Sonali Kolhatkar is a columnist for Truthdig. She also is the founder, host and executive producer of "Rising Up With Sonali," a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV (Dish Network,...
Sonali Kolhatkar is a columnist for Truthdig. She also is the founder, host and executive producer of "Rising Up With Sonali," a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV (Dish Network, DirecTV, Roku) and Pacifica stations KPFK, KPFA and affiliates. She is the founder and former host and producer of KPFK Pacifica’s popular morning drive-time program “Uprising." She is also co-director of the Afghan Women’s Mission, a U.S.-based nonprofit solidarity organization that funds the social, political and humanitarian projects of RAWA.
Kolhatkar is the author, with James Ingalls, of "Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence" (2006). She has also contributed to “September 11, 2001: Feminist Perspectives” and “Stop the Next War Now! Effective Responses to Violence & Terrorism.” She has spoken at hundreds of college campuses and community centers about media, women’s rights, foreign policy and more.
Kolhatkar has been recognized for her work by a number of community organizations including Hunger Action LA, South Asian Network, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance and Sunset Hall. In 2004 she received the Phenomenal Woman Award from the Cal State Northridge Women’s Studies Department. She won Los Angeles Press Club awards for best TV anchor in 2015 and best election-related columnist in 2017.
Kolhatkar's educational background is as interesting as it is diverse: She holds a Master of Science in astrophysics from the University of Hawaii and a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Bachelor of Arts in astronomy from the University of Texas. She was born and raised in the United Arab Emirates to Indian parents and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009. She is also an artist who has exhibited her works numerous times and sells her crafts at farmers markets. She lives with her spouse and two children in Pasadena, Calif.
Sonali Kolhatkar endorses Truthdig
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What I appreciate most about Truthdig, where I've been a regular writer for the last few years, is the editorial freedom it gives me and the respect with which its owners, editors and staff treat me. It's not easy being a journalist these days and even less so as a woman of color with strongly progressive views considered radical in the corporate media realm. In Truthdig I have found a wonderful home for my views and analysis. It is an outlet that treats its readers with dignity -- a rare quality in online print media these days. Please support Truthdig as an oasis of journalism at a time when press freedom is rapidly eroding. Our democracy depends on it!
By Sonali KolhatkarMar 19, 2020
There is nothing like a global pandemic to unleash the forces of racism in society. Trump is now routinely calling the novel coronavirus strain “the Chinese virus.” Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )
By Sonali Kolhatkar / TruthdigMar 13, 2020
The much-awaited US-Taliban agreement could finally end the longest U.S. war, but an end to violence is not assured. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )
Sonali Kolhatkar / TruthdigMar 6, 2020
The former vice president’s luck has suddenly changed, but his past and his profile have not. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )
Sonali Kolhatkar / TruthdigFeb 19, 2020
With Roe v. Wade in danger, the president has the upper hand as long as he promotes his supporters' anti-abortion cause at home and abroad. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )
Sonali Kolhatkar / TruthdigFeb 14, 2020
We've already seen the damage a racist billionaire president can do to our democracy. How can Democrats even consider nominating another? Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )
Sonali Kolhatkar / TruthdigFeb 6, 2020
Solidarity, not alienation born of ignorance, is the solution to the health crisis and the racist response to it. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )
Sonali Kolhatkar / TruthdigJan 30, 2020
Republican senators and Trump’s lawyers are forced to resort to blatant contortions of logic in the impeachment trial. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )
Sonali Kolhatkar / TruthdigJan 23, 2020
The president thinks he can weather impeachment by exaggerating U.S. successes. But his superlatives don’t reflect reality. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )
Sonali Kolhatkar / TruthdigJan 16, 2020
The president may not want war with Iran, but he does want to push the regime into submission and tout U.S. military dominance to his base. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )
Sonali Kolhatkar / TruthdigJan 2, 2020
Legislators have also capitulated to the president’s vast expansion of the territory of war. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )
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