We Belong Here

We Belong Here

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We Belong Here episodes

  • S3 EP1: Lifting Up Health Equity
    Today that guest is Paula Houston (she/her), chief equity officer for UW Medicine in the Office of Healthcare Equity.
    Paula talks with episode host Frank Nam about how her own experience navigating the health care system as a Black woman and three-time breast cancer survivor motivated her to devote her career to health care equity. A world-champion in powerlifting, Paula also discusses personal and professional moments of belonging and why community engagement is essential to the mission of UW Medicine. 
    “We’re dismantling oppressive systems, and it’s going to make it better for everybody,” Paula says. “(At UW Medicine) now we don’t just talk about health equity, but we talk about health justice.”
    During the pandemic, Paula and her team have worked to improve access to testing and vaccines in Seattle’s south-end communities and communities of color. A big part of that effort: truly listening to what people have to say.
    “People have their own agency within communities, and we’re there to work with them. They need to lead by telling us what they need, but we really need to listen in a way that we haven’t been listening before,” she says.
    Learn more about Paula in a virtual exhibit from the Gates Foundation Discovery Center called Enduring COVID-19: Stories from our Transforming World. And don’t miss the opportunity to engage with her and other speakers during the first installation of Facing Forward, a new Discovery Center program series. The event is on Feb. 17, 2022. 
    Thank you again to the Big Phony, a Korean-American singer/songwriter living in Seoul, South Korea for allowing us to his music in our intro and outro, all royalty-free!
    33 min
  • S2 EP6: How to Help Afghan Refugees
    This episode of We Belong Here is guest-hosted by Caitlin Moran, content and communications manager for Civic Commons.
    Our topic is the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, and the community leaders who are stepping up to help welcome refugees and advocate for those who have been left behind.
    A very special thank you to our guests:
    Aneelah Afzali: Aneelah is an Afghan-American attorney who left her legal career to pursue service. As the Executive Director of the American Muslim Empowerment Network at the Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS-AMEN), she is a well-known community activist, interfaith leader, and justice advocate, who is currently helping coordinate efforts to respond to the incoming Afghan refugees.
    Will Berkovitz: Rabbi Will Berkovitz is the CEO of Jewish Family Service, a Seattle-based social services agency founded in 1892 that helps vulnerable individuals and families in the Puget Sound Region achieve well-being, health and stability. JFS has a responsibility to meet the particular needs of our Jewish communities as well as serving people of diverse backgrounds and experiences.
    Thanh Tan: Thanh Tan is an independent journalist and filmmaker and a co-founder of Viets 4 Afghans. She created and hosted "Second Wave," a KUOW and PRX-supported podcast that explores Vietnamese American experiences after the Vietnam War.
    Our conversation touched on everything from how to be an effective ally to Afghan refugees, to helping new arrivals find belonging and community, to advocating for the people who remain in Afghanistan.
    Here are links to some of the organizations and resources mentioned by our guests:
    MAPS Muslim Community Resource Center
    Joint campaign for Emergency Funds to support Afghan refugees
    Viets4Afghans
    tinyurl.com/WAHelpAfghans: A central intake form for Washingtonians to sign up for volunteer efforts, housing and donating goods. Organizers follow up every couple weeks via email with ways to help, and also reach out to people directly based on their interests.
    tinyurl.com/AfgAdvocacy: A Google doc with petitions to sign, virtual events to attend, and other ways to take action
    Gift card donations (Costco, WinCo, Safeway, Fred Meyer, Amazon, Target) may be sent in any denomination to Kits For Peace: 15600 NE 8th Street, Suite B1 PMB 453, Bellevue, WA 98008.
    Thank you again to the Big Phony, a Korean-American singer/songwriter living in Seoul, South Korea for allowing us to his music in our intro and outro, all royalty-free!
    53 min
  • S2 EP5: The Gates Discovery Center's 'Enduring COVID-19' Series
    ** We apologize that this episode was released later than we hope. A few of our guests mentioned projects that already occurred during the recording of this podcast. We have included links to these events below and we hope that you will look at their websites and their YouTube videos. **
    In this podcast we are excited to launch our first episode of our series with The Gates Discovery Center's Enduring COVID-19 events. Each event will highlight the people who are working with our community as we restore ourselves during this pandemic!
    Today's podcast brings together people who are creating community through food, fashion, and radio. We are grateful to be joined by Roxana Pardo Garcia of LaRoxay Productions, Ming Ming Tung-Edelman of Refugee Artisan Initiative, and Tony Benton of Rainier Avenue Radio. Our guests share stories around the importance of mentors, the power of family and talismans, the changing media landscape, and how we can endure this pandemic together.
    0:46 - Roxana Pardo Garcia self-introduction
    1:02 - Ming Ming Tung-Edeleman self-introduction
    1:17 - Tony Benton self-introduction
    2:11 - Roxana's Origin Story - Life growing up in Burien, WA. The power of a strong mentor while in high school. Activism and organizing while at University of Washington. How to usher the collective into a new way of being during the pandemic. Quit her government job in order to serve community full-time with a private business.
    7:28 - Ming Ming's Origin Story - First generation Chinese-American who immigrated to join father in the US along with siblings and mother. Brought a chiffon dress that her grandmother made for her when she immigrated. Power of grandparents on children's lives. Grew up in California. After 25 years as a pharmacist, switched to fashion and combined that with a circular economy model with refugee women. Pivoted to PPE during the pandemic.
    15:12 - Tony's Origin Story - Being a Black man has shaped him. Being a father to a daughter has shaped him. Long history being engaged in media. 20 years in a major market and saw how the Telecommunications Act of 1996 changed everything. Communities overlooked by the corporatization of massive media companies. Switched gears to Low Power FM Radio Stations and Internet Radio. With the pandemic, people were pushed online more and more.
    23:04 - Roxana talks about the projects she's working on through her site LaRoxay Productions. Started two businesses during the pandemic. Launched a fundraiser to raise $1,000,000 for their food bank. Shift from a culture of charity to a culture of justice. Also runs a company that curates events for companies. Lastly, has an apparel/life-style brand that blends the Northwest and Chicana cultures.
    30:21 - Ming Ming talks about the Refugee Arts Initiative. They hired six more women during the pandemic. Twelve full-time staff now! Trying to hire even more women to work to make PPE. Also taking the circular economy model towards zero-waste for pet accessories. They upcycle people's clothes to make clothing accessories for pets. Is a finalist for the Northwest Circular Design Contest! Lastly, love for her community of Lake City but are using a donated space that will be torn down in a year or two. Looking to buy a location through a capital campaign to be their permanent home.
    39:45 - Tony talks about his projects. Rainier Avenue Radio ran some amazing events such as Asian Voices Initiative around anti-Asian hate crimes. They also broadcasted live from the Juneteenth Festival in mid June and even did a full-day program called Make Music Day in late June. You can listen and view all of these events in the previous links.
    Thank you again to the Big Phony, a Korean-American singer/songwriter living in Seoul, South Korea for allowing us to his music in our intro and outro, all royalty-free!
    50 min
  • S2 EP4: Small Business Recovery in Seattle
    In this episode we are excited to partner with our friends at The Evergrey to highlight the stories of three small business owners in Seattle. We had some technical difficulties in the production of this podcast so you will notice that one of our guests does not introduce herself in the beginning. This was due to the fact that we had to re-record some of her answers.
    This episode allows our guests to talk about the importance of recovery and how it impacts small business owners in the region. We are grateful to be joined by Hallie Kuperman, owner of the restaurant Tin Table and the dance hall Century Ballroom ; Laura Clise, owner of small business focused Intentionalist; and Ren Caldwell, owner of community space for movement and connection Strive & Uplift.
    Our guests talk about some of their favorite businesses that gave them a sense of belonging and what they need from the government and community as we look towards recovery.
    Listen to our guests as they offer their perspectives as small business owners. It's a delight to be able to share connections and stories with the people who make our region truly unique.
    00:55 - Guests introduce themselves (missing Hallie's response due to technical glitches)
    1:15 - Laura Clise's short introduction
    1:59 - Ren Caldwell's short introduction
    3:10 - Frank introduces the question to start - Talk about a business or store growing up where you felt like you really belonged
    3:55 - Laura talks about Perché No - a family-run Italian restaurant that closed in December of 2019.
    7:57 - Hallie talks about how she can't think of a specific business but talks about growing up in the world of theater starting in high school
    9:40 - Ren talks about a martial art studio that taught the Vietnamese style Cuong Nhu and the master of the style's impact on her development
    14:00 - Frank asks his guests about the re-opening of Washington state on June 30 and what that can mean for small businesses
    15:12 - Ren talks about her mixed feelings around the re-opening of spaces and places. She talks about how Strive & Uplift had a physical gym space but had to give it up during the pandemic.
    16:26 - Found an opportunity to connect virtually that allowed more accessibility to the gym's classes
    19:02 - It's going to take awhile and it's going to be weird and there will be step backs but thrilled at the community that was founded this past year
    20:36 - Frank asks Ren to tell us about any project that she would like to pitch or amplify
    21:05 - Ren noticed that all the gyms that used to offer online classes are shutting them down to move into a physical space. Strive & Uplift is not going to shut down their online classes. Asks that other gyms reconsider shutting down their virtual classes completely.
    22:20 - Talks about the different classes they have - yoga, Pilates, and kettle bells to name a few. https://www.striveanduplift.com/ and @striveanduplift on IG
    24:49 - Hallie talks about a cabaret show that's coming on at Century Ballroom/Tin Table every Thursday night that includes dinner. They are extending this up through July!
    27:45 - Hallie thinks that things will return to normal faster than people think for partner dancing outside
    29:00 - Confusing information from CDC about masks off for vaccinated people and then what the WA Health Department says keep your masks on even if vaccinated. Hard as a business to figure out what to uphold and what to ask for.
    33:42 - Laura talks about how Strive & Uplift and Century Ballroom are the kind of businesses other people in Seattle would point to as examples of places that give you a sense of belonging
    34:43 - Started Intentionalist because many small businesses wondered if they still belonged in our region
    36:00 - Laura opines about reopening and recovery. Recovery isn't a date or a moment, it's a process
    38:20 - We need empathy as we being to re-engage with our small businesses - we need to see them for more than just the products and services they offer
    40:00 - Saw so may examples of people reconnecting with their vibrant and diverse community. Where we spend our money matters.
    41:35 - For years, Intentionalist's community has asked what they can do to support the work. They announced the Intentionalist Membership community. Coalesce the community into something powerful for good
    43:30 - Laura talks about how to support businesses as we celebrated AAPI Heritage month and now as we celebrate Pride month!
    Thank you again to the Big Phony, a Korean-American singer/songwriter living in Seoul, South Korea for allowing us to his music in our intro and outro, all royalty-free!
    48 min
  • S2 EP3: AAPI Heritage Month
    In this episode we are excited to share a podcast to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month.
    This podcast allows our guests to talk about the spike in AAPI hate crimes, the ways we felt we belong and were othered due to our ethnicity, and the things that makes us proud in terms of our racialized identities. We are grateful to be joined by Mari Horita, Vice President Community Engagement and Philanthropy - Seattle Kraken and Brian Surratt, Vice President Real Estate Development and Community Relations - Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
    Our guests' stories range from Mari's history as a sansei (third generation Japanese-American) and the impacts of the forced internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II to Brian's experience as a bi-racial Korean-American and African-American man.
    Listen to our guests as they explore their identities, historical moments, anti-Blackness, the falsehood of zero-sum, and raising bi-racial children in Seattle.
    Also please take time to visit the Our Stories are Your Stories website to listen to local AAPI folks like Hollis Wong-Wear, Yuji Okumoto, Gary Locke, Lana Condor, and Doug Baldwin tell their own stories and add your own AAPI story to their platform.
    Thank you again to the Big Phony, a Korean-American singer/songwriter living in Seoul, South Korea for allowing us to his music in our intro and outro, all royalty-free!
    57 min
  • S2 EP2: The Impact of COVID-19 with Patty Hayes and Ari Lozano
    In the second episode of 2021, we hear from two guests who discuss the impact of COVID-19 on their lives and their work.
    Patty Hayes is the Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County. She grew up in Longview, WA and entered the public health world after a career in nursing.
    Ari Lozano (she/them) is the Program and Development Manager at All Girl Everything Ultimate Program (AGEUP). AGEUP invests in black, indigenous, and people of color youth in South Seattle. Their community is rooted in ultimate frisbee and committed to justice.
    Our guests share their origin stories and the impact of COVID-19 on their work and lives. Ari talked about how the lack of activity and proximity to friends has upended the young people she works with in South Seattle. The rise in mental health impacts due to the pandemic is something we are seeing quite strongly in young people. Furthermore, there is a current surge of cases for young people in our region now.
    Patty spoke about the impact on herself and her staff, who have been working 24/7 since our first case in a nursing home in Kirkland back in February of 2020. She also talked at length about the decision for the county to declare that racism was a public health crisis. This is something that the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated even more in our communities.
    All our guests shared personal and professional projects towards the end.
    Ari shared about the upcoming GiveBIG 2021 campaign in early May and asked people to considering donating to the work of AGEUP and to other grassroots organziations, especially those led by BIPOC folks. You can find AGEUP on Instagram at @age_up!
    Patty shared three things: 1) The renewal of Best Starts for Kids - the only public investment in the entire life-span of young people in the country! 2) The genesis of the UW School of Nursing's Center for Anti-Racism. This center will create what Patty calls "nursing disruptors" who are more able to provide culturally competent care in healthcare systems 3) She is considering formally studying Cosmology (string theory, quantum gravity, etc.) and would love to hear from any local scientists in this field!
    Thank you to both our guests for this great conversation. Responses for any of these endeavors can be sent to us at [email protected]. We'll happily forward along any notes to our guests.
    0:00 - Introduction - Impact of COVID-19
    0:48 - Patty Hayes Self-Introduction
    1:11 - Ari Lozano Self-Introduction
    1:30 - Ari explains what AGE-UP is
    2:20 - Check-in Question Introduction about impact of COVID-19 in the county/city and with young people in South Seattle
    3:30 - Ari's response about the impact on her work with young people
    5:44 - Frank responds and talks about living in South Korea during the time of COVID-19 and what it's like there
    6:42 - Ari talks about how AGEUP has pivoted to work with young folks on-line and how they are doing during this time
    9:04 - Frank talks about the importance of proximity and the difficulties in not having that
    9:57 - Patty talks about how she hasn't had a break since February 2020 when the pandemic reached Seattle.
    11:49 - Current surge of cases in younger people and the emergence of the long haul syndrome of those inflicted by COVID-10
    12:40 - Declaration of racism as a public health emergency
    13:48 - Hope in focusing on community; to empower them and to address the long-standing racism here in King County
    14:17 - Frank talks about the impact of Heather McGhee's Sum of Us book and the impact of white supremacy not just on BIPOC folks but alson on white people themselves
    16:00 - The false narrative of zero-sum hurts all of us
    16:50 - Ari tells us what she finds hope in - young people themselves and their brilliance and in the vaccine roll-out
    18:53 - Frank talks about how Ari herself was a young person that he knew and believed in and it's great to see her continue the work
    19:23 - Frank introduces the next segment where guests tell their origin story
    19:38 - Patty talks about her childhood and how they moved up the West Coast as her parents looked for quieter and smaller communities. Ended up in a farm on Longview, WA.
    20:30 - Hooked on the Patty Duke show which led her to be a candy-striper volunteer and that inspired her health career. She did over 1,000 hours of volunteerism during her high school years!
    22:30 - Worked with families of people who had traumatic brain injuries at Harborview. She was also assigned to work with terminally-ill young people.
    23:50 - This led her to pivot to government relations and public health
    24:35 - Frank talks about the positive impact of nurses on himself and his mother during her battle with an auto-immune disease
    26:30 - Frank talks about the impact of brain-trauma in a personal relationship with one of the young people he coached
    27:07 - Ari talks about her life growing up in the Southend of Seattle. Her parents both immigrated from the Philippines and the family has lived in Seattle for almost her entire life outside of college
    28:08 - The huge impact of ultimate (frisbee) starting from her time at Asa Mercer Middle School
    29:10 - Full circle to go from a young person in the community playing this sport to someone running youth programs for people in the same community
    31:02 - Ari feels she has her dream job!
    31:31 - Frank talks about how the best people to work for community are the people from the community
    33:00 - Frank introduces next segment where people share projects they are working on with the public
    33:42 - Ari talks about AGE-UP's Spring Youth Internship and doubling their FT staff from 3 to 6 employees!
    35:05 - They will hold workshops led/facilitated by young people for adults
    37:43 - GiveBig is on 5/4 - 5/5. Please donate to us and support other programs, especially those that are BIPOC-led! Invest in our communities!
    40:26 - Patty will mention three things
    40:32 - The renewal of Best Start for Kids. A unique program in the country where there's a commitment to investments in the entire lifespand of a child's life. They just finished the first 5 years of this work and will be renewed for another 6 years!
    41:27 - Patty works with the UW School of Nursing and they are establishing a first-in-the-nation center for anti-racism work for nurses. Not just work-force development but to really educate what she calls "Nursing Disruptors" so that the care is more culturally appropriate
    42:59 - Patty is a student of cosmology and quantum loop gravity! She's interested in continuing to study that in the next couple of years. The wisdom of science at looking at the dynamic nature of the universe gives her great hope and inspires her curiosity.
    44:58 - Closing of the podcast
    Special thanks to Big Phony for providing music for the We Belong Here podcast.
    46 min
  • S2 EP1: Democracy with RaShelle Davis, Whitney Keyes, and Kayla Demonte
    In this podcast we are excited to hear from three members of our local democracy who all contribute to our civic life in different ways. We are lucky to have RaShelle Davis. Rashelle is a Senior Policy Advisor for Governor Jay Inslee. She is joined by Whitney Keyes, Executive Director Seattle City Club and Kayla Demonte, Managing Director of Citizen University.
    Our guests discuss why they decided to enter into civil service and how they got started in the work of democracy. They spend time discussing the impact of their families, the experiences learned from other sectors, the inspiration that came from leaders and mentors, traveling, rank-choice voting, and how to stay engaged.
    All three shared personal and professional projects towards the end.
    RaShelle wanted to let listeners know about Washington Senate Bill 5010 which prohibits the use of credit scores to determine rates for personal lines of insurance.
    Whitney spoke about how City Club was looking to start a Dialogue across Differences and are looking for organizations to partner with. Kayla pitched the great work of The Better Arguments Project and their approach and framework. She also talked about a new book out called The Sum of Us. RaShelle advocated for the Aspen Institute's Ideas Festival and agreed to introduce her to folks from there.
    Kayla asked listeners for two things. First, she pitched for people to be trained in the Civic Saturday programs so they can lead these civic events in their own communities. Second, she plugged the push by Fair Vote Washington to push forth the ability of Washington House Bill 1156 to allow for rank-choice voting in local cities and counties.
    Responses for any of these endeavors can be sent to us at [email protected]. We will happily forward along any notes to our guests. We thank our guests for their service, the work they continue to do, and we'll see you at our next episode!
    Special thanks to Big Phony for providing music for the We Belong Here podcast.
    55 min
  • S1 EP11: 2020 Election with Colleen Echohawk, Girmay Zahilay, and Markham McIntyre
    This is a special edition of the podcast that was recorded on Thursday, November 5th, two days after the 2020 election. While we now know the results of the election, this conversation still provides such honest and optimistic insight shared between three well-known regional leaders. We were lucky enough to have Colleen Echohawk, Executive Director of the Chief Seattle Club; Girmay Zahilay, King County Councilmember for District 2; and Markham McIntyre, Acting Chief Executive Officer of The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Spanning commerce, legislation, and Native-led human services; our guests come from a variety of backgrounds and expertise but what ties them all together is the push towards creating a more inclusive region where everyone thrives. That is the vision we need for 2021 and beyond!
    The trio shared their unsettled yet hopeful thoughts on the outcome of the 2020 election, the experiences and history that makes them who they are, and the exciting projects they are working on.
    Markham talked about Housing Connector, which bridges the space between landlords and those in need of housing. He also pitched the great work of Green Plate Special which operates in the Rainier Valley. They work with local youth and teach them how to farm, cook, and share through the power of food.
    Girmay spoke about the Youth Achievement Center which would provide housing and supportive services for young people in the Southend. They are currently working on a capital campaign to raise more funds and we will share more information when it comes available. The councilmember also highlighted two King County charter amendments that can reimagine how the county moves forward with public safety and makes the King County Sheriff an appointment position and not an elected one.
    Colleen talked about their ?al?al project to build housing in Pioneer Square. She talked about the park next to their location and how they are re-imagining from an indigenous land usage. You can follow this project on The Growing Old podcast (found on all major podcast services) and their Instagram account @GrowingOldProject. They will cover this development in their second season! She also spoke about the Equitable Recovery and Reconciliation Alliance. It’s a way to get past the lip-service of many well-intentioned white relatives but to actually follow the leadership of BIPOC peoples in a way that values that Coast Salish values of welcoming and inclusivity. This will show up on the Chief Seattle Club website in a week or two!
    Special thanks to Big Phony for providing music for the We Belong Here podcast.
    46 min
  • S1 EP10: Census with Susan Balbas and Kamau Chege

    In this podcast we are excited to launch our second episode of our four-part series with The Gates Discovery Center's "In Community We Flourish" events. Each event will highlight young people who are local changemakers in our community!

    Today's podcast resolves the importance of being counted in the current census. We are grateful to be joined by Kamau Chege, Manager at the Washington Census Alliance and Susan Balbas, Executive Director of the Na’ah Illahee Fund.

    Our guests share stories around immigration, historical trauma, the importance of being counted, and collective action.

    Both shared personal and professional projects towards the end.

    Kamau talked about how they are taking the multi-racial coalition built around the census to tackle more issues with collective power. Two examples of their efforts are securing $40 million for unrepresented community members who did not qualify for federal COVID-19 relief funds and a Black-led launch of theWashington for Black Livescampaign.

    Susan talked about launching theirNative Community Crisis Response Fundwith support from bothAll in WashingtonandSeattle Foundation. With these funds, they’ve been mainly support domestic violence and food security programs.

    The Na’ah Illahee Fund is also launching a climate justice cohort starting this month to increase skill-sharing and to explore how to stop polluting and to start regenerating with community leaders.

    57 min
  • S1 EP9: Veteran Leadership with Linh Thai, Jesus Carbajal and Chris Franco

    In this podcast we are excited to hear from three members of our local community who all have served in combat with the United States Army. We are lucky to have Linh Thai, City Impact Manger of The Mission Continues. Linh also spent over six years working for US Congressman Adam Smith. He's joined by Jesus Carbajal, Development & Operations Manager at Seattle Foundation and Chris Franco, Supervisor at King County.

    Our guests give an intimate look into their military service and expound on why they joined and what they took away. They also spend time discussing transitioning from active duty into the civilian world and their views on service, love, and sacrifice.

    All three shared personal and professional projects towards the end.

    Chris talks about the efforts of King County to dismantle systemic racism in local government. He also talks about the importance of participation and voting, especially as these freedoms and privileges were so hard won by the sacrifices of veterans over the course of our history.

    Jesus talks about his political and grassroots organizing in the lead up to the next election and offers an invitation to support other people and their movements.

    Linh talks about his work with The Mission Continues - https://missioncontinues.org/ - and how they focus on food-insecurity. Locally, they have two projects with communities from the Denny Woo Garden and Rainier Beach. He invites people to come join them for both service and to interact with the veteran community. He is also involved with New Politics Leadership Academy - https://newpoliticsacademy.org - which is a non-partisan org trying to get more veterans and national service alums engaged in running for public office.

    Responses for any of these endeavors can be sent to us at [email protected]. We will happily forward along any notes to our guests. We thank our guests for their service, the sacrifices they and their fellow soldiers made and continue to make, and the work they continue to do.

    1 hr 17 min

About We Belong Here

From the publisher's feed

What is belonging? Can it help us counter the anxiety and polarization of our modern world? Join Civic Commons’ Frank Nam as he interviews community stewards about how we can work together…