Listen For A Change

Ebony's dream life with her husband was abruptly interrupted when gun violence took him away from her. In the face of an unspeakable tragedy, Ebony found a way to not only deal with her own grief while raising three children, but also help other victims of gun violence going through the same. Ebony tells the story of how she used the power of healing to break the cycle of pain caused by gun violence. For more information on Ebony's nonprofit of choice, Broken By Violence, visit brokenbyviolence.com.

Z's life full of family, laughter, and reunions in Mexico abruptly took a turn when her mother decided to take her and her sister to pursue a new life in the U.S. This sort of drastic life change can be challenging for any immigrant, but navigating it as a child is a whole another extreme. Z tells her story on the difficulty of leaving all she knew behind for a world completely unknown to her. Note: to protect our storyteller's identity she will be referred to as Z in this episode.

Like many people, Christine felt the safest and most comfortable in her own neighborhood. This sense of safety was shattered when she was the target of Anti-Asian hate, an all too common occurrence in the Covid era, on one of her routine walks to the grocery store. Christine tells her story on what it's like to no longer feel safe in your own community. For more information on Christine's nonprofit of choice, Hate Is a Virus, visit http://hateisavirus.org.

Anton grew up with a strong faith in his native Russia, culminating in an extended stint in the Russian military. But events in that same military service stained his once vaulted image of Russia, and shifted his views against the ones held by so many around him, including his own family. Anton tells his story on his loss of admiration for his motherland from childhood to adulthood. For more information on Anton's nonprofit of choice, Nova Ukraine, visit novaukraine.org.

With a strong family legacy of teaching and a passion for working with children, Cindy was destined to become a teacher. But after 17 years in the profession, the ever increasing possibility of a shooting happening at her school placed an unimaginable burden on her job. Cindy tells her story on how guns irrevocably changed her experience as a high school teacher.

Long before the war, Yulia had to fight to defend Ukraine against Russia. Their influence was ever present in her childhood, as Ukraine was fully under Soviet rule. But she refused to let this unwelcome force define her identity for her. Yulia tells her story about her struggle to hold onto her Ukrainian identity in the face of an empire.

Thai and Ayasha talk about one-track careers and where creatives and storytellers fit in this economy.

Thai and Ayasha discuss the role of recordings following the verdict of the Derek Chauvin trial.

Thai and Ayasha talk about the appropriation of food, the stories behind what we eat, and what we'd bring to a potluck.

Listen for a Change's Thai Chu and Ayasha Tripp discuss the idea of separating the art from the artist, the new age of social media, and other topics related to storytelling and social justice in the first episode of "Thai-Sha Talks.

Love often leads to unplanned and unexpected events. Pregnancy is one of the most life-altering events someone can go through, and if someone isn’t ready for it, finding out what to do can be difficult to navigate. Rebecca tells her story of the difficulties of her own foray into reproductive health care when both state bureaucracy and family act as barriers.

When we hear about sexual assault, we often only think about the trauma that comes with a violent act. But what happens in the aftermath can be just as damaging as the assault itself. Anastasia tells her story about what we don’t often hear: how the long-lasting effects of her sexual assault experience still follow her to this day.

A few years ago, Myisha found herself in a strange place. As a black, single mother of three, there was already a narrative for women like her. But she was not born to suffer through generational trauma without a fight. Through a struggle that almost defeated her, she made sure her story would one day be heard.

Ashanti was raised with a very specific idea of what it meant to "be a man." But as a self-proclaimed "Mama's Boy," his teenage masculinity was put to the ultimate test when he found his mom in danger. Ashanti tells his story on how decisions proving our masculinity can come from the strangest places.

Molly had given birth to her first child, and like most parents, she was experiencing all the uncertainty that comes with parenthood. She was open to many possibilities of what her child would become, but nothing could prepare her when she discovered her child was not who she had expected.