make to their local communities around the country.
NAF New York City
We started our journey in the city considered by many the immigrant hub of the world: New York City. The opening festival featured major immigrant headliners, such as Hasan Minhaj, Padma Lakshmi, Aminatou Sow, Marcus Samuelsson, and Japanese Breakfast. Through this two-day celebration, we shined a spotlight on immigration through art. One fan favorite? A Q&A and documentary film screening with co-headliner Dr. Ruth, who spoke about her immigrant journey while also making the audience double over in laughter multiple times.
Our first stop on the nationwide tour took the New American Festival to Boston, where we partnered with Open Avenues Foundation and HubWeek to put on a two-part event celebrating the incredible immigrant entrepreneurs who are helping to grow the city’s economy and workforce. The festival’s kickoff hour featured a panel discussion with four immigrant founders detailing their stories of immigration and entrepreneurship and how they’ve intertwined. After the panel, guests were treated to food and music from immigrant contributors, as well as nine separate demos from immigrant-founded startups in the Boston area, highlighting the incredible innovation in the city.
Our next event took the festival across the country to Oakland, where we partnered with No Immigrant No Spice to highlight the city’s burgeoning immigrant food scene. Food is a common language, and we brought together local immigrant entrepreneur chefs serving various international cuisines from countries like Mexico, Iran, Indonesia, and India. Combined with exciting dance and musical performances, and art installations, the Oakland New American Festival highlighted the incredibly diverse immigrant community and all it has to offer.
Geraldina Interiano Wise, NAF Houston / Photo by: Jeff Fitlow
Following our stop in California, we brought the festival to the Lone Star State, partnering with the Center for Houston’s Future to highlight Houston’s diverse immigrant culture through food, music, and an incredible immersive live painting performance from artist Geraldina Interiano Wise. Additionally, we served food inspired by the home countries of festival artists and participants from Ireland, El Salvador, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Mexico.
Just a few days later, we found ourselves in the Midwest, taking the festival to Kansas City. Partnering with Open Belly Podcast and the Crossroads Hotel, the event shined a spotlight on the many ways immigrants and refugees have transformed and revitalized the city’s food culture. For the event, we produced a documentary short on refugee entrepreneur Saw Dit and his journey from war-torn Myanmar to Kansas City. The film screening was followed by a panel discussion with Saw Dit, filmmaker Dave Brick, and representatives from New American Economy and Open Belly podcast.
The next day we continued our festival road trip with a stop in Nashville, where we partnered with Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition to promote local cultural influencers’ work towards conveying the shared American experience. The evening featured an art show curated by Colombian artist Andrés Bustamante and a musical performance from Mariachi Los Potrillos. The event also featured delicious Kurdish, Singaporean, Persian, Haitian, and Colombian food from local immigrant chefs and entrepreneurs.
Mariachi Los Potrillos, NAF Nashville / Photo by: Leah Hashinger
The New American Festival nationwide series wrapped up in Detroit at the National Immigrant Integration Conference, where muralist Elton Monroy Durán’s large-scale artwork, We The People, was on display. We also screened a series of short videos that included the “Making of” Durán’s mural, a spotlight on the restaurateurs behind Detroit’s Baobab Fare, plus a recap of New American Festival overall.
Kate Brick, Elton Monroy Durán, and Dan Wallace, NAF Detroit
For the New American Festival, we have curated an exciting and diverse lineup of immigrant artists, comedians, authors, chefs, and more.
New York Times best-selling author, host, and executive producer Padma Lakshmi (Love, Loss and What We Ate, The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs, Top Chef) will give the keynote address. The festival will also feature conversations with sex therapist, radio and television show host, and author Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer and award-winning host, comedian, writer, and producer Hasan Minhaj (Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, Homecoming King)
Other headliners include renowned chef, restaurateur, and author Marcus Samuelsson (Red Rooster Harlem, Marcus B&P), Big Friendship co-author and Call Your Girlfriend podcaster Aminatou Sow, author Min Jin Lee (Pachinko, Free Food for Millionaires), and author, broadcaster and cook Yasmin Khan (Zaitoun, The Saffron Tales).
The festival will feature a panel discussion with Comedy Central talent and executives and a stand-up hour featuring comedians, including Ronny Chieng (senior correspondent for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah), Aparna Nancherla (Comedy Central’s Corporate, Netflix’s The Standups, Bojack Horseman), Vladimir Caamaño (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Marvel’s Runaways, Jimmy Kimmel Live), and more.
BoJack Horseman writer, everyone’s a aliebn when ur a aliebn too author, and illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s New York Times best-seller Gmorning, Gnight! Jonny Sun will bring an interactive multimedia piece to NeueHouse with collaborating artist Hannah Davis.
Our musical lineup features artists across genres, including Canadian singer-songwriter Ruth B, and Japanese Breakfast, the indie-rock solo music project of Korean-American musician Michelle Zauner.
Also joining us at the festival will be America’s leading Latino dance organization Ballet Hispánico, author Daniel José Older (Shadowshaper series, Bone Street Rumba series), The Splendid Table podcast host Francis Lam, 2018 James Beard Foundation Book of the Year winner, Michael W. Twitty, Chinese-American bilingual rapper and hip-hop artist Bohan Phoenix and many other guests.
The festival took place in New York City on September 14-15 at NeueHouse, a cultural and collaborative space for prominent creatives, artists, and entrepreneurs.
10:30 AM - 7:00 PM — Ongoing Programming
Pop-up shop ft. Lingua Franca, Books are Magic, For Freedoms & NAE Merchandise, Photo booth and social media station, beats by Y3lda all day, and New American Economy info station
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM — Keynote Speaker, Padma Lakshmi
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM — Jonny Sun Q&A and introduction to The Laughing Room interactive art installation
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM — For Freedoms Town Hall & Interactive Wall Vinyl
1:00 PM - 1:30PM — Rotem Sivan Music Performance
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM — Aminatou Sow Curated Literary Panel ft. Min Jin Lee and Daniel José Older with snacks from Emma’s Torch
1:45 PM - 2:15 PM — Jonny Sun presents The Laughing Room interactive art installation
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM — Performance by Ballet Hispánico
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM — Dr. Ruth Q&A with Madison Malone Kircher from NY Mag’s Vulture
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM — Film Screening of Ask Dr. Ruth and post-screening Q&A with Dr. Ruth with snacks from Emma’s Torch
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM — ILYANA Music Performance
3:45 PM - 4:45 PM — Jonny Sun presents The Laughing Room interactive art installation
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM — Nic Hanson Music Performance
6:30 PM - 7:00 PM — Japanese Breakfast Music Performance
7:00 PM - End — Hasan Minhaj in conversation with Vulture’s Jesse David Fox
12:00 PM - 7:00 PM — Ongoing Programming
Pop-up shop ft. Lingua Franca, Books are Magic, For Freedoms & NAE Merchandise, Photo booth and social media station, beats by Y3lda all day, and New American Economy info station
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM — Jonny Sun presents The Laughing Room interactive art installation
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM — Yasmin Khan's Food and Immigration Panel ft. Francis Lam, Michael W. Twitty, Fany Gerson, and Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM — Abhilasha Sinha Music Performance
1:45 PM - 2:45 PM — Jonny Sun presents The Laughing Room interactive art installation
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM — Marcus Samuelsson Food Demo, Tasting, and Q&A
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM — New Americans Make America Funny: Panel ft. Jaboukie Young-White, Negin Farsad, Jess Salomon, and Daniel Simonsen, followed by Clip Reel
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM — Mannywellz Music Performance
3:45 PM - 4:45 PM — Jonny Sun presents The Laughing Room interactive art installation
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM — Stand Up Comedy with Ronny Chieng, Aparna Nancherla, Vladimir Caamaño, Negin Farsad, Wil Sylvince, and Jess Salomon with snacks by Emma’s Torch
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM — Bohan Phoenix Music Performance
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM — Film Screening of Crow: The Legend, a Virtual Reality experience of the film, featuring characters voiced by Oprah, John Legend, and Constance Wu
6:30 PM - 7:00 PM — Ruth B. Music Performance
Following the New American Festival in New York, we took the festival on the road around the country!
Boston: October 1, 2019 at 6 PM in partnership with HubWeek and Open Avenues Foundation
Oakland: October 5, 2019 at 5 PM in partnership with No Immigrants No Spice
Houston: October 12, 2019 at 7:30 PM in partnership with Center for Houston’s Future
Kansas City: October 16, 2019 at 6:30 PM in partnership with Open Belly, ChowNow, and the Crossroads Hotel
Nashville: October 17, 2019 in partnership with Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition
We are so pleased to have the support of our incredible partners for the New American Festival. Our partners include Comedy Central, New York Magazine, NeueHouse, Smorgasburg, Vulture, WNYC, ChowNow, Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, No Immigrants No Spice, Treble, Lingua Franca, Books are Magic, Crossroads Hotel, For Freedoms, Open Avenues, World Education Services (WES), and Emma’s Torch. Thank you so much for helping to amplify our work and create an unforgettable festival.
If you’re interested in partnering with us here in New York or by hosting an NAF event in your city, please contact us for details!
New American Economy (NAE) is a bipartisan research and advocacy organization fighting for smart federal, state, and local immigration policies that help grow our economy and create jobs for all Americans.
We make the economic case for immigration in four ways:
1. We use powerful research to demonstrate how immigration impacts our economy.
2. We organize champions at the grassroots and influencer levels to build support for immigration.
3. We partner with state and local leaders to advocate for policies that recognize the value immigrants add locally.
4. We show immigrant contributions to American culture through film, food, art, sports, comedy, and more.
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