”Where You From?” is a brand-new podcast from LBC that asks people how they feel about that question.
For people of colour, it’s often a loaded question that moves from simple human curiosity to something deeper when the follow-up question is: “but, where are you really from?”.
Each week, guests including David Lammy MP, chef and author Nadiya Hussain, presenter and comedian Nish Kumar, comedian White Yardie and social housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa, use “Where You From?” to explore what the question means to them.
They talk about everything from their experiences of growing up and education to careers, reflections on society and hopes for the future.
LBC journalist and podcast host Lillie Almond says: “People have asked me this all my life and on the face of it, it’s not a bad question. I guess we’re curious about each other and there’s nothing wrong with that…And I can answer and say, I’m from right here in London.
“Then I get asked, “Where you really from?” That’s a different question, because now it’s clear that my first answer was not enough. And why is that? What did they want to hear that made them ask again? And why is that important? The question, “Where you from?” – it’s become really loaded, it means so many different things to different people.
“Now I’m exploring this to understand how it’s shaped people’s lives – and to find out what the question – “Where you from?” – means to them.”
The concept for “Where You From?” was developed by Lillie Almond, as a member of Global’s employee network, RISE, which stands for Representation, Inclusion, Safe Space and Education – and supports Global employees from different ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds and allies.
New episodes available every Monday from 23 May on Global Player.
This story first appeared on radiotoday.co.uk