MOVEMENT with Meklit Hadero + Thao

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 13th features Thao, the multi-faceted songwriter, author, and artist.

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.

THAO, known for her distinctly evocative songwriting and dynamic, arresting performance, has continued to evolve artistically and personally since dropping the moniker “Thao & The Get Down Stay Down” in 2021. Thao can currently be seen in the music film Amongst The Disquiet (which she co-created, starred in, and wrote original music for) as it shows in contemporary art institutions and events all over the world (New Orleans Museum of Art, MCA Denver, São Paulo Biennial). She is currently at work writing her debut book for Graywolf Press (2027) and developing a musical. Balancing personal vulnerability with broader cultural commentary, Thao remains a prominent voice in the contemporary music scene and beyond. Her 6th studio album will be released in 2026.

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

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

220 Montgomery St, 220 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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