S.3 E.3 // The gift of family, an oral history with Joel Austin, hosted by Maryam Jamal

Society considers starting a family a big milestone in life. Often it is treated as an achievement or even a requirement. This oral history interview with Joel Austin looks at family in a unique light. With society's expectations and the responsibilities that come with having children with a partner, Joel reminds us that life is a blessing and to cherish the relationships we have.

This episode was hosted, recorded, and produced by Maryam Jamal as part of Reckoning and Repair Season 3, "Black reproduction & justice in Philly," a set of immersive oral histories and multimedia figurations that engage with reproductive justice in Philly,  drawing from the "Reproduction, Justice, and Care: Listening in Philly" course co-taught by Dr. Alissa Jordan and Dr. Daniela Brissett at the University of Pennsylvania.

For episode extras, and to learn more about the artists, hosts, and organizations involved, check out the Reckoning and Repair website: rnrphilly.com

Reckoning and Repair is part multimedia counter-archive, part laboratory, for telling stories and listening to stories in cities. Each season traces stories of resistance to (and repair from) the enduring and specific legacies of exclusion/withholding/erasure that haunt our cities. Through immersive oral histories and collaborative storytelling, student scholars, activists, and creatives illuminate the slow, difficult, yet vital work of accountability and healing in haunted worlds. The project is directed by Dr. Alissa Jordan at the Center for Experimental Ethnography at the University of Pennyslvania. ​