Diary of a Nation

In 2021, Kabul was overtaken by the Taliban, prompting the evacuation of over 122,000 people from Afghanistan. Among them was Paiman. Today, he and one of his brothers have resettled in Oklahoma. Paiman is now a junior at the University of Tulsa, where he is pursuing a degree in cybersecurity.

This podcast episode is a production of the Social Justice Commission of Trinity Episcopal Church. Learn more at trinitytulsa.org.

Keith hopes to work again as a roofer and start his own business, but meth is in the way. Billie points to a passage in her Bible as she stresses obedience to God. Jeff insists the passersby who hurl fat insults no longer faze him. Johnny swallowed 25 sleeping pills, yet he’s alive. Remus lives with autism. Oklahoma is a stop along the way for Bubba as he makes his way to Cape Canaveral to help deter an asteroid.

This episode features the stories of six people who struggle to find permanent housing. In January, a Point-in-Time Count found more than 1,400 people experiencing homelessness in the Tulsa area. That’s a 4% increase over 2024.

The idea for this collection of interviews originated with the Social Justice Commission of Trinity Episcopal Church in Tulsa. The commission named the series, "A Neighbor to Love". Learn more at trinitytulsa.org.

Music composition, "Love, The Lord’s Lasso”, by Dylan Golden Aycock. Used with permission.

Tiffany grew up with schizophrenia. She started having delusions at age 4 and hallucinations around age 8. 

As an adult, she earned a master's degree in Library and Information Studies. Today, she works as a reference librarian at the University of Tulsa. 

Her current diagnosis is schizoaffective, depressive type. In this episode, she discusses the disorder and how it affects her life.

In 2011, Anthony Marquez deployed to Afghanistan with his dog Allie, who was trained to sniff out improvised explosive devices (IEDs). After seventeen fellow Marines died around him during the Battle of Sangin, Anthony and his brother Manny created a documentary to record a road trip during which they visited each family of the fallen Marines.

Tap here to watch the documentary:
https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/make-peace-or-die-honor-the-fallen/

If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Text or call 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org

Photo credit: Jesse Larvick for XVII Films Archive. 

Oklahoma is home to more historic All-Black towns than any other state. At its height, there were more than 50 such towns. Today, there are 13.

Osborne Celestain, Jr. is the director of the Tulsa chapter of the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Oklahoma. This spring, he pedaled 600 miles to visit each of the 13 remaining All-Black towns. I interviewed Osborne at the Fulton Street Books and Coffee Shop in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, a thriving Black neighborhood, once known as Black Wall Street. In the spring of 1921, a white mob nearly destroyed the Greenwood community. The event would come to be known as the Tulsa Race Massacre. The story of the massacre was suppressed for generations, until the late 1990s, when a state commission was formed to investigate the events. The Major Taylor Cycling Club organizes annual rides to commemorate the Tulsa Race Massacre and to tour the All-Black towns. 

Check out Osborne’s ride map to trace his 600-mile tour of the 13 historic All-Black towns. The book mentioned in the podcast episode is Acres of Aspiration by Hannibal B. Johnson. 

Correctional officers are exposed to violence, injury and death by virtue of their roles inside the prison system. They confront some of the same challenges that police officers, firefighters and combat military personnel face.  Kelly started working as a CO at age 19 and spent 31 years in the position.

Be advised. This interview contains graphic descriptions of war and death and violence and may not be suitable for all audiences. 

New Hampshire-based photographer Patrick Patterson documents human rights and conflict. He is a witness to a death row execution, the war in Ukraine and immigrant migration in this country. In this episode, Patrick eloquently humanizes the people he photographs.

The fundraising platform United 24 can be accessed at: u24.gov.ua.

You can support Patrick’s work by purchasing his photos at: williampatrickphotography.com. 

Look for an upcoming photo essay on my Substack where Patrick collaborates with me and shares the photos of some of the people whose stories you heard. Just for podcast listeners like you, I’m offering a 20% discount on a Substack subscription. Simply navigate to: diaryofanation.substack.com/podcastoffer.

As a nurse practitioner, Karin Chen focuses on women’s health care. As a labor and delivery nurse, she has assisted children giving birth to children and women giving birth to babies they had to turn around and bury. Today, she practices in Lowell, Massachusetts, a Boston suburb. We discuss her career, her thoughts on the health care system and the path to healing personal pain.

This episode references Dr. Gabor Maté's book, The Myth of Normal. The documentary featuring him is called The Wisdom of Trauma.

Can you run a mile? How about 200 miles? Ed Clifford can. He's a second-generation musher who transitioned to ultra running when he turned 50. When he isn't running, he's busy building a log cabin in southern New Hampshire with his partner, Dawn. I recorded this interview on the porch outside their cabin. Photo credit: Bethany Hoyt Photography.