What we have in store for 2024

Become a member to help Central Desi tell even more stories about the South Asian community in 2024. Your support makes this work possible, and we are just getting started.

One year ago, I was getting ready to call it quits on Central Desi. It was difficult for me, a mother of three kids with multiple freelance jobs, to find time to keep up with the newsletter. Dear friends who know me (and my secret desire to live the quiet life of a novelist) asked earnestly, “Why are you doing this?”

Why? Sometimes an idea takes hold of you and you are no longer the one in control. You are merely the vessel through which the work is happening.

Central Desi has become so much more than a newsletter in the last year. With a growing membership base and seed funding, we have expanded to a team of six and are now reporting important stories about the South Asian community in New Jersey every week.

This is a community that’s part of the fastest growing demographic in New Jersey. A community that is dynamic and diverse, yet often finds itself ignored or depicted flatly. A community that has been part of the fabric of this state and country for many generations, and yet is still fighting for recognition.

Good journalism is essential to our democracy. It builds community. It helps illuminate the nuances and shared humanity of people, so that we understand one another and have a place to talk about the hard stuff. In 2024, we are working on stories about:

• mental health in the South Asian community,

• the challenges of being queer and Desi,

• state legislative efforts to fight caste discrimination,

• writers and artists telling the story of NJ’s Desi community,

• chai trucks, Ayurvedic chocolates, local ghee makers and more!

A big reason why I can’t give up on Central Desi is that often, when I am in rooms with entrepreneurial journalists or the funders who support them, mine is the only venture focused on the South Asian American community. If we don’t build it, who will?

Ambreen Ali is the founding editor of Central Desi. Follow us on Instagram!

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Let's make this a place for all Desis regardless of background, class or creed. ❤️