In this episode, Amanda Henderson talks to Dr. Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, a biracial scholar and professor at the Iliff School of Theology. They explore the American dream through the lens of personal experiences and the stories of ancestors, especially focusing on the immigrant journey. Dr. Lizardy-Hajbi shares tales of her grandparents from Italy and Puerto Rico, revealing the challenges they had to overcome to settle in America and the personal experiences tied to these journeys. The conversation touches on aspects such as name Anglicization, language loss, and various legal hurdles in the quest for the coveted American Dream.  Also discussed is the paradoxical political situation of Puerto Rico as an intricate part of the United States, but lacking in full political representation. Amanda interrogates how religion and differing cultural contexts shaped these immigrant experiences. 00:01 Introduction and Background 01:14 Exploring the History of Puerto Rico 01:41 Guest Introduction: Dr. Kristina Lazardi-Hajbi 02:22 The Prerequisites of the American Dream 04:10 The Story of Puerto Rican Immigration 06:13 The Complexities of Puerto Rican Citizenship 10:23 The Impact of Americanization on Immigrant Families 14:48 The Italian Immigrant Experience 27:31 The Role of Religion in Immigrant Communities 33:14 Reflections on the American Dream 35:52 Conclusion and Future Plans   Want to Learn More? Puerto Rico: A U.S. Territory in Crisis Article:   https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/puerto-rico-us-territory-crisis New Partnership in 2024 with Religion News Service. Learn more about RNS here: https://religionnews.com/   Want to Take Action?  Learn about immigration rights and how to take action in Colorado: https://www.aclu-co.org/en/campaigns/immigrants-rights   Sign up for Complexified Newsletter: https://complexified.substack.com/ Help Make Complexified Happen - Donate here https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E345509&id=75 Contact us: email complexified@iliff.edu Complexified Website: https://www.complexified.org/