Rootless

Introduction and snippets of the five interviews. Following a Fellowship called Humanity in Action (Detroit, Michigan 2018), my final project is this podcast which explores what ‘community’ means in an international setting. I sat down to talk to six individuals in Paris who come from Detroit, Miami/Colombia, Ecuador, Singapore, India, and one person from various US military bases. Find out what community means to them, and let’s talk about what community means to you.

Two Michiganders who met in Paris talk about Detroit’s place in the world; Jasmine incorporates what she learned in her summer fellowship while native Detroiter Aalyiah shares her personal experience growing up in Detroit, studying at Clark Atlanta University, and living in Paris. The politics, the public school system, urban farms, block clubs, Detroit is “coming back”, and staying connected to your community while abroad.

Both guests explain the purpose behind starting the student club LatinoAmerica at their university and what it means to have a Latin American community in an international setting. Coming from Miami/Bogota and Ecuador, they share how the struggles of being abroad can bring people together.

Malick shares his experience growing up in a military family—the differences between an American identity and the American Military experience. He also discusses his work with the Outdoor Odyssey Semper Fi (Marine Corps) Kid’s Odyssey in Pennsylvania. Community involves shared values, shared culture, and shared experience.

Originally from Goa, India, and now working in London, England, Naitik shares his love for cricket and how sport brings otherwise diverging communities together. Aside from sports, Naitik ponders his status as an Indian in the UK, the significance of a passport, and dealing with being far away from home.

As a History major and the President of the Singapore Students Association in Paris, Kevin shares his rich knowledge of the history and content of Singapore. He discusses how the country unites its very diverse demographics and how he connects a community of diverse Singaporeans abroad through the association.