Week 6: Interviews, interviews, interviews.

Asalam Alaikum!

Flight 255. At first, this didn’t mean anything to me, something that happened before my time. It wasn’t until the first interview that I actually facilitated, that I learned more about the fourth deadliest aviation accident in the history of the United States. To be able to interview someone who actually worked that scene as an EMT was such an eye-opening experience and emphasized to me just how much of a privilege it is to be able to elevate these stories. 

As an EMT myself, I was genuinely surprised by how similar the process of assessing a patient and interviewing someone is. In both cases, you are trying to get an understanding of the person across from you. You want to keep things as open ended as possible as a way to allow the interviewees narrative to flow the way they see important. 

This week I delayed posting my blog because I wanted to reflect on the first Oral history that we did in a year. This interview was so meaningful, and you could observe how much this community member enjoyed sharing his story. It was also great to see community youth come in and conduct the interview and ask questions. At the end of the interview, one of the youth asked our interviewee what advice he had for the youth in the community and it blossomed into a beautiful conversation around community organzing and self improvement. I genuinely feel that these interviews are such a beneficial way for community members to grow and learn. 

This weekend, I was also interviewed. A grad student from the East coast is studying community organizing in Detroit, and asked to interview me when we had met at a garden volunteering event. It was super nerve racking to be on the other side of the recorder but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I felt empowered to be able to share my own story and experiences as well!

It was an incredibly busy week of interviews, but I am so excited to learn more about the process and to keep amplifying Muslim voices in this community. From disasters such as Flight 255 to what it means to build community, I can’t wait to hear more stories and insights with the storytelling project.