When veteran international journalist Natasha Ghoneim returned to Iowa City, the town where she grew up as “the little brown girl,” she didn’t expect to be reminded what that label still meant. But at a neighborhood gas station, a simple misunderstanding turned into something more dangerous: a cashier called the police on her for asking for a refund. Weeks later in Chicago, a woman punched her through her car window after a brief exchange in traffic.

In this episode we sit down with Natasha to explore how race, identity, and belonging collide not in far-off places she’s reported from, but in the heart of America she calls home.

It’s a story about fear, grace, and the quiet courage it takes to return and to stay.

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