Our podcast is one year old!

We are thankful for our wonderful guest interviewees to share their stories, and each one of our listeners and every download that makes our work so worthwhile! Special thanks go to the Fifth Ave Studio from Ann Arbor District Library for being our backbone.

Mrs. Baker, our first interviewee/long-term supporter is back with us today to celebrate this small milestone and share her thoughts on our podcast.

As always, we are in search of interesting stories. Please feel free to contact us with feedback or potential interviewees at [email protected].

Do you know July of each year is Disability pride month? 32 years ago, on July 26th, the Americans With Disability Act was signed into law, and since then, discrimination against people with disability was prohibited, and more and more people with disability find advocacy and support from society.

To celebrate this important month in the history of disabled rights, we are honored to have a very special guest with us today, Mr. Gossage, the director of the Ann Arbor center for independent living. Mr. Gossage will share with us… the history of the independent living movement, its driving philosophy, and what it takes for people with disabilities to be independent.

If you are interested in the independent living movement and want to know more about this history, Mr. Gossage recommended a documentary: CRIP CAMP: A DISABILITY REVOLUTION, that he thought would be a good introduction to this topic.

We would love to extend our gratitude to the Fifth Avenue Studios in Ann Arbor Public Library, who helped us connect with Mr. Gossage and many wonderful guest interviewees in future episodes.

Half of the summer is over. We had so much planned, but so far nothing has been accomplished.

Our friend Victoria sure had a better summer. She spent three weeks in Germany as an exchange student, with host parents and host siblings. Right after she landed back in Ann Arbor, we kidnapped her to share her adventures.

Have you ever wondered: what exactly makes me a person? We’d never questioned this before we came in contact with Professor Peterson, who introduced the concept of personhood to us. Not until June 24, 2022, when Roe Vs. Wade was overturned, did we start to realize how the concept of personhood lays the groundwork for debate about women’s and fetus rights, and its significance to this country in this time period. We felt that it would be the perfect time to produce and release this episode.

I hope you were with us two weeks ago and heard this voice from Melania. Melania is a Huron High School student in Ann Arbor, who came from Ukraine two years ago. On February 28th, 2022, war suddenly broke out in her hometown, and her life was turned upside down. Everything changed.

From afar, Melania spends a lot of time communicating with her family and friends and following all news about the war. During the interview, she went on non-stop, for about fifteen minutes, sharing various horrifying and graphic war crimes that she learned of. Be cautious: this content contains extremely extensive descriptions of crimes that were committed.

Conversation with Melania was the heaviest and yet the most eye-opening we have done so far. We dedicate and honor this episode to all of the victims of this and other wars, who sacrificed their lives to defend freedom, those who died, and who lost their family and friends. To those who have been forced to leave their homes or witnessed the evil side of human nature, we wish that someday we are able to return faith to the humanity we once knew.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

by John Donne

No man is an island,

Entire of itself.

Each is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less.

As well as if a promontory were.

As well as if a manor of thine own

Or of thine friend's were.

Each man's death diminishes me,

For I am involved in mankind.

Therefore, send not to know

For whom the bell tolls,

It tolls for thee.

Her name is Melania, and she came from Ukraine.

Melania is a junior at Ann Arbor Huron High School. Recently, she wrote an article for the school’s newspaper about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Later she was told to remove a portion of her writing due to the censorship policies that the school enforces.

But, Melania had words to say. Likewise, we wanted to hear.

So, on a beautiful sunny day, Malania sat down with us in the downtown public library. She talked in depth about what she knew of the war - a combination of history, memories, tragedies, and emotions. The events she describes are often times graphic, and her tears were heartbreaking.

The whole purpose of our podcast is to provide a platform for anyone and everyone to share. We are seeking multiple voices and perspectives to build our understanding of this very complex war, and we start the conversation today, with Melania.

Do you still remember the 2020 lockdown? Masking and social distancing policies became the norm while businesses, schools, and offices went quiet…more than two years into COVID, we have now learned to live with the virus, somewhat. However, in the Chinese city of Shanghai, the definition of “lockdown” is brought to a new level by people in power.

In March of 2022, Omicron sneaked into Shanghai, the biggest city in China. The city mandated an extremely strict Covid lockdown, affecting the lives of more than 25 million people. We had a long talk with a resident in Shanghai to tell us her first-hand experience about what the lockdown means to her, and those around her. The persistence and displays of the humanity of the Shanghai citizens in the midst of this quarantine are incredible.

To protect her from the possible censorship in China, we changed her voice and masked her identity in this interview.

In the last two episodes, we had a special guest sharing some of his past, difficult experiences, as he left home and landed in the UK all by himself at age 17. He spoke no English at the time.

We wish we were able to give you a brief recap, but his story is so captivating and beautifully told. Please listen to the previous two episodes we have dedicated to him.

We start today’s episode with his reflections on his experience growing up with his parents and the influences from the extended family.

In the last episode, you heard the monologue of a young man, who left home at the age of 17 and had struggled and survived alone in foreign countries ever since. Not only are we fascinated by his story, but many audiences also contacted us to express their compassion and inquire about his current condition.

If you missed the last episode, we highly encourage you to visit it before coming back here. In today’s episode, he will share more of his ups and downs in the UK.

His struggles didn’t end in the UK. They were carried into his life in the US for a decade more. Is there a way out for him? We are waiting for his answers. Thank you so much for listening. If you like his story, make sure to subscribe or follow for more.