Connection Through Humanity

    I chose to listen to this podcast from Storycorps titled "Room In My Heart: How One Woman Found Forgiveness After Her Brother's Murder." This story is about how a man and woman have created an unlikely friendship from such a tragic situation. Back in 1995, the man Toni Hicks, who was then a 14-year-old teen, was in a gang and fatally shot and killed Tariq Khamisa, the woman's brother. The woman, Tasreen Khamisa, has now found peace in fostering a friendship with Toni, letting him into her life and family. I found this story to be quite captivating due to its human element of unimaginable pain and forgiveness. The mission of Storycorps is to connect people through stories of humanity and compassion. This is exactly what this story does through highlighting the incredible bond that the two have formed out of tragedy. Although it is only less than four minutes, hearing the voices of Tasreen, her father and Toni, really help to bring that human aspect into play. The interaction with Tareen and Toni is very impactful and shows the listener how much the two have gotten closer since the tragedy. At the end, Tareen ends on a powerful note when she says to Toni "My future feels better with you in it." She recognized how Toni has transformed into a completely different person, and how she believes that he is not the same teenager caught up in a gang. This amazed me because throughout the story you are reminded that Toni was the reason that Tareen's brother was killed. However, Tareen found a way to seek inner peace and build a bond with Toni, allowing him to be part of her current life. I liked the Moth stories that we listened to over the weekend, but I really enjoy hearing a multitude of perspectives and voices, in order for the story to come to life. I hope to incorporate more voices in my Audio Essay because I enjoy hearing differing perspectives on a specific topic.