For a couple of years they flew back and forth between New York and Dublin to spend time together. The turning point in their relationship was September 11; as he watched the Twin Towers fall, Ken realized he didn’t want to be thousands of miles away from Mee. Soon thereafter, the couple began the emigration process and Ken moved to New York. They now reside in the suburbs of Philadelphia

In this episode of the Loving Project, Ken and Mee discuss the immigration process, the similarities and differences between Korean and Irish culture, and raising biracial children to appreciate both of their parents’ cultures.

The post Episode 24: Mee and Ken appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.

Lisa is white, and grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania. Kevin is Korean and was raised in Western Pennsylvania by his adopted parents, who are white. They met in Philadelphia, got married in 2009, and now live in New Jersey with their two young daughters.

In this episode of the Loving Project, Lisa and Kevin discuss their unique family, the incorrect assumptions people make about them and their children, and the complexities of racial and cultural identity that can come with trans-racial adoption.

The post Episode 21: Kevin and Lisa appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.

In this episode of the Loving Project, Jen and Shawn discuss raising a biracial child and how people respond to their multi-colored, interracial family.

The post Episode 19: Shawn and Jen appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.

Kate and Courtney met while they were both students at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Courtney is black, and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Kate is white, and grew up in Buffalo, New York. They’ve lived in Baltimore and Washington DC, and now make their home together in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood.

They’ve been together since 1999, and married in 2014 after same-sex marriage was legalized in Pennsylvania.

In this episode of the Loving Project, they discuss growing up in multiracial families, differences between racism (and food) in the North and South, and navigating life as a multiracial same-sex couple.

The post Episode 18: Kate and Courtney appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.

Lesley and Cord met while Lesley was working at Duke University and Cord was a graduate student at the school. In their very first conversation, Lesley impressed  Cord with her critique of his favorite medieval author, St. Augustine, even though they had very different impressions of him. Despite their differences, the two became friends, and eventually began dating while both graduate students at Duke.

Lesley grew up in North Carolina while Cord was raised in New Jersey and Philadelphia. They got married in 2009 and live in Philadelphia with their three year-old daughter. In this episode of the Loving Project, Cord and Lesley discuss the impact of the 2016 election, the intersection of African-American and Southern culture, and their intentional approach to parenting a biracial child

You can also read the essay Lesley wrote for WHYY here.

The post Episode 16: Lesley and Cord appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.

Mike and Kim met while working in a research lab at the University of Pennsylvania. At the time, Mike was a senior, while Kim had recently finished her PhD and was working as a postdoctoral researcher while raising her 10-year-old son.They bonded over music and eventually got married in 2015, about a decade after they first met.

Mike is the son of Taiwanese immigrants, who grew up in an agricultural area of Maryland, while Kim hails from Southern New Jersey. In this episode of the Loving Project, they discuss food, culture, stereotypes, and the serendipitous circumstances that brought them together.

The post Episode 14: Mike and Kim appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.

Michelle and Melissa met in college and were together for 12 years before getting married in 2017. Although they are both Philadelphia natives, they hail from very different parts of the city.

Melissa, who is white, grew up in Bridesburg, a neighborhood with a reputation for racism, while Michelle, who is Black, hails from Mount Airy, an area well known for diversity and inclusion. The reactions of their families to their relationship mirrors those of their communities – Michelle’s family welcomed Melissa with open arms but Melissa’s relationships with some extended family members are strained due to their attitudes towards Michelle.

In this episode of the Loving Project podcast, Melissa and Michelle discuss how the current political climate impacted their decision to get married and what its like to navigate the world as both an interracial and a same-sex couple.

The post Episode 11: Michelle and Melissa appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.

Aarati and Jonathan got married in 2006. Jonathan is White and Jewish and Aarati is Indian-American. They met in Chicago, where Aarati was pursuing her PhD and Jonathan was working as a journalist. They later moved to Washington DC, and then Philadelphia.

Born and raised in New Hampshire, Jonathan was unfamiliar with the daily realities of racism in the United States before he met and married Aarati and became the parent to two biracial children. Whereas Aarati, who was born in India and grew up in mixed race communities in Delaware describes herself as a “race straddler”. Currently, they both work in the arena of racial and social justice.

In this episode of the Loving Project podcast, they discuss the joys of sharing both their cultures with their children and of watching them develop their own racial identities.

The post Episode 9: Aarati and Jonathan appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.

Anastasia and Symeon met online while they were working at the same university. They got married in 2011 and live in Philadelphia with their two young sons.
Symeon’s family is from Philadelphia, but he grew up in rural New York state, while Anastasia grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

In the episode, they discuss the things they have in common, such as a love of travel, close relationships with their families, and a history of being “the kid with the weird name”. They also reflect on the ways their backgrounds sometimes lead them to view the world differently, how they find common ground, and what it’s like to raise biracial children in a racialized world.

The post Episode 8: Anastasia and Symeon appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.

Beth and Helaina are an interracial couple living in Philadelphia’s Mount Airy neighborhood. They got married in a wedding ceremony in Philadelphia in 2007, before gay marriage became legal nationwide. They later had a legal ceremony in California while Helaina was carrying their first child. The couple now has four children, all biracial.

In this episode of the Loving Project podcast, Beth and Helaina talk about the process of selecting donors that would help them have children that reflect the family’s racial diversity. They also share with us how they discuss race with their children and what its like to walk through the world as both an interracial and a same-sex couple.

The post Episode 6: Beth and Helaina appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.

Shaina is a white Jewish woman from Texas. Brahim is a black, Muslim, Berber, Arab man from Morocco.

They met while Shaina was volunteering for an organization Brahim started in a small village in Morocco. It was clear to them both very early in their relationship that they wanted to be together long term so after Shaina returned to the United States, they began the immigration process. They were married two years later, in 2009.

They now live in West Philadelphia with their two-year old son, who they are raising to understand the fullness and diversity of his ancestry. Both are committed to social justice and active in their community.

The post Episode 5: Shaina and Brahim appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.

Dave and Courtney met while working together at a photography company in Philadelphia. They married in 2010 and now live in West Philadelphia with their 18-month old son.

Courtney is African American and Dave is White. While the experience of being part of an interracial couple plays out differently for each of them, they are both equally anxious about what it means to raise a biracial boy against the backdrop of the struggles being highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement.

The post Episode 4: Courtney and Dave appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.

Chavis and Liz have been married since 2003. They have a 12 year-old son, and the family lives just outside of Philadelphia.

Liz is white and Chavis is African-American. However, his skin coloring and hair texture often lead others to classify him as White or as some race/ethnicity other than African-American, giving Chavis an unusual insight into race relations in modern America.

For this first episode of the Loving Project Podcast, Liz and Chavis invited us into their home to talk about race, love, and what it’s like to live in a family filled with diversity.

The post Episode 1: Liz and Chavis appeared first on THE LOVING PROJECT.