Kalaya'an Mendoza is a Queer, Hard of Hearing, Filipino American human rights defender, street medic, and community safety and mutual protection trainer. He is an award-winning facilitator of holistic safety and security, as well as a recognized expert in disaster preparedness. They currently reside on occupied Lenape land.

Kalaya'an serves as the Director of US Programs at Nonviolent Peaceforce, and is the co-founder of Across Frontlines, an organization that works with frontline human rights defenders.

They have inspired, trained, and mobilized thousands of activists in the US and abroad to advance human rights using nonviolent direct action.

Kalaya’an has worked his entire decades long career to help people use the resources they have to build the power they need to make the change they want to see in the world.

Welcome to 차 with Laura and Leah! Cha is a podcast and video series featuring conversations with our friends over tea. We are two diasporic Korean women who were inspired by Nina Simone's quote, “An artist’s duty is to reflect the times.” Cha is our offering to the collective and we hope our conversations inspire you to start having meaningful dialogues and reflections with your own communities. So make sure to brew a pot of cha and join our conversations about art, spirituality, culture, and liberation.

Please consider becoming a paid subscriber so we can continue creating this work together. For a one-time donation, you can Venmo Laura. For monthly support, you can join our Patreon. Thank you!

Kalaya'an Instagram

Laura Instagram

Laura Website

Laura YouTube

Leah Instagram

Leah Substack

Leah YouTube

Cha Patreon

차 logo designed by ⁠grimeninja⁠

Fred is a Yonkers, NY raised three-time New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. His books include a poetry collection, We Alive, Beloved and his most recent title, a YA novel, This Thing of Ours.

Fred's writing and philanthropic work go hand-in-hand and he has been recognized by many organizations including Forbes 30 Under 30, Comic-Con, and The Root100 and has worked with fortune 500 companies and presidential candidates on their DEI efforts.

Welcome to 차 with Laura and Leah! Cha is a podcast and video series featuring conversations with our friends over tea. We are two diasporic Korean women who were inspired by Nina Simone's quote, “An artist’s duty is to reflect the times.” Cha is our offering to the collective and we hope our conversations inspire you to start having meaningful dialogues and reflections with your own communities. So make sure to brew a pot of cha and join our conversations about art, spirituality, culture, and liberation.

Please consider becoming a paid subscriber so we can continue creating this work together. For a one-time donation, you can Venmo Laura. For monthly support, you can join our Patreon. Thank you!

Fred Instagram

Fred Website

Fred Substack

Laura Instagram

Laura Website

Laura YouTube

Leah Instagram

Leah Substack

Leah YouTube

Cha Patreon

차 logo designed by grimeninja

Rand, aka officialjakegyllenhalal, is a beloved voice in our movement for collective liberation. From LGBTQ+ rights to Free Palestine to resisting from within the belly of the beast, Rand has been committed to using her platform to educate and to inspire. She also reports for the Adalah Justice Project.

In this episode, we talk about what community means and the importance of being curious about others. Rand also shares a couple stories from her visit to Palestine last summer.

Rand's IG

Rand's links

Leah's IG