“Diasporic”, a brand new podcast sponsored by WKU global, recently released its first episode. The core of the podcast is to highlight the unique experiences of their ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Tani Washington, an African-American, and Joseph Eberle, a Jewish-American, take a look at identity in their first episode and discuss how identity can play a big part in discovering who you truly are, in a community sense.

“We really hope listeners gain a better understanding of how one identity impacts both the individual and the community,” Eberle said. “We also want them to learn the beauty and unique experiences of our peoples.”

Washington and Eberle both went into depth on their friendship, and how it played a fundamental role in having the podcast come to be.

“Joey and I met at DSU at the first forensics team meeting as a freshman,” Washington said. “At a university where our communities are not the most present, it was hard to find someone who understood your experiences. Our conversations allowed us to bond in that aspect.”

Through their new friendship, the ideas surrounding the podcast came to be.

“Tani and I would often find ourselves chatting after meetings, tournaments, and class,” Eberle said. “These small chats turned heavy about the intersections and differences about our communities.” 

As these ideas slowly developed, talks of starting a podcast began to buzz between the two.

“We both always wanted to host a podcast,” Eberle said. “I jokingly suggested it one day and Tani [said] we should make it a reality.”

Eberle and Washington both hope that their podcast can have a lasting impact on WKU students, as well as communities outside of the campus streets. 

“Making an impact on WKU has inevitable repercussions for those outside of WKU,” Washington expressed. “I’m excited for when that will happen.”

Currently, only one episode is up on Spotify, but Washington and Eberle plan to release new episodes that tackle similar topics. 

“We hope to navigate more nuanced conversations as seasons unfold,” Eberle said.

The podcast can be viewed by using this link: https://bit.ly/diasporic. 

News reporter Jake Jones can be reached at [email protected].