00;00;00;16 - 00;00;22;17 J.R. Jamison Jamison: Afghanistan. It's a complex country that has a rich history and culture dating back to the middle Stone age. And in case you need to brush up on your history, that's more than 50,000 years ago. Its location, sandwiched between the Middle East and East, made it an essential stop off and trading post on the Silk Road, the connected Europe to Asia. 00;00;22;19 - 00;00;48;22 J.R. Jamison Over the years, its place on the map also attracted various ethnic and religious groups, as well as occupiers that included Alexander the Great, Muslim Arabs, Mongols, the British, Soviets and Americans. If you're anything like the average middle aged American of today, those last two occupying countries, the former Soviet Union and the United States, are likely what you think about when Afghanistan comes up in conversation. 00;00;48;22 - 00;01;13;24 J.R. Jamison But there can't be a modern day discussion about occupations without also talking about civil wars, the Mujahideen, and the Taliban. I was born in 1979, the year the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. So literally my entire life, I have known it to be a war torn, occupied country. But the last two decades brought some progress and freedoms, particularly for Afghan women and girls. 00;01;13;26 - 00;01;41;08 J.R. Jamison They were allowed to pursue their education, choose careers, and decide if, when and how they wore hijab or coverings while in public. In 2018, the United Nations reported a 30% literacy rate among Afghan women. While that may seem low by Western standards, that's up by 10% from ten years ago. The last two decades also saw 6 million Afghans repatriated after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. 00;01;41;15 - 00;02;14;26 J.R. Jamison Yet that period saw thousands of lives lost and billions of dollars spent as Afghans, the US and its allies tried to secure a peaceful democracy for the country. Everything changed once again for Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 as the Taliban regained control and the US withdrew troops and ended its occupation. The pullout was hasty, and it left former and current US administrations pointing fingers who was to blame, and it left Afghans fleeing the country - and imminent Taliban rule - for safer lives elsewhere. 00;02;14;28 - 00;02;38;00 J.R. Jamison One story that haunted me for days back in August was the fate of the Afghan girls robotics team. In 2017, they were seen proudly waving their country's black, red and green flag at the global robotics competition held in the United States. By the way, they received a silver medal for courageous achievement. But in August of 2021, no one was sure if they had escaped, 00;02;38;01 - 00;03;04;22 J.R. Jamison gone into hiding or something much, much worse. Fortunately, they were able to flee. They hopped on one of the last commercial flights out of Kabul, made their way to Pakistan and then eventually Mexico, where they're making their new home as refugees. And they weren't alone. In August, some 200,000 Afghans fled the country in a matter of days, adding to the 2.5 million who left in the months prior to the Taliban takeover. 00;03;04;23 - 00;03;30;15 J.R. Jamison But where did they go? 18 countries have opened their arms to welcome these refugees and asylum seekers, including the US. Nearly 80,000 Afghans have arrived here since August, and President Biden has indicated that at least 125,000 more will be resettled in the US by the end of 2022. But there are two sides to this story: those who got out and those who were left behind. 00;03;30;17 - 00;04;02;13 J.R. Jamison Still, both fates are uncertain: what will happen to the refugees and asylum seekers who find a new home here in America? And what about the women and girls who may never get a chance to leave Afghanistan? Perhaps the past is a good indicator of how the future will pay it forward. I'm J.R. Jamison. Today on the Facing Project, we’ll hear the story of Dr. Mohammad Saber Bahrami, who fled Afghanistan after the Soviets invaded in 1979 and eventually made his new home here in Muncie, Indiana. 00;04;02;15 - 00;04;42;19 J.R. Jamison And later in the show, we'll be joined by his wife, Bibi Bahrami, the founder and president of AWAKEN, a nonprofit organization that provides key educational programs, vocational opportunities, health care services and timely emergency assistance to women and children in Afghanistan. And we'll discuss her work with the Muncie Afghan Refugee Resettlement Committee, an arm of AWAKEN that works tirelessly to welcome our new Afghan neighbors and ensure that the system, structures and supports are in place to help these families thrive in their new homes. [Theme music] 00;04;42;22 - 00;05;09;12 Bryn Marlow Marlow: “From Khwara Banda to Muncie, Indiana,” Mohammad Saber Bahrami’s story as told to Bibi Bahrami. Performed by Bryn Marlow. I was born in the very small village in the Laghman province in Afghanistan to Shamsi and Bahram. The village was called “the poor people village” or “khwara banda.” When I was five years old, my father died of tuberculosis. My only memory of him is standing at the end of his deathbed. 00;05;09;17 - 00;05;36;02 Bryn Marlow My mother was left a widow and I an only child. She raised me on her own after making the decision not to remarry. She supported me by working tirelessly, farming and sewing. During this time in rural Afghanistan, most people did not realize school was important. Most people remain focused on survival. Since my mother was a widow living in poverty, her decision to put me in school was unexpected. 00;05;36;07 - 00;05;50;18 Bryn Marlow Although my mother was never educated herself, she was wise, and she knew that an education would create opportunities for me. She sacrificed so much by working twice as hard so that I could go to school instead of work. 00;05;50;19 - 00;06;13;22 J.R. Jamison Jamison: In the 1970s, only 39% of boys and 3% of girls were enrolled in school throughout the entire country of Afghanistan. According to the United Nations, Afghanistan was also the worst place in the world for a woman to become pregnant. Given the family's background, the fact that Dr. Bahrami’s mother enrolled him in school was not only unexpected but life changing. 00;06;13;24 - 00;06;37;01 Bryn Marlow Marlow: Her sacrifice encouraged me to work hard in school, and by the time I got to high school, I was first in my class. After getting the highest score in my district in the national qualifying exam, I was selected to be a foreign exchange student in America, a place I had only allowed myself to dream about. My only hurdle was getting my family's approval. 00;06;37;03 - 00;07;06;16 Bryn Marlow Although most of my family was against me going, my mother gave me her unwavering support. My trip to America was astonishing in all aspects. Coming from a village with no electricity, no roads, no cars, no stores and little sustenance, traveling on an airplane alone was a major shock. Arriving in New York City was extraordinary, and I was excited to see all that America had to offer. 00;07;06;18 - 00;07;30;07 Bryn Marlow I took a bus to Sedalia, Missouri, where I stayed with an American host family, the DeMondts. I was pleasantly surprised by the generosity of my host family, my teachers, and the entire community. I honestly felt like a celebrity in my high school and I greatly appreciated the warm welcome. I remember learning something very important in my first week from our neighbor Susie. 00;07;30;10 - 00;07;57;27 Bryn Marlow In Afghanistan, it is very common to ask people detailed questions about their lives, including about such things as age and salary. After I asked Susie how old she was, she taught me never to ask a woman about her age. This was one of many things I learned about the new culture in which I had immersed myself. As the year came to an end, I was sad to leave my new family behind, but it was time to return home. 00;07;57;29 - 00;08;21;24 Bryn Marlow Returning to Afghanistan was another difficult transition, as I was coming back to a place with severe poverty and the drastically different culture. I remember people observing me to see how westernized I had become. I became very conscious of my speech and body language, because if someone found me doing something that was out of the ordinary, they would start talking about my family and me. 00;08;21;27 - 00;08;45;24 Bryn Marlow By the time I got back to Afghanistan, it was too late for me to take the college entrance exam, so my education was delayed by a year. I took advantage of my free time by finding a job as typist for the World Health Organization office in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. It was another great opportunity, and I was able to save money so that I could be financially independent throughout the medical school. 00;08;46;00 - 00;09;09;01 Bryn Marlow I eventually took the entrance exam and was accepted into the medical program, which in Afghanistan is a total of seven years, including pre-medical study. In my sixth year of medical school, I experienced another major hurdle. The Afghan Communist Party, with the help of Soviet Union, took over the country through a violent coup. 00;09;09;06 - 00;09;35;13 J.R. Jamison Jamison: Prior to July of 1973, Afghanistan was a constitutional monarchy overseen by King Mohammed Zahir Shah. He reigned for 40 years in what is now considered one of the most peaceful and modernized times in the country's history. But while away in Italy, he was overthrown by his own cousin in a coup. His cousin, Mohammad Dawood Khan, formed an autocracy and became the first President of Afghanistan. 00;09;35;16 - 00;10;17;25 J.R. Jamison Although an autocrat, Dawood Khan was known for his progressive social reforms, and that did not make religious conservatives very happy, and it also upset some liberals who favored systems that existed under the monarchy. But others also disliked his policies, including a minority group that had formed under the constitutional monarchy called the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. They were essentially communists and had the backing of the Soviet Union, and in April 1978, the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan forged another violent coup, killing Dawood Khan and his family, and they created a Soviet aligned government that set the stage for violence that has endured in Afghanistan for over 40 years. 00;10;17;28 - 00;10;47;03 Bryn Marlow Marlow: The communists saw anyone who was not a part of the party as a danger to their authority. From the first day, they began taking people to prison, where the captives were interrogated and abused. In other cases, people were taken to be directly killed. Many of my Communist classmates knew I was not only not a member of the party, but also against its ideology, so I was in constant fear of being taken to prison. 00;10;47;05 - 00;11;09;22 Bryn Marlow One afternoon during my surgical rotation, one of my classmates told me to go downstairs, but I could tell that something was going on. I had seen this happen to many of my classmates, so I was not surprised. When I went downstairs, my classmate, who was a communist, without any explanation, told me, “Get in the car,” and took me to jail. 00;11;09;29 - 00;11;34;13 Bryn Marlow I was interrogated for several days. In my responses to their questions, I told them that communists claim they are going to provide food, clothes and shelter for the poor. I was the poorest of the poor, and I had not committed any crime. I was there for a month before one of the interrogators told me that someone recommended that he let me go. 00;11;34;15 - 00;11;55;29 Bryn Marlow I still do not know who that person was. Even after I was released, it was clear that I had to join the party or leave the country. I did not reject their offers to join, nor did I accept them. I did not do anything. I stalled until I could make a plan to leave. Soviets invaded at the end of 1979. 00;11;56;00 - 00;12;21;22 Bryn Marlow I graduated in early 1980. Right after graduation, I traveled to the mountains to escape the area the Communist controlled. In the mountains, the Mujahideen, or the freedom fighters, provided me with shelter. I worked as a medical doctor for them for ten months and traveled with them as necessary. Soviets tried to attack us several times, and I was often in danger. 00;12;21;24 - 00;12;46;12 J.R. Jamison Jamison: By 1980, almost 2 million Afghans have fled the country as refugees to escape communist takeover. Most ended up in refugee camps in Pakistan and Iran, and then eventually found their way to other parts of the world. The Mujahideen assisted those who tried to flee Afghanistan. They were a group of guerrilla fighters who opposed Soviet occupation, and they fought back against the Soviets in what became a 14 year war. 00;12;46;14 - 00;12;52;16 J.R. Jamison The Mujahideen had the support of the US, beginning first with the Carter administration and then Reagan. 00;12;52;21 - 00;13;22;14 Bryn Marlow Marlow: In 1981, after my time there had ended, I made my way to a refugee camp in Pakistan. There I worked for about a year providing medical assistance to other refugees. The refugee camp is also where I became engaged to my wife, Bibi Bahrami. Even during difficult times, happiness can be found. I contacted my American family from my year as a foreign exchange student, and they applied for me to come to the U.S. as a refugee. 00;13;22;17 - 00;13;44;26 Bryn Marlow I came to the US alone and decided to find a residency before getting my fiancé to join me. I worked as a respiratory therapist for a few years in Dallas, Texas, before finding a residency in Muncie. Then I applied for my fiancé to come to the America also, and we were married here in Indiana with the help of some friends. 00;13;44;29 - 00;14;15;17 Bryn Marlow Fast forward to today. I remain happily married to my wife, Bibi, and we have six beautiful children together. The hardships through which I went in my life made me so much more grateful for the life I have today. I am truly blessed. [Melancholy acoustic guitar music] 00;14;15;19 - 00;14;45;09 J.R. Jamison Jamison: I want to welcome to the show Bibi Bahrami, the founder and president of AWAKEN, a nonprofit organization that provides key educational programs, vocational opportunities, health care services, and timely emergency assistance to women and children in Afghanistan. Bibi also oversees the Muncie Afghan Refugee Resettlement Committee, an arm of AWAKEN that works tirelessly to welcome our new Afghan neighbors and ensure that the system, structures and support are in place to help families thrive in their new home. 00;14;45;11 - 00;14;47;00 J.R. Jamison Bibi, welcome to the show. 00;14;47;05 - 00;14;53;19 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: Thank you so much for having me and to share my side of the story with you. 00;14;53;20 - 00;15;05;26 J.R. Jamison Jamison: Thank you. We just heard your husband's story about coming to the US in the early 1980s. You arrived here in 1986. What were the first few years like for you in the US? 00;15;05;28 - 00;15;32;08 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: When I first came to the United States, I had been through some cultural shocks and some surprises and some amazing inspiration in my beautiful Muncie community. And now these refugees are coming, I try to tell them that, you know, I have been through it personally. We are lucky to be refugee in a country like United States, and especially my beautiful Muncie community. 00;15;32;13 - 00;15;41;24 J.R. Jamison Jamison: And I recall in earlier conversations we've had together, when you first came here in 1986, you didn't speak English, is that correct? 00;15;41;28 - 00;16;04;21 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: I did not speak a word of English. I started from ABC like a child, and I continue my education from right as a star was, as I was very thirsty for education, coming from a refugee camp from Pakistan, did not have the opportunity and was dreaming to get education. And God brought me to the opportunity in the United States. 00;16;04;26 - 00;16;13;29 Bibi Bahrami And I started from ABC. I got my GED and I continued my education at Ball State and got my degree in art from Ball State University. 00;16;14;00 - 00;16;32;01 J.R. Jamison Jamison: That's quite an accomplishment, and I know that access to education for women and children in Afghanistan has been an important part of your story, and I imagine that is because of your own journey. How is the most recent Taliban takeover of the country impacted the work of AWAKEN? 00;16;32;03 - 00;16;56;15 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: The education was always very important to me when I had the opportunity, and I always remember those girls I left behind, the ladies who had the dream similar to mine, and that's why I started to help them after the opportunity, after 9/11, when we had the hope to rebuild the country and help the democracy and education to the woman and the children in Afghanistan. 00;16;56;17 - 00;17;09;07 J.R. Jamison Jamison: So, much of your work that you do with AWAKEN is on the ground. And so if folks aren't familiar with your organization, they wouldn't realize that you have an actual school over there. 00;17;09;08 - 00;17;09;28 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: Yeah. 00;17;10;05 - 00;17;21;11 J.R. Jamison Jamison: Is it safe for your educators right now? Is it safe for you to go back as the founder of the org? You know, what's it like on the ground right now? 00;17;21;13 - 00;17;44;20 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: The ground. Unfortunately it's not that I don't feel comfortable going at this point, even though I say that my work is so crucial. So I, I- the way I believe in it, that I want to continue this work because the people who we have helped in the rural Afghanistan and the villagers, none of those people were able to get out of the Afghanistan. 00;17;44;20 - 00;18;07;15 Bibi Bahrami They're still suffering. We help the most needed people. And even though I would love to go and see and talk to them, and I hope and pray that they let us continue our education and health care services in those areas, at this point, they are servicing. They are seeing patients in the health clinic and birthing center. We see over 180 patients in a day. 00;18;07;18 - 00;18;38;19 Bibi Bahrami And the need is so big and it got bigger, unfortunately, with the Taliban coming into rule and people from the city came to the villagers to be safe and try to kind of stay there. And that's why most of the other health clinics are closed and birthing centers, everybody is coming to our health clinic and the birthing center, and we're providing that care and hope that- We did talk to the Taliban officials. 00;18;38;24 - 00;19;02;11 Bibi Bahrami Our clinic manager and our community leader reach out to them that this is the humanitarian work, and we would like to continue this. And they kind of second it, that we would like to support the education and the healthcare, and they are grateful for the opportunity that the people are benefiting from this. But to me, to go visit is not safe. 00;19;02;13 - 00;19;02;24 Bibi Bahrami Yeah. 00;19;02;25 - 00;19;08;05 J.R. Jamison Jamison: Are you able to communicate on a regular basis with your educators on the ground? 00;19;08;12 - 00;19;26;25 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: Yes. We are able to communicate and guard the phone. A lot of people have, still, the internet connection is getting poor, but we're able to communicate through WhatsApp and Viable. There is two different internet access to some of the phone lines. 00;19;26;27 - 00;19;56;19 J.R. Jamison Jamison: So since in the last year, over 2.5 million Afghan refugees have left the country, and all too often I'll see poster memes on Facebook or other forms of social media that depict a homeless American children or veterans next to images of refugees, and there will be accompanying text that will say something like, “Help our own first.” In such a divided time in the US’s history, 00;19;56;20 - 00;20;02;16 J.R. Jamison how do we combat these arguments that we shouldn't help refugees when there are homeless Americans and vets? 00;20;02;21 - 00;20;37;02 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: Yeah, I personally advise and pray for our country here in the United States. And coming together as the United States has been always the big picture and helping out, the most melting pot welcoming immigrant, and it was built by immigrant, and all of this. I think a lot of people that love to come here, and the kindness from the people, the 20 years I have experienced, the veterans in Afghanistan, now, they have such a close connections; and that's what they're trying to get these people out of there. 00;20;37;02 - 00;21;04;10 Bibi Bahrami Since we got them out of there, Afghanistan, for their safety. And we appreciate that everybody's contribution to that. And I thank our, my community. That's why personally I started this committee to help with the resettlement, even though our government brought them. We have to add some support to that. I mean, we have to help the government and our country, our community, to help out and resettle these people. 00;21;04;10 - 00;21;34;13 Bibi Bahrami And they became our neighbors. As is strongly believe in our religion, that is our obligation. We're all human. We're all creation of God. We have to help each other regardless of what, where they come from, what race they are, what color they are; we have to help as the need has come to our neighborhood, and that's why to come together as a community, as a country, and show that unity and show the example to the world who we are, what we stand for. 00;21;34;14 - 00;21;59;22 Bibi Bahrami Unfortunately, there is a lot of negative messages. We want to change those negative to a positive. Just to tell you my own mission in life, if God gives me opportunity to make my own community a light, a sample to the rest of the world, that we want to do the best we can to make our situation better and educate our community and help the one who needs. 00;21;59;23 - 00;22;25;02 Bibi Bahrami I totally will support a lot of these, even the homeless, the veterans and all of those people, and I appreciate the contribution that they try to help many people around the world, especially, especially in Afghanistan. They have done so much. I cannot thank them enough for their services. And these people are also human. Our brother and sister, who had come here and we brought them here. 00;22;25;02 - 00;22;53;16 Bibi Bahrami I will appreciate all of us to contribute in any way we can, whether with a smile to welcome them, whether financially, whether we can give them some clothing and blankets; winter is coming. The only way that we could be rewarded by not just these people, by the almighty God that has created all humanity in this world, a beautiful world for us, to make it a better place for all of us. 00;22;53;19 - 00;23;11;19 J.R. Jamison Jamison: And so many of the individuals who have left are being resettled in 18 different countries right now, including the United States, and even narrowing it down more here in Muncie, Indiana, which is great because of your work. How can people help or get involved? 00;23;11;21 - 00;23;40;19 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: Yeah, I think the way they could get involved with the reaching out to these camps, I know the majority are resettled in Texas and Virginia and also Wisconsin and Indiana. I'm very proud to be part of the Indiana that we welcome these people we're helping. Please do reach out to the Catholic charity and Exodus are the two resettlement agencies that they're working with us from Camp Atterbury from Indianapolis. 00;23;40;19 - 00;24;22;06 Bibi Bahrami And they could also the Team Rubicon. They're collecting all the donations. Team Rubicon is also oversee all the donations. We are in contact with them. We deliver two van full of clothing and jackets. The local community - I'm also the president of Islamic Center of Muncie - and also the Jewish Temple and all the churches, we all contributed and delivered those items to the Camp Atterbury, and I will appreciate each congregation and organization, and to come together whatever way they can help financially and donate items, house items - we’re collecting furniture for these family. 00;24;22;07 - 00;24;43;18 Bibi Bahrami We brought four families to Muncie so far. We have a committee for furnishing. They're picking up all the donation, the couches and the beds and mattresses to put them in these houses for these families, and they're very grateful. The four family have come very thankful, and they appreciate the welcome, the warm welcome in our community. 00;24;43;19 - 00;25;09;12 J.R. Jamison Jamison: And as you mentioned earlier, it really will take the whole spectrum of our community to help. As you said, I imagine there are housing needs that have to happen. Some of the refugees may not speak English, so there will need to be educational services too or folks who are willing to work at a, a tutor level. Are there other ways- 00;25;09;15 - 00;25;22;17 J.R. Jamison If folks are short on financial resources and maybe feel like they can't write a check or, or purchase something to donate, are there other ways that folks could get involved that maybe don't involve monetary resources? 00;25;22;18 - 00;25;56;00 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: Yeah, I would like for them to reach out to MARCC Facebook page. We have 12, 13 committees that we have, employment committee, finding like teaching English or housing, furnishing essential, welcome committee that we can all even just be a welcome family if they have an emergency to call somebody. Any of those help is appreciated. If you can send us a message to contribute your time, your effort to help make a difference in their life, we really need their help. 00;25;56;06 - 00;26;00;22 J.R. Jamison Jamison: And that can be found at M-A-R-C-C on Facebook? 00;26;00;24 - 00;26;02;05 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: On Facebook. Yes. 00;26;02;07 - 00;26;03;01 J.R. Jamison Jamison: Perfect. 00;26;03;02 - 00;26;03;19 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: Yes. 00;26;03;20 - 00;26;07;25 J.R. Jamison Jamison: Bibi Bahrami, founder and president of AWAKEN, thank you for joining me. 00;26;08;01 - 00;26;20;20 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: Yeah, thank you for having me. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to talk and for your great work that you're doing in our community, to educate our community. I'm very grateful for this opportunity. Thank you so much. 00;26;20;21 - 00;26;35;28 J.R. Jamison Jamison: Thank you. And we are grateful for the work that you are doing here in our community to raise awareness about refugee resettlement and education of Afghan women and children. So thank you for all that you continue to do. 00;26;36;00 - 00;26;37;27 Bibi Bahrami Bahrami: Yeah. Thank you. 00;26;38;00 - 00;27;03;03 J.R. Jamison Jamison: Here at the Facing Project, we believe that stories can bring people together, and the stories can teach us something we may not be able to see on the surface. After working with the Bahramis and hearing their story, I can't imagine everything they had to go through to create the life they now have in the United States. In a turn, they've reached back and have helped countless others who are now finding their homes here in what is to them a far off, unfamiliar land. 00;27;03;06 - 00;27;25;07 J.R. Jamison But there's a broader story here beyond Afghanistan. It's a story of refugees. According to the United Nations, 82 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes. In case you're running the stats on that, it's one out of every 95 people on the planet. And by those numbers, anyone could become a refugee at any time. 00;27;25;10 - 00;27;45;20 J.R. Jamison We like to think it may never happen to us, but if history has taught us anything about peace and conflict and power and control and statistics, no one can say that they won't ever be forced to flee from their home country. And if you are among the lucky who will never have to, the best we can do is help. 00;27;45;22 - 00;28;10;09 J.R. Jamison More about Bibi Bahrami’s work at AwakenINC.org. For national and international resources, more at the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services at LIRS.org, and the United Nations Refugee Agency at UNHCR.org. [Theme music] 00;28;10;12 - 00;28;33;24 J.R. Jamison Jamison: We want to thank Dr. Mohammad Saber Bahrami and Bibi Bahrami for sharing their story with The Facing Project. Dr. Bahrami’s story first appeared in the print edition of “A Midsummer Night’s Narrative: Stories of Home” that was published in 2017 by The Facing Project Press. Bryn Marlow recorded the story for our first-ever episode of this radio show that was broadcast on September 24th, 2018. 00;28;33;27 - 00;29;00;28 J.R. Jamison That story performance is the one you heard today. Sadly, Brynn passed away in May of 2020, but his dedication to getting a performance right, honoring the spirit of a story, and open and kind heart will never be forgotten. To listen to past episodes of this program, visit IndianaPublicRadio.org/TheFacingProject. From there, you can subscribe to the podcast where you'll get episodes of the Facing Project delivered to your device each month. 00;29;01;05 - 00;29;27;27 J.R. Jamison Listeners can contribute stories or volunteer to share the stories of others with the facing project that may appear on the show. More information at FacingProject.com/InspireAction. To continue the conversation about this episode, find us on Facebook at The Facing Project. The Facing project is recorded at Indiana Public Radio at Ball State University in beautiful and wonderful Muncie, Indiana, and is produced by the amazing producer extraordinaire Sean Ashcraft. 00;29;27;28 - 00;29;40;15 J.R. Jamison The show is distributed nationally through PRX. We are your host, Kelsey Timmerman and J.R. Jamison. And until next time, we wish you the courage to share your own story in the empathy to listen to others.