sharing the life stories of immigrants, expatriates, and refugees to the United States
Feel Like You Belong TV is your source for real stories about the real people we call migrants. They may be the seasonal workers who traverse the country picking our daily produce.* They may be the expatriates who come on temporary assignment for their multinational companies. Or they may be the intrepid** souls who have committed to calling these United States their new homeland.
People have been migrating since time immemorial.*** They have moved for safety from earthquakes and drought. From war and disease. From persecution and economic hardship. They have the same characteristics as our immigrant forebears who gave up the familiarity and comfort of home in order to take risks and build a better life.
Join us here every week with these heroic storytellers and learn about what it is that still makes America a destination for entrepreneurs and risk-takers. The people who moved themselves and their families across deserts and oceans. People who add to each new generation’s vibrancy**** and can-do spirit. Welcome to Feel Like You Belong.
Some move to the United States for work, others for education, yet others for safety. Andrew Gill did it for love. Married to an American, he now resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, father of two half-British children who sometimes tease him for the way he talks.
Born in Jordan to Palestinian refugees, Amer Zahr moved to the United States as a child and grew up as a member of a "suspicious" minority outside Philadelphia, PA. In his conversation with Alan, he talks about the discrimination against Arabs in the U.S. and how they need more representation on the national census. Billed as America's "funniest and smartest Arab," Amer shares with us one of his stand-up comedy routines in our What's So Funny? segment.
In his coming to the U.S. to study international development, a Singaporean begins to examine the deep personal issues of race, identity, and belonging. Listen as Kyle Lim discusses his own biracial background in the context of race and place in the United States.
Mach Makuei, former Lost Boy of Sudan, talks of his childhood days in a refugee camp in Kenya and coming of age in the home of a generous foster parent in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Now a graduate of Albion College, he dreams of taking his entrepreneur visions into the U.S. marketplace.
Lana Lie, her husband, and children flee Indonesia after the Communist government is installed during the Cold War. Leaving a beautiful home and familiar lifestyle behind, they move to West Michigan to be near cousins who emigrated there earlier. With Alan, she talks about learning a new language, dealing with racial discrimination, and finding meaningful work in a new land.
Brazilian Paulo Saiani talks about life in the United States from the viewpoint of an expatriate. He shares with Alan the struggles and joys of working on a temporary assignment for the Dow Chemical Co. in the U.S. Midwest.
Susan Im rejoins Alan in the studio, this time to talk about growing up second-generation Korean American in rural Michigan. She shares her newfound awareness of race, racism, and her own ethnic identity, which solidifies after the bludgeoning murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American mistaken for Japanese by unemployed auto workers in the 1970s.
Our conversation with Richard Blanco continues. Blanco is the first Latino, first immigrant, and first openly gay poet to read an original work in front of hundreds of thousands at a presidential inauguration. He shares with Alan his thoughts about ethnicity, place, and belonging. He humbly includes what he is grateful for.
Richard Blanco is only the fifth poet in U.S. history to be selected Inaugural Poet to the President. He shares with Alan his thoughts on the event and reads a poem he'd written for the Inaugural Committee which was not selected for the occasion. With the pithy understanding of someone anchored in two cultures, he observes that immigrants may be more patriotic than natives.
Maria Erazo tells of her life of poverty in Mexico and how she and her mom sneaked into the U.S. to look for work and a father who had left years earlier for the United States and then disappeared. She talks about the fear of living undocumented in the U.S. and how she eventually became a citizen, business owner, and community volunteer in the Latino community.
Antoine Dubeauclard, Renaissance man, moved in his childhood with his family to the United States. There, he learned to speak fluently his third language (English), graduated from college (University of Michigan), and started a thriving business (Media Genesis) in Metro Detroit. In his spare time, Antoine brews craft beer in his home, does paintings on wood, and creates photography in black and white. He shares with Alan his thoughts on creativity and culture.
Veronica Ramirez joins us to talk about doing business in the Hispanic community in West Michigan. We cover business misconceptions, cultural hurdles, and the need for education-including the Dreamer generation.
Alan interviews Sook Wilkinson. To keep up to date on our shows follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or check out our website at Feellikeyoubelong.com
Psychologist Sook Wilkinson dedicated herself to understanding the complexities of international adoption and wrote two books on the subject. Now retired from clinical practice, she is a member of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, advocating for the state's largest growing minority.
The youngest of three children, Reyna Grande was born into poverty in Iguala, Mexico and raised through early childhood by her grandparents after her parents immigrated illegally into the United States in search of work to feed their family. Her coming-of-age story will inspire all of us who identify with the underdog who doesn't give up. Join us as we talk with the plucky young woman who went on to become an American citizen, mother of two, and award-winning author.
Field advocate Lillie Wolff talks about creating "receiving communities" and how we integrate newcomers into the fabric of Michigan life. A program of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, Welcoming Michigan is affiliated with the grassroots Welcoming America collaborative.
Jenny Yang, daughter of Korean immigrants, talks about her advocacy work and the Christian imperative to "welcome the stranger."
From behind the Iron Curtain, a Polish boy dreams of mastering English and creating wonder in the world. Hear the story of mail, miles, and Maciek's magic!
Coming to America: Richard Yidana, son of a Ghanaian political prisoner, talks of life on both sides of the Atlantic, the faces of race and ethnicity, and what creates "home" for him.
A small boy, a life-threatening heart condition, and a generous Michigan couple. How one Dominican child gains a second family and an American education in the process. Alan talks with immigrant businessman Orlando Bonifacio on issues of life, death, hearth, and home.
Immigration attorney Susan Im joins us in studio to talk about the complexities of U.S. immigration law and the need for immediate reform. Businesses are suffering from overly restrictive quotas. Families are separated for decades because of immigration laws that were last revised decades ago. Hear the personal and economic reasons compelling the U.S. Congress toward action on this long-neglected and contentious issue.
Feel Like You Belong is a sometimes serious, sometimes funny, always “touch-your-heart” real conversation about fitting into the American culture. It introduces guests who have made the immigrant journey to the United States. The stories–of both struggle and success–will help newcomers feel more confident in sharing their opinions and expertise, more likely to want to stay in the U.S., be more productive in their jobs, and fully invest in their communities.
