Sonali Kolhatkar

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.