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Roots, Routes & Voices That Shape America

Roots, Routes & Voices That Shape America

著者： Heartcast Media
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Born from lived experience and deep curiosity, Roots, Routes & Voices explores what it means to leave, to arrive, to adapt, and to thrive. From boardrooms to grocery store aisles, from mother tongues to second homes, the podcast delves into the layers of identity, integration, and belonging. It’s about the beauty and bravery of becoming, the messiness of culture, and the stories of people not just surviving immigration — but reshaping America through it.Copyright Heartcast Media 社会科学
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  • Building a City From the Inside Out with Felicity Tao

    Building a City From the Inside Out with Felicity Tao
    2026/07/15
    She came as a student. She stayed to change everything.There is a kind of quiet power that builds over decades, not in headlines or press releases, but in community rooms, volunteer hours, and the courage to stand up when your people are afraid. Felicity Tao knows that power intimately. When anti-Asian hate swept the country in 2021 and six Asian women were killed in Atlanta, she did not wait for someone else to act. She organized a rally in Cincinnati, and what she saw broke her heart open: a long line of AAPI community members who had held their fear and frustration inside for years, desperate for a platform to finally be heard.This episode matters because it is about what it truly means to belong somewhere, and what it costs to build that belonging for others. Felicity's story connects to anyone who has ever felt invisible in a place they call home, or wondered whether their voice counts in the city where they live and work and raise their children.Felicity Tao grew up in Wuxi, China, an hour from Shanghai, in a household where family dinners were sacred, neighbors were extended family, and her mother was the trusted go-to person for the entire community. She studied journalism in Beijing, came to the US in 1999 on a full scholarship to study at the University of Illinois, and eventually followed her husband to Cincinnati, planning to stay temporarily. She never left. Over more than 20 years, she built a career in marketing communications, rose to senior leadership at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, co-founded the Cincinnati Moon Festival, led the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Cultural Exchange Association, launched a youth program that published a community cookbook called Our Family Kitchen, organized Cincinnati's response to the rise in anti-Asian hate, and was honored when Hamilton County proclaimed May 27th Felicity Tao Day. Now she has co-founded daoflo, an AI-powered marketing communications agency rooted in the Daoist philosophy of balance, harmony, and doing things the right way.Key TakeawaysBelonging is built slowly, through decades of showing up. Felicity did not feel truly home in Cincinnati until 2006, when she bought a house and had her second son. Immigration is a long process of becoming.Visibility is not vanity. When Jason Dunn approached Felicity about the Moon Festival, he named something real: the Asian community was present but invisible in Cincinnati's public squares. Claiming space is an act of community health.You cannot wait for community to be built for you. Felicity's message to younger AAPI generations is direct: volunteer, participate, and have faith that the work compounds over time.ERGs work best when they are open to everyone. At Cincinnati Bell, every employee resource group welcomed all employees, creating genuine cross-cultural learning rather than siloed identity spaces.Home is where your loved ones are. Felicity defines family broadly and intentionally, and says Cincinnati became home because she found people here she would call family in the deepest Chinese sense of the word.Powerful Quotes"I think they stop thinking of it as staying. At some point, the city becomes theirs. They've put so much of themselves into it that leaving would mean leaving part of themselves behind." — Bryan Wright, Co-Host"We should have a voice in the community, not just working to support the community behind the scene quietly, as many, many Asians are." — Felicity Tao"You can't sit there and wait for this community to be built for you. You have to voluntarily participate in this process." — Felicity Tao"Home is where my loved ones are. Family are people you want in your life and the people who want you in their lives." — Felicity TaoEpisode Timestamps00:00 Introduction — Clara Matonhodze Strode and Bryan Wright open the show and Bryan reflects on what makes people stay and build in a city.02:44 Welcome Felicity — Felicity joins the conversation and the hosts introduce her remarkable Cincinnati story.04:04 Roots in Wuxi, China — Felicity describes growing up near Shanghai, community dinners, family recipes, and leaving for boarding school at 15.10:27 Boarding School and Education — Discussion of China's elite boarding school system, political education, and how Chinese students learned about Cincinnati in school.16:35 America on the Radar — Felicity explains how she ended up applying to US graduate schools alongside her then-boyfriend, now husband, and why journalism called to her.24:55 Imagining America — Voice of America, Hollywood movies, and the reality of landing in a cornfield in Champaign-Urbana. First experiences of being a minority.36:11 Landing in Cincinnati — How Felicity followed her husband to Cincinnati for his PhD, entered marketing communications, and slowly began to feel at home.40:01 The Moon Festival and GCCEA — Jason Dunn's vision for Asian visibility in Cincinnati's public squares, the founding of the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Cultural ...
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    1 時間 19 分
  • Navigating Two Worlds | Immigration, Justice, and Identity with Mayra Casas Jackson

    Navigating Two Worlds | Immigration, Justice, and Identity with Mayra Casas Jackson
    2026/07/15
    Some conversations stay with you long after they end, and this is one of them. In this episode, we sit down with Mayra Casas Jackson to talk about what it really means to build a life across borders — and what it takes to navigate a system that can shape a family’s future in an instant.

    Mayra brings both professional insight and lived experience to the conversation, sharing a perspective that is deeply grounded, compassionate, and clear-eyed. If you’ve ever wondered how immigration law touches everyday life, or what resilience looks like inside and outside the courtroom, this episode will give you a lot to think about.

    From Cusco to Cincinnati and from legal aid to leading the Immigrant and Refugee Law Center, Mayra’s journey is a powerful reminder that immigration is never just a policy issue — it’s about people, families, and the places we call home, and this conversation invites you to listen closely to that human story.

    In This Episode
    • Mayra’s path from Cusco, Peru, to immigration law in Cincinnati
    • How legal aid and advocacy shaped her calling
    • What immigration court and deportation defense look like
    • Why asylum and legal help are so hard to access
    • How immigrants shape Cincinnati’s families, work, and culture
    Episode Timestamps
    00:00 – Intro
    02:30 – Growing Up in Cusco
    07:15 – Coming to the U.S. on a Student Visa
    11:00 – Learning Life’s Hidden Rules
    14:45 – Starting in Legal Aid
    19:00 – First Immigrant Liaison Role
    23:10 – Leading the Law Center
    28:00 – Inside Immigration Court
    34:20 – Client Story: Resilience & Graduation
    39:10 – Myths About Immigration
    46:00 – Cincinnati, Community & the Economy
    51:00 – Home, Identity & Closing
    Key Takeaways
    • Immigration is a family, housing, and community issue.
    • Many people face the system without a lawyer.
    • Lived experience builds stronger service and advocacy.
    • Immigrants help build communities rather than drain them.
    Notable Quotes
    "I think the difference is whether you've ever needed what you're trying to provide." — Bryan Wright

    "I have so much respect for people that come here without speaking the language... and they are successful, they are opening businesses." — Mayra Casas Jackson

    "This is just a test from God, and I will overcome this." — Mayra Casas Jackson's client

    Resources & Links
    @mayracasasjackson
    irlawcenter.org
    cincinnaticampass.org
    Immigrant and Refugee Law Center
    Roots, Routes & Voices That Shape America

    Subscribe & Follow

    Subscribe to Roots, Routes & Voices That Shape America and follow Cincinnati Compass for more conversations on immigration, identity, and community.

    🎙️ Guest: Mayra Casas Jackson, Executive Director, Immigrant and Refugee Law Center | DOJ-Accredited Representative

    🎧 Hosts: Clara Matonhodze, Creator & Host | Bryan Wright, Co-Host, Cincinnati Compass

    🔗 Connect: @mayracasasjackson | irlawcenter.org | cincinnaticampass.org
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    1 時間 10 分
  • From the Lab to the Kitchen | Culture, Food, and the Science of Belonging with Chef Gabi Odebode

    From the Lab to the Kitchen | Culture, Food, and the Science of Belonging with Chef Gabi Odebode
    2026/07/15
    She Quit Her Science Career to Cook African Food in Cincinnati. Here Is What Happened Next.

    Have you ever been so far down a path that felt right on paper but wrong in your gut, and then realized the thing you were meant to do was waiting for you all along? This episode is a warm, moving reminder that sometimes the most honest life comes from following what truly feeds you.

    This conversation matters because it sits at the intersection of identity, belonging, immigrant entrepreneurship, and cultural representation through food. It is a story about what gets carried across borders, what gets lost, and how food can become a powerful way to preserve culture, build community, and create opportunity.

    Chef Gabi Odebode shares her journey from Ghana to Maryland to Cincinnati, where she left molecular biology behind and built Afromeals from the ground up. What started as a personal calling became a business, a cultural bridge, and a platform for West African food, education, and community care.

    "At the end of my life, I want to be able to say I did something that I wanted to do and I was fulfilled doing it." -- Chef Gabi Odebode

    KEY TAKEAWAYS
    • Food Is Culture, Not Just Cuisine: Growing up in Ghana, food was communal. Her tagline is "Experience the Culture," not "Taste the Food."
    • Science Meets the Kitchen: Her molecular biology background gave her an edge in recipe development and product R&D.
    • Immigrant Entrepreneurship Is a Gift: Gabi built a for-profit business AND a nonprofit, serving domestic violence survivors, foster youth, immigrant families, and seniors.
    • African Cuisine Is Still Fighting for Its Seat: Africa has 54 countries and 54 culinary traditions. Gabi's work with the Food Network and her Amazon #1 cookbook are part of a larger fight for recognition.

    EPISODE TIMESTAMPS

    00:00 Welcome and Introduction
    03:00 Roots in Ghana: communal eating, compound houses, her aunt's cooking, and the family chop bar
    10:30 Arriving in America: culture shock, bullying, and a high school class that changed everything
    13:00 The Science Detour: molecular biology, mice brains, and a career that didn't fit
    16:00 The Pivot and the Partner: community shame, a supportive husband, and the leap to food
    21:00 Biology Meets the Kitchen: R&D instincts, spice blends, and the Puff Puff Mix origin story
    27:30 Building Afromeals in Cincinnati: cooking classes, catering, Jungle Jim's, Findlay Market, and an Amazon #1 cookbook
    34:00 African Cuisine and the Mainstream: 54 countries, limited access, and the Food Network door
    40:00 The Afromeals Foundation: nutrition education as a right, not a privilege
    44:30 Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Advice: bet on yourself, build community, don't be in a silo
    47:00 Raising the Next Generation: showing kids they can thrive as chefs and cultural ambassadors
    52:00 Rapid Fire Round: Waakye, ginger, jollof rice, and what home smells like

    ABOUT CHEF GABI ODEBODE

    Chef Gabi Odebode is the founder of Afromeals, a Cincinnati-based culinary brand offering cooking classes, catering, and African and Caribbean spice blends. She also founded the Afromeals Foundation, which expands access to nutrition education and culturally relevant meals for underserved communities.

    CONNECT WITH CHEF GABI

    Website: https://afromeals.com/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabi-odebode-b9113b1a5/
    Instagram: @chefgabio | @afromeals | @afromeals.foundation

    SUBSCRIBE AND STAY CONNECTED

    Subscribe to Roots, Routes & Voices That Shape America with Clara Matonhodze, Creator & Host, and Bryan Wright, Co-Host of Cincinnati Compass and stay connected with the Cincinnati Campus community at http://cincinnaticampus.org.
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    59 分
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