Rupa Pillai is a senior lecturer in the Asian American studies program at the University of Pennsylvania. A cultural anthropologist, she investigates the intersections of religion, race, and migration in the Indo-Caribbean American community in New York City. She is also a co-PI for the Center for Religion and Cities’ Lifeways of Hope initiative at Morgan State University. The Lifeways of Hope, funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, seeks to improve communal listening practices as a vital lifeway for healthier collaborative work in American cities.