Life is a journey of learning who we are, trying to figure out how we fit into our communities and into God’s creation. This journey can be more challenging when we look different than the majority culture, when we think differently than our peers, when our food has different spices and ingredients. For many people, blending in, and not standing out is highly important. That can be challenging when your skin tone, and hair color is different. It’s a journey that many people in our society go through.

This episode’s guest, Prasanta Verma (MBA, MPH) was born under an Asian sun, raised in the Appalachian foothills in the South, and now resides in the Upper Midwest. Her essays and poetry have been published in Sojourners, Propel Women, (in)courage, Inheritance Magazine, the Indianapolis Review, Barren Magazine, and the Mudroom blog. She served as a speech and debate coach for over ten years.

Majority white American culture has historically marginalized people of color, who at times feel invisible and alienated and at other times are traumatized by oppression and public discrimination. This reality leads to a particular kind of aloneness: ethnic and racial loneliness.

An Indian American immigrant who grew up in white Southern culture, Prasanta Verma names and sheds light on the realities of ethnic loneliness. She unpacks the exhausting effects of cultural isolation, the dynamics of marginalization, and the weight of being other. In the midst of disconnection and erasure, she points to the longing to belong, the need to share our stories, and the hope of finding safe friendships and community. Our places of exile can become places where we find belonging—to ourselves, to others, and to God.

In this podcast episode, we discuss many of these subjects as we all strive to build bridges in our society.

Let’s Live Faith First!!!

Prasanta Verma links:

Book: Beyond Ethnic Loneliness

Website

IVP Bio

Instagram

X

Live Faith First Links:

YouTube

Instagram

TikTok

Facebook

Website

Signup for email

Donate