MOVEMENT with Meklit Hadero + Ruby Ibarra

Movement with Meklit Hadero is a podcast that uplifts the songs, stories and cultural power of immigrant communities. We are both a music discovery show and an audio archive of belonging, hosted by Ethiopian-American singer-composer and former refugee Meklit Hadero. Launched in 2023, our show has reached over 10 million listeners via collaborations with Snap Judgement, PRX’s The World and more. We are thrilled to be 2026 Podcast-In-Residence at KALW 91.7 FM. Join us as we kick off production of Season 4, with a new venture into live podcasting with a focus on the Bay Area. 

May 12th features Ruby Ibarra, Filipina emcee and cultural organizer and winner of NPR’s 2025 Tiny Desk Contest. 

Meklit Hadero is an Ethiopian-American vocalist, composer, cultural strategist and former refugee. Her music has taken her to renowned venues across four continents, and been featured by the New York Times, BBC, NPR and many more.

Meklit's latest album "A Piece of Infinity" reimagines traditional folk songs from across Ethiopia and was released Sept 26th, 2025 on Smithsonian Folkways Records. Meklit is a National Geographic Explorer, a TED Senior Fellow, a Taproot Fellow, the winner of the globalFEST Artist Award, and a former Visiting Artist at Stanford, Harvard and NYU. She has given talks at the United Nations, at multiple TED Conferences and at the National Geographic Storytellers Summit.

Meklit is the former Chief of Program at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, as well as the co-founder of the Nile Project and a featured voice in UN Women's theme song. She has collaborated with world renowned musicians including Kronos Quartet, Andrew Bird, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the late legend of funk music, Pee Wee Ellis. Meklit co-founded Movement in 2017 with Ian Coss and Julie Caine.

Ruby Ibarra is a rapper, spoken word artist, and director from the Bay Area, CA who has toured across the United States, Canada, and the Philippines. She is the co-founder of the Pinays Rising Scholarship program as well as the Bay Area independent record label, Bolo Music Group. She has been featured on notable publications such as Rolling Stone, NPR, Huffington Post, Paper Mag, Vogue Philippines, Billboard Philippines, the Today show, NY Times, and the LA Times.

Ruby’s songs, "US" and “Switch,” were featured in the widely popular video games, NBA2K23 and NBA2K24. Her song "7000 Miles" can be heard in the recent NASCAR25 video game. Her latest release, "Bakunawa," is the first single from her forthcoming sophomore album and is also the winning song of NPR's 2025 Tiny Desk Contest. In Summer 2025, she performed a Tiny Desk Concert with her live band then went on a nationwide sold out 10-city tour. Her music is available on all digital platforms and can be heard in several museum exhibits, films, and television features.

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At a time when immigrants are being vilified and attacked, Movement with Meklit Hadero uplifts the songs, stories and cultural power of immigrant communities.

Movement claims public space for immigrant musicians to define narratives of migration on their own terms, based in songs, cultural wisdom and ancestral lineage.

For all of these reasons, the beautifully crafted show has been selected as KALW's 2026 Podcast in Residence.

Movement is hosted by Ethiopian-American singer-composer and former refugee Meklit Hadero and was co-created by Meklit, sound designer/producer Ian Coss and editor/producer Julie Caine.

Over the next six months, KALW will work with Movement to create a 12 one-hour episodes of the show. It will also serve as an anchor for a new model for syndication currently being developed by KALW.

There is a $10 - $20 sliding scale suggested donation for this event. Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.

Please become a KALW member today and receive your first drink on us at all 220 Montgomery events.

📍 220 Montgomery St., San Francisco, 2 blocks from BART/MUNI

🚪 Reception doors open at 6:00

🗣️ Program begins at 7:00

🆓 The event is free with an RSVP — and you are welcome to donate what you want

Please note:

• The event space is just to the left of the main entrance to the Mills Building at 220 Montgomery Street
• We recommend taking BART/MUNI, exiting at Montgomery, and walking two blocks north
• Ride-shares can drop off and pick up directly in front of the venue
• If you drive, there are several garages within two blocks of the event location; free street parking is available across from the venue at 7:00 pm

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