Thank You to This Year’s Sponsors!
Comedy Lineup
IIBA’s Impact
For 103 years, the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA) has welcomed immigrants and refugees to their new home. Today, IIBA is the largest nonprofit provider of immigration legal services in Northern California.
THIS PAST YEAR, OUR SERVICES WERE REMOTE, BUT OUR IMPACT WAS REAL:
- 1,500 individuals petitioned for U.S. citizenship
- 800 immigrants renewed their DACA status
- 800 DACA applicants had their $495 application fee covered by IIBA
- 550 individuals petitioned to reunite with their families
- 117 individuals represented in deportation defense cases
- 100 asylum seekers and refugees filed for legal protection in the United States
- 200 survivors of domestic violence and violent crime filed for legal protection
- 28 Law Firms dedicated over 500 pro bono hours in support of IIBA’s immigration workshops
Comedian Bios
Margaret Cho, Five-time Grammy & Emmy Nominated Comedian, Actress, and Advocate
A five-time Grammy and Emmy nominee, San Francisco native Margaret Cho’s legendary stand up career has yielded 10-plus comedy tours, television appearances on HBO’s “High Maintenance”, the creation of her highly acclaimed podcast “The Margaret Cho”, and recently her role as “Auntie Ling” in Netflix’s first major animated film, “Over the Moon”, which was nominated for an Academy Award & Golden Globe Award.
Margaret is also incredibly active in anti-racism, anti-bullying, and gay rights campaigns. She has been honored by GLAAD, American Women in Radio and Television, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), PFLAG and LA Pride, who gave Margaret a Lifetime Achievement Award for leaving a lasting imprint on the LGBT community.
Naomi Ekperigin, HBO’s “2 Dope Queens“
Naomi Ekperigin is a comedian and actor who’s performed on HBO’s “2 Dope Queens”, “Late Night with Seth Meyers”, and her own Comedy Central half hour special. She has a recurring role on Apple TV’s “Mythic Quest”, and co-hosts the popular podcasts “Couples Therapy” and “I Love a Lifetime Movie”. Naomi has written for Comedy Central’s “Broad City”, Hulu’s “Difficult People” and NBC’s “Great News”. In 2017, she was listed as one of “10 Comedians You Need to Know” by Rolling Stone.
Francesca Fiorentini, “Newsbroke” on AJ+
Francesca Fiorentini is a correspondent and comedian originally from the Bay Area. She is the host and head writer of the web series “Newsbroke” on AJ+, Al Jazeera Media Network’s digital outlet. She is also the host of MSNBC’s “Red, White & Who?” and has been a correspondent on NatGeo’s “Explorer”. Francesca is a regular guest on The Young Turks and has appeared on “Lovett or Leave It” and the BBC’s Arts Hour. As a stand up comic, Francesca has performed at the Punch Line SF, Cobb’s Comedy, SF Sketchfest, and Comedy Day.
Bassem Youssef, “Jon Stewart of the Arab World”
Bassem Youssef, dubbed the “Jon Stewart of the Arab World,” was a practicing cardiothoracic surgeon when he became the creator and host of popular TV show “AlBernameg”— the first political satire show in the Middle East. Originally a 5-minute show on YouTube, “AlBernameg” became the first online to TV conversion in the Middle East and the most watched show across the region with 30 million viewers every week.
Throughout its three seasons “AlBernameg” remained controversial through its humorous yet bold criticism of the ruling powers, which led to tens of lawsuits being filed against the show and its host. Youssef was named among the Time Magazine most influential list for 2013 – under the “Pioneers” category, was awarded the International Press Freedom Award by the CPJ, and was chosen by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the global thinkers during the same year. He has also appeared on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” as the Senior Middle East Correspondent.