Hosted by sociologist Shahd Alasaly, SAWT is a podcast rooted in one belief: stories only hold power when they are told by the people who live them. This introduction episode sets the foundation for a space where lived experience is recognized as knowledge and where communities speak for themselves without translation, interpretation, or erasure. Too often, narratives are shaped by those who were never part of the experience. SAWT exists to change that. In this podcast, you will hear from researchers, academics, artists, and community voices whose stories carry truth the world needs to hear. The first thirteen episodes feature TEDx University of South Florida 2026 speakers, offering a chance to learn from them in their own voice before they take the TED stage. When we speak, we protect the truth of who we are. When we listen, we allow stories to remain whole. Subscribe and share to help build a community where voices rise and stories stay where they belong.
The Erasure of Palestine: History Zionism & The Dispossession of Palestinian
Shahd Alasaly and Dima Abuoleim sit down with Zachary Foster, a Princeton-trained historian, founder of Palestine Nexus, and self-described unfiltered voice on one of the most contested histories on the planet, who once burned his own PhD diploma. Zachary walks through his own journey from a Zionist upbringing to becoming one of the field's sharpest critics, and lays out the history of Palestine as a name, a place, and a people, tracing how it was systematically erased from maps, textbooks, and Western consciousness starting in the 1920s and 30s.
He connects the demographic transformation of Palestine before and after 1948 to decades of displacement, resistance movements born in exile, and cycles of conflict that he argues stretch in a direct line from the late Ottoman period to Gaza today.
The conversation also turns personal, touching on what it means to hold these views inside a Jewish family and community still largely shaped by Zionism, and the distinction Zachary draws between Judaism as a religious tradition and Zionism as a political movement.
A wide-ranging conversation on history, identity, memory, and how nations and peoples become real to us through the stories we tell.
Host: Shahd Alasaly & Dima Abuoleim Guest: Zachary Foster
#SAWTPodcast (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sawtpodcast) #Palestine (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/palestine) #History (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/history) #Zionism (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/zionism) #MiddleEast (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/middleeast) #PalestinianHistory (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/palestinianhistory)
2 Sept 2026
The secret FBI file that proves you're being watched right now
In this episode, Shahd Alasaly and Dima Abuolim sit down with anthropologist David Price, author of The American Surveillance State, to unpack decades of previously unseen FBI files and what they reveal about who America's surveillance machine was really built to watch.
Together they trace how the surveillance state was normalized after 9/11, why the FBI targeted civil rights activists, Muslim groups, union organizers, and peace activists instead of criminals, and how the Patriot Act dismantled protections that Congress had put in place after Watergate. David breaks down why Americans have quietly accepted a level of surveillance that would have caused outrage a generation ago, how surveillance capitalism and government tracking grew side by side, and why "I have nothing to hide" is one of the most dangerous ideas in modern privacy.
A deeply revealing conversation about power, privacy, government overreach, and what it will take for Americans to reclaim the right to simply be left alone.
Host: Shahd Alasaly & Dima Abuolim
Guest: David Price
#SAWTPodcast (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sawtpodcast) #SurveillanceState (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/surveillancestate) #Privacy (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/privacy) #FBI (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/fbi) #PatriotAct (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/patriotact) #CivilLiberties (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/civilliberties) #Democracy (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/democracy)
25 Aug 2026
The One Question That Save A Life
In this episode, Shahd Alasaly sits down with Clara Reynolds, President of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, to talk about what crisis and trauma really look like behind the scenes.
Together they explore the hidden pressures that can push people to a breaking point, why high-achieving students and adults can be struggling without anyone realizing it, and how trauma can ripple through families and entire communities. Clara shares what decades of crisis work have taught her about listening without judgment, recognizing when someone is asking for help, and why asking someone directly about suicide does not put the idea in their head.
A deeply honest conversation about trauma, mental health, suicide prevention, community, and the simple act of being there when someone needs it most.
Host: Shahd Alasaly
Guest: Clara Reynolds
#SAWTPodcast (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sawtpodcast) #MentalHealth (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/mentalhealth) #TraumaAwareness (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/traumaawareness) #SuicidePrevention (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/suicideprevention) #CrisisSupport (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/crisissupport) #MentalHealthAwareness (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/mentalhealthawareness)
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