Listen For A Change 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.