TL;DR 🏃

• Join our Friendsgiving potluck today! (late notice I know, I’ll improve on this)

• First sponsored event with Imera and Tukki!

• The most international Halloween in NYC

• Latest hot cultural happenings in the city

• BORDERLESS future vision

LATEST EVENTS 🪩

Join for our global Friendsgiving potluck!

If it’s anything like the one earlier this year - it’s gonna be a hit. Food from all corners of the globe in a city with people from all corners of the globe, really what’s not to love. RSVP.

About MIA

For this event we’ve partnered with MIA, a next-generation immigration and migration platform built to make the journey to the United States faster and fairer — from filing to arrival to building a new life.

Recap: Immigrant Happy Hour with Imera and Tukki!

Last month we partnered with Imera and Tukki, who were generous enough to help sponsor drinks on everyone’s behalf. Over 80 people showed up to support the international and diaspora community.

They’re also strong players in the immigration space - with Imera being a platform for immigrants to navigate life in the U.S., offering personalized AI-driven guidance, streamlined access to essential services, and a welcoming community.

​Tukki helps brings your immigration case onto one secure platform - documents, timelines, real-time updates - and gives you direct access to your legal team, delivering white-glove care at every step.

Also, big ups to Amy for taking these awesome photos. Highly recommend for any of your professional needs!

Recap: BORDERLESS Halloween

You guys weren’t shy when it came to the costumes. I was a bit worried that people might be too self conscious to walk around in whatever cultural garb might have, but no, you guys expressed yourselves loud and proud and it couldn’t have made me happier!

OTHER NYC CULTURAL HAPPENINGS 🌍 

NYC wouldn’t be the same without everything else happening would it? Check out some of the other prime cultural events our city has to offer this month (no I don’t get paid to promote any of these).

🧧🇨🇳 Chinatown Holiday Market
Fridays–Sundays, Until Dec 21 – Chinatown, Manhattan
Welcome to Chinatown is hosting a festive marketplace with 35+ AAPI-owned food and retail vendors, from streetwear to ceramics to children’s books. Each weekend brings rotating pop-up treats and gifts, so every visit feels a little different.

🏿🌍🎬 ADIFF NYC 2025: African Diaspora International Film Festival
Until Dec 14 – Harlem & Greenwich Village, Manhattan (multiple venues)
The 33rd ADIFF brings 65+ films from over 30 countries across Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and the wider Black diaspora, with screenings at Teachers College Columbia University, Cinema Village, and more. Expect everything from bold new premieres to censored works, plus filmmaker Q&As and panels that dig into politics, identity, and resistance.

🇮🇳🇺🇸🍛 Padma Lakshmi present “Padma’s All American”
Dec 9 – Upper East Side, Manhattan
At Asia Society NYC, Padma Lakshmi shares stories and recipes from Padma’s All American: Tales, Travels, and Recipes from Taste the Nation and Beyond, celebrating how immigrant and Indigenous communities shaped American food. Expect a conversation about her journey, audience Q&A, a book signing, and tastes from her recipes—plus a complimentary signed copy with your ticket. Come hungry for both food and stories.

🇹🇳🎶 BROOKLYN MAQAM presents: QURB – The Music of Anouar Brahem
Dec 10 – Park Slope, Brooklyn
Looking to impress a date? In the cozy back room of Barbès, Brooklyn Maqam dives into the haunting, lyrical world of Tunisian oud master Anouar Brahem. This evening of intimate, improvisational music that blurs the lines between Arabic maqam, jazz, and contemporary chamber sounds.

🇨🇳🏳️‍🌈🍚 The Ciba Punch 女拳手打糍粑
Dec 11 – Lower East Side, Manhattan
Literally punch steamed sticky rice into ciba rice cakes in a ritual of rage, grief, and joy. The performance turns a traditional Chinese food-making process into collective release, guided by sound, movement, and “spiritual figures” roaming the space. Come ready to get your hands messy and your heart cracked open.

🇯🇵🀄 Japanese Mahjong: Learn and Play
Dec 13, 2025 – Herald Square, Midtown Manhattan
Dive into Japanese-style Riichi mahjong and learn the rules, tiles, and table etiquette in a friendly, low-pressure setting. You’ll get guided play and plenty of chances to test your strategy against other beginners and casual players. Perfect if you’ve always wanted to move beyond anime screenshots and actually play the real thing!

🇬🇭🇳🇬🍛 Jollof & Joy: A Taste of Africa and Holiday Bazaar at Akwaaba Mansion
Dec 13–14, 2025 – Stuyvesant Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Spend a whole weekend at the legendary Akwaaba Mansion for a holiday bazaar full of African and diasporic food, artisan vendors, and joyful, high-energy vibes. Think fragrant jollof, bold prints, handcrafted gifts, and one of the most beautiful brownstone settings in Brooklyn. It’s part shopping day, part cultural immersion, part family reunion.

🇮🇩👗 Prelude: Kebaya Across Border
Dec 14 – Greenwich Village, Manhattan
At Rasa on West 8th Street, this event celebrates the Indonesian kebaya and its journeys across borders, weaving together fashion, storytelling, and diaspora identity. Expect rich textiles, personal histories, and a space that uplifts Southeast Asian elegance in the heart of the Village. It’s a dreamy, culture-forward afternoon for anyone who loves clothing with a story behind every stitch.

🇯🇵🍜 Japanese Winter Wonderland Food Pop Up
Dec 20 – Sunset Park (Industry City), Brooklyn
Japan Village is turning its Yokocho Alley courtyard into a winter food wonderland, with steaming bowls, snacks, and treats that feel like a cozy Tokyo side street in December. It’s the perfect excuse to roam Industry City, graze from stall to stall, and warm up with Japanese comfort food. Come bundled up and ready to eat your way through the evening.

🇮🇹🎄🎶 La Cantata Di Natale: A Neapolitan Renaissance Christmas Concert
Dec 20 – Little Italy, Manhattan
At the Italian American Museum on Mulberry Street, I Giullari di Piazza bring Southern Italian Christmas traditions to life with Neapolitan Renaissance music, folk instruments, and theatrical flair. Think tarantellas, ancient carols, and colorful characters like La Befana, all in an intimate museum setting. If you’ve ever wanted to experience Christmas “Old World Naples”-style, this is your night.

THANK YOU.

If you made it this far in the newsletter I just want you to know I appreciate you. BORDERLESS has meant so much to me this past year as it continues to grow. Despite whatever political and social climates that try to drive us apart, and I’m so glad that so many of you guys have come to support, and it would all be nothing without you guys.❤️

As BORDERLESS continues to grow, you can expect more collaborations, more content, and a developing ecosystem of events, media, and immigrant / diaspora run businesses.

There’s so much more I want to do with BORDERLESS that if it all plays out, whatever you see now is the mere tip of the iceberg for what it envision it to be.

Stay tuned, stay excited, and most of all stay curious because that’s going to drive our mission of making the world a more unified and loving place.

— Perry