ASINDA SIRIGNANO

July 2020

Asinda Sirignano radiates an infectious enthusiasm about world cultures. Diasporic questions bring the beam in her smile and talk of multicultural programming brings torrents of ideas and pen-scratched outlines. It’s her passion and a large part of the work she does as the project manager for the University of Michigan’s Provost's Office Global Engagement Team. Sirignano has chosen Flint as her long-term destination but has strong memories of her cosmopolitan upbringing in northeastern Nigeria and Jos, a Nigerian tourist town. From K-12 she attended an American international school where she encountered children from all over the world and it left a lifelong impression on her.

“Nigeria is a former British colony, so its education system is British-based. However, the K-12 school I attended was different, and from 1st grade to 12th, most of my classmates were from all over the world: USA, England, India, China, Ghana, Canada, Sierra Leone, Australia, Kenya, Lebanon, South Korea and more,” said Sirignano. “So like many humans, a lot of my worldview was shaped by my early experiences and in my case, I think because I have been surrounded by different cultures and languages from a young age, I've always gravitated to ‘different’ people and cultures. There are a lot of unique and different cultures in Flint, and I enjoy exploring them.”

She came to Flint in 2007 to study for her master’s degree and lived downtown until 2017 and although she lives towards the city’s outskirts, Flint remains her nuclear location.

Flint just so happens to remain in the “bad news” cycle for decades, but there’s so much more to Flint’s story.

ICGF: What cultural aspects differentiate Flint from your culture back home?
Flint and Jos are completely different cities in the sense of its cultural makeup because they’re on completely different continents! So even the fact that Jos never gets snow where Flint gets it for 5+ months of the year affects the customs and social institutions. For example, in Jos, there are many outdoor Farmers Markets every day, whereas in Flint, the market is open only a few days and it's on the inside (makes sense, right! Winter!).

The way people dress is also a big cultural difference: in Nigeria, traditional African wear is worn by both young and old, and is often blended with western clothing...think African print shirts and blouses mixed with a pair of jeans. And the food...food is very different in Flint from Jos, but I am a big foodie so love that there are more culturally diverse food options popping up across Flint.

ICGF: Before becoming acquainted with Flint, what had you heard about the city?
Honestly, I had not heard much about Flint, but I think it’s because prior to 2008, Michigan was not somewhere that crossed my mind as someplace I would go to (Jos, Nigeria is very sunny!). I am from West Africa originally so I did not grow up with any context or

stories about Flint. So I moved to Flint in 2008 with a pretty open mind and honestly was surprised at the number of negative stereotypes and misconceptions about the city. Of course, there is the crime here and there are challenges with water and access to many high-quality services larger urban cities might receive, but there are lots of places around the US and world like that...Flint just so happens to remain in the “bad news” cycle for decades, but there’s so much more to Flint’s story.

ICGF: What is one thing like to do in Flint?
Well, a variety of places in and around the city, and wherever there are cultural activities and events. Like, many, I enjoy the Farmer’s Market, the Art Walks, and going to the Flint Cultural Center, especially the Flint Institute of the Music. My daughter was involved in the Rep for years, and I also like taking her to Blue Bell Beach during the summers. Prior to COVID-19 which impacted summer festivals, I went to them all, including the Flint Jazz Festival and the Crim Festival of Races. I was also a Big Sister to a brilliant young lady for a few years and got familiarized with the less familiar areas north of downtown...my experiences there told me that the stories told about Flint's northside are very one-sided. There are also some food trucks that make some pretty delicious barbeque along Flushing Road headed west. Depending on how things look this fall with the pandemic, I intend to sign my daughter at Creative Expressions, a dance program housed at the Berston Fieldhouse, and I look forward to becoming more involved with the community events they host. Through ICGF, I’d like to do more too with Flint K-12 schools, especially getting youth excited about African countries and tribes, traditional African customs, and the ways Africa is modernizing while maintaining its cultural heritage.

ICGF: How has Flint changed your perspective of the world? Flint has changed my perspective on the world by teaching me two things: 1) humans have a habit of forming groups with “like-minded” and “like-looking” people and 2) the residents of Flint are some of the most resilient and down-to-earth people I have met in my life....and I have met a very wide variety of people from all over the world. In general, Flint has taught me that humans must go beyond the surface in order to evolve and progress. Also how optimism and building relationships with a wide variety of people from different backgrounds, races, religions, can improve relationships and career...it can enhance overall well-being really.