About me
My name is Khadeejah Khan and I am a bilingual Muslim South Asian American journalist studying Asian American Studies and Arabic at the University of California, Davis.
I believe in the power of language and storytelling to hold power to account and mobilize communities. I write at the intersection of transnational politics, diaspora communities and identity, student activism, labor movements, and education inequity. Based in the Bay Area, my work has been published in KQED (an NPR and PBS affiliate), CalMatters, PBS, The Mercury News, The California Aggie, Mondoweiss, The Modesto Bee, and The Daily Californian.
My Latest Work
Faculty advocated for an ethnic studies requirement for five years, but its proposal was recently rejected
Palestine is here to stay: Davis for Palestine holds weeklong sit-ins in King Hall, Valley Hall
We talked to California college students about today’s election. Here’s what’s on their minds
Amid Gaza war, South Bay Palestinian, Muslim students reach out to each other
Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.They want to display pride in their Palestinian identity. They want to educate their peers about Palestinian people and culture. And they want to reach out to fellow Palestinians and Muslims in America.As the war in Gaza intensifies and the death toll and suffering rise, Palestinian and Musl...
How some South Bay schools expanded mental health services
Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.The pandemic lockdown left many high school students with feelings of grief and disconnect from their school communities. When classes resumed in person, South Bay school districts, like those across the country, were offered federal COVID relief funding to address pandemic concerns.Some dis...
From the Screen to the Writing Room, South Asian Influence in TV and Film is on the Rise | KQED
South Asian American representation in television and movies is on the rise. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe debuting its first South Asian superhero in 2021 and “Never Have I Ever” winning big at the People’s Choice Awards, Hollywood has begun to cast South Asians for big roles and tell authentic South Asian stories. But representation behind-the-scenes is just as important as it is in front of the camera: writers, directors and producers are the ones who determine who to cast and how to por...
South Bay students rally to help earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria
Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.After a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, killing more than 50,000 people, many high school students in the South Bay felt its impact.“So many of us lost family members, friends and people from our community who we were connected to,” said Khadija Masri, a Syrian-Ameri...
Is Western embrace of henna tattoos cultural appropriation?
Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.Growing up in this country, Foram Mehta was bullied when she got henna designs, or mehndi, painted on her hands at Indian-American community celebrations.“Henna was not a thing people understood, so people found it weird, especially kids,” said M...
