This recording day was phenomenal.  It was an honor to hear amazing stories by professional storytellers and to hear these professionals share the ordinary stories of their lives, the raw human material that StoryCorps knows all too well that has inspired them to make storytelling a way of life. Below are a few highlights.

Barbara Eady (l) and Jacqueline Boyd (r)

Barbara Eady and Jacqueline Boyd, both from Ohio, discussed how they began storytelling. Barbara shared a poignant story about an elder mother in her church, who knew her as a child and remembered her many years later when Barbara brought her own children to Sunday service.  The elder’s detailed memories of Barbara as a child touched her and has encouraged her work. Today, Barbara is a living vessel of memory and history.

Imhotep Akbar (l) and David Anderson (r)

When Imhotep Akbar and David Anderson recorded their story, they traced their commitment to storytelling back to Africa and the African-American traditions of the rural South. Imhotep, an experienced puppeteer, remembered growing up in the rural South and his fascination with the food, language, and folkways of relatives and other African Americans in his community. When he learned that many of those traditions were rooted in African culture, Imhotep was inspired to change his name to identify more closely with Africa’s rich history.

Linda Gorham (l) and Gwendolyn Hilary (r)

Earlier this year, local NPR affiliate and StoryCorps Atlanta home base WABE (90.1) produced an edited segment featuring Linda Gorham and her friend and fellow storyteller, Gwendolyn Hilary. Linda described her transition from a successful, high-level corporate career and MBA studies to become a professional storyteller. Today, she has nearly 20 years of work under her belt. Listen to Linda’s story here.

Deborah Strahorn, President of Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia

StoryCorps Atlanta would like to thank Deborah Strahorn, President of the Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia, for inviting us to record stories. Since 1995, the organization has worked hard to “promote and perpetuate the educational, historical, and social value of the African-American oral tradition.”  Deborah recorded her own StoryCorps conversation during the conference, and when describing her interview experience, she reminded us of the grassroots power of storytelling. “I got to know my interview partner in a way that I did not before and learned what he is passionate about,” she told us.

Kuumba means creativity in Swahili, and kuumba is never in short supply, as this conference and the Kuumba Storytellers bring together griots (storytellers), puppeteers, drummers, storyweavers, dream keepers, teachers, librarians, actors, and a host of other individuals for whom creativity is the blood of life.

Today, the dropout rate for African-American boys in urban environments can be as high as seventy percent, and more African-American men are incarcerated or in the criminal justice system than were enslaved in 1850. With this in mind, 100 Black Men of America’s national chapters serve a vital role in the African-American community, helping families navigate the challenges posed by neighborhoods burdened with drugs, crime, and scarce resources.

StoryCorps participant Tim Hart

From the beginning, The 100′s North Metro Chapter mentoring coordinator, Tim Hart, understood the importance of having young men and their families record their stories.  Before our recording day, he asked that I come out to spend a day with him, the other mentors, and the young men to observe the program in action.  It was informative, and I could feel the genuine concern the mentors have for their mentees.  It was awesome!

Chapter President Dwight Kelly

During the day, Dwight Kelly, the North Metro Chapter president, wanted to record his own StoryCorps conversation with Mr. Hart. The one thing that stood out during their conversation, though, was a slogan often used by members of the organization: “What they see is what they will be.”  Mr. Kelly discussed the importance of having African-American men who represent the breadth of the community be a part of The 100′s.  It’s important, he said, for young men to see business owners, fathers, school administrators, corporate types, as well as men who have retired.  ”If kids see that, then they will say, ‘Wait a minute. If he can do it, I can do it.  It can’t be that hard.  I see what he’s doing.  If he can achieve that then I can achieve it, too.’”

And that’s where the magic starts.  It’s in that moment that 100 Black Men of America believe they can turn a young man around and point him in a different direction.  Ultimately, says Mr. Kelly, “There just needs to be a lot more of us out there for them to see.”

Located less than five miles from the historic Stone Mountain Park, Dekalb County’s Mainstreet Community is a residential community that was developed based on the tenets of the Greenpeace Movement of the early 1970′s.  Today, the Mainstreet Community vigorously guards its proud heritage even as it charts a new path into the twenty-first century.

Jamaal and Kristina Gilchrist

One of the first pairs of residents to record a conversation that day was Kristina and Jamaal Gilchrist.  Kristina shared many of the personal and family challenges she overcame to become the successful business woman, mother, and wife she is today.

At the beginning of their conversation, Jamaal asked his wife why she wanted to record a StoryCorps conversation.  She said, “Taking advantage of the StoryCorps opportunity was important because, specifically for African Americans, I kind of feel like our stories are inconsistent or sometimes even incomplete. I just thought it was really important for us to take ownership of our story and for me to document my story, particularly for the generations to come.”

This was the sentiment of nearly everyone who recorded that day.  In fact, in an e-mail sent to the Atlanta StoryCorps staff after the recording day, Ms. Rivers-Johnson said, “Mainstreet Community is in love with StoryCorps!  The StoryCorps experience gave homeowners and residents an opportunity to share their stories of family, influences, and memories as only those who lived it could tell it.  I encourage any person who has ever had a memorable experience to take the time to share it with the world and with future generations.”

An excerpt of Kristina and Jamaal’s story was edited by WABE and aired during Morning Edition and City Cafe on October 24, 2011. Listen to the broadcast here.

Below are Cheryl Courtney-Evans and AJ Jones, who were introduced to StoryCorps through Lambda Legal’s Trans Tell Your Story Project.  At Pride and Community, they explained why it is important for transgender people to tell their stories.  For them, the transgender community is often hidden from sight — even within the LGBTQ community — and recording their stories is a way to be more visible.

AID Atlanta colleagues Craig Washington and Charles Stephens

Community activists and AID Atlanta colleagues Craig Washington and Charles Stephens spoke passionately about how their experience in the StoryCorps recording booth helped them better understand the importance of recording and preserving Black LGBTQ stories.

Jeshawna Wholley and Daniel Edwards

Recent Spelman alumna Jeshawna Wholley and her friend and Morehouse alum Daniel Edwards spoke to those in attendance about the work they’ve done on their college campuses to further LGBTQ policy issues and how StoryCorps helped them record those stories.  They both agreed that telling their story at StoryCorps was one of the highlights of their college careers.

Throughout the evening, as StoryCorps alumni shared their experiences, it was clear that not only is it important to record and preserve stories, but that StoryCorps is an important partner in accomplishing that goal.

Arlene Parker Goldson (above left) and her friend Mattice Haynes (above right), talked about how they got involved with The Community Foundation and the work they do as community coaches. They work one on one with community residents and grassroots leaders on various community-based projects that are funded by the Neighborhood Fund. Arlene and Mattice not only shared what they are able to help communities achieve, but also what they learn from the communities and individuals with whom they work. For Arlene, one of the things about which she is happiest is that she gets to meet so many people. “I mean great spirit, great energy, great passion. So, I’ve met so many people who don’t mirror me–because I don’t think you grow that way–but give me an opportunity to grow and stretch.”

Also that day, Ms. Robin Nash (above), sat down and shared her story. A pillar of strength, Ms. Nash refused to let the emotional scars of her son’s death from crib death, or her battle with drugs and alcohol define her life. Ms. Nash’s story illustrated how a life gone awry can, with the love and support of family, community, and faith, get back on track. She reinvented herself and now helps young girls and boys envision for themselves a better life. When asked what she wants to do in the future, Ms. Nash said, “Now what I really want to do is just what I’m doing…mentoring children.”

Equally important that day were stories recorded that documented the voice of HIV/AIDS. This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the AIDS epidemic and Ken Lazarus (pictured above), talked about his involvement with the Foundation’s Atlanta AIDS Fund (supported with funds from United Way, the National AIDS Fund, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS and Fashion Cares). The Fund supports the work of organizations in the twenty-three county, Atlanta metro area, particularly in areas of treatment, advocacy, education and prevention. Mr. Lazarus expressed concern about today’s society, though. “Unfortunately,” he said, “in our advent of social media and marketing, we’ve glamorized HIV and AIDS. Many of our ads make it look like a real pretty, sexy thing…so the ad pictures something that’s very sexy and whatnot, and then you have to read to see that’s it’s about HIV prevention. HIV prevention is not a pretty story.”

Founded in 1951, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta “is one of the largest community foundations in the country and works with more than 650 individual funds and several supporting organizations ranging in value from $50,000 to $190 million. Together with our donors, we average more than $75 million in grants annually to an estimated 2,000 nonprofit organizations locally, nationally and internationally.”

On Saturday, June 11, 2011, StoryCorps Atlanta facilitators set up for a day of recording at Hillside International Chapel and Truth Center in southwest Atlanta. As with our first experience with Hillside in December 2010, Reverend Sedrick Gardner (above right), worked with StoryCorps staff to organize a phenomenal recording day. This time, among the participants was Hillside Founder and Chief Executive Officer Bishop Barbara Lewis King. Reverend Sedrick happily served as her conversation partner so that she could record her story.

Born and raised in Houston, TX, Bishop Barbara Lewis King (above), or “Dr. Barbara” as she is lovingly called by her parishioners, will tell anyone that the road she traveled along life’s journey has been paved with faith. Her parents divorced when she was a baby. At eight days old, her paternal grandmother took her and raised her as if she were her own child. Her grandmother was a dressmaker and worked for some of the wealthiest families in Houston. However, when times got rough, as they sometimes did, young Barbara watched as her grandmother leaned on her unshakable faith. She would see her grandmother move around their small home and talk to God. On one occasion, when food was particularly low and the rent was due, she heard her grandmother say, “God, now I know you didn’t give me this little girl for us to starve.” Within the week, her grandmother had enough sewing to pay the rent and to buy food.

Dr. Barbara can recall many such instances. Those memories, together with having been nurtured in her grandmother’s faith-based home environment, not only sustained Bishop King, but formed the faith-based foundation upon which she built her life and her church. Young Barbara knew from an early age that she wanted to be a pastor. She recalled the time, at age thirteen, that she told her then-pastor she wanted to be a minister. He quickly dismissed the notion and encouraged her instead to be a missionary. ”Women cannot be pastors,” she remembered he told her. Upon graduating from high school, she approached him again. His response was the same. It wasn’t until her second year in college, when she contracted tuberculosis and was confined to a sanitarium for four years, that her ministry began. Not only did she counsel other patients, but she credits her belief in her own healing and prayer for curing her illness. Unknowingly, she was tapping into the principles of New Thought and on the road to establishing her own ministry.

Bishop King founded Hillside International Chapel and Truth Center in September 1971. The church’s mission is to be a “healing ministry of the whole person: Spirit, Mind and Body.” Currently, the church has just over five thousand members. And Dr. Barbara’s influence is perhaps more than even she envisioned at the tender age of thirteen. Her church has thirty-one ministries, offers its members continuing education courses (Transformative Living Courses), and has sites in South Africa, Ghana and Brazil. Closer to home, Bishop King’s seminary, the Barbara King School of Ministry, has trained scores of ministers who teach New Thought principles both nationally and internationally. At six feet, five inches tall, Bishop Barbara Lewis King has always stood physically head and shoulders above her peers. Her life’s work, however, seems to keep her above the crowd in ways that nurture and sustain her soul.

In 1926 Cator Woolford (a principle founder of the company that would become Equifax, Inc., Retail Credit Company), and his wife Charlotte created a magnificent and vast 33-acre estate in the Druid Hills area of Atlanta. They named it Jaqueland. And although the Woolfords could not have imagined that one day their beloved home would serve as a respite for caregivers visiting sick and, in some cases, dying family members, their legacy of philanthropy, giving and love permeates every square inch of the property. Today, that legacy lives on as the Atlanta Hospital Hospitality House (AHHH).

Founded in 1981 by several members of the All Saints Episcopal Church, particularly Tom and Carolyn Clark (the first Chairman of the Board and Executive Director, respectively), the AHHH has worked hard to “provide a ‘home away from home’ to outpatients and relatives of patients hospitalized in 21 Atlanta-area hospitals.” In a comfortable and elegant environment, the organization “offers lodging, meals, supportive companionship and comfort from a committed staff, volunteers, and fellow guests, during what is often a crisis period.”

On April 13, StoryCorps Atlanta was present to help the organization celebrate thirty years of serving its caregiving families, staff, volunteers, friends and supporters. Executive Director Melissa Connor was excited to have StoryCorps there to record the incredible stories of those who help make her work possible. Stories like that of Kathryn Denson (above right), better known as Ms. K, who has cooked the 7:00 p.m. meal for twenty-four years.  She and her conversation partner, volunteer Sara Johnson (not shown), talked about Ms. K’s love of cooking for guests, her undying commitment to the organization and the recipe for her famous sweet tea. Ms. K also talked about the importance of the evening meals not only to bring people together physically, but also to bring people together emotionally. She recalled Christmas Eve last year when a guest, having just lost her brother late that evening, still wanted to attend the evening meal on Christmas Day.

Later in the afternoon, best friends Gloria Newton (left) and Nancy Adams (right) came into the recording booth to share their story. Just a few years ago these women lived on opposite ends of the state–Nancy in the Columbus area and Gloria in Savannah. That all changed when Gloria’s son and Nancy’s husband were in the VA Hospital at the same time. Suddenly, they found themselves roommates at the AHHH. Just minutes into the conversation, Nancy said, “I can’t tell you how many times your beautiful smile brought me through a hard day, and hearing your laughter just cheered my heart up.” During that first stay at the AHHH, their common penchant for joking and laughter brought them together and solidified a bond between them so strong that it helped each survive the loss of her loved one and cleared the path for a friendship that is as strong today as it was when they first met some three years ago.

When Executive Director Melissa Connor and her business partner Katie Kwurtzel first came to record the story of the Atlanta Hospital Hospitality House in February of this year, they talked about the struggles involved in turning a badly deteriorated and neglected structure into the vital community-based organization it is today. They recalled having to throw out a refrigerator filled with maggot-infested meat, barely able to bear the stench. Their speech slowed, however, when they talked about the financial and in-kind support from local businesses and individuals; in particular, a woman, Annie, who stayed at the house years ago. “She’s given five dollars a month for the past fifteen years,” Melissa noted. This is the kind of dedication and love Melissa, Katie, board members, staff and volunteers see day in and day out. Together, they have worked hard to create a much-needed service for the Atlanta area and the Atlanta community has responded in kind.

Through his organization, Dave has had conversations with an impressive variety of Atlantans who identify as LGBTQ.  One of his earliest conversations was with Greg Daugherty (above left).  Greg talked about growing up in Black Mountain, NC (just outside Asheville), coming out, and losing his long-time partner.  Greg also talked about living in Atlanta since 1978–playing softball for sixteen years with Atlanta’s first gay softball team, the Blue Knights; working at the Academy Theater as a performer and house manager; helping to organize endless numbers of AIDS fundraisers; and, for the past fourteen years, owning a publishing company that publishes the Atlanta Show Guide as well as other theater programs and playbills.  Of his StoryCorps experience, Greg recently said, “I wasn’t there (in the booth) just for myself.  I realized as I was talking that I needed to leave something for those coming behind me, the younger LGBTQ generation.”

In December 2010, Dave brought in the new owner of Radial Cafe, Frank Bragg (above right), to talk about growing up in Ohio, coming out as a gay man, his twenty-four year relationship with his partner Mike, and being the owner of one of the hottest eateries in the Atlanta area.  Frank told of his lifelong passion for cooking and the kitchen, and how he was looking forward to continuing the amazing work of former Radial Cafe owner Phil Palmer and serving his customers.

One of Dave’s most recent conversation partners was singer/songwriter Diamond Lil (pictured above left with Dave).  Diamond talked about growing up in Savannah, performing on a radio amateur hour at a young age, and coming out after high school.  His first job after high school was at a bank.  He recalled walking through the many parks and squares that dot Savannah’s historic cityscape either on his way to or from work.  In those public spaces, Diamond met and befriended some of the handful of gay men in the city.  He reminisced about the thrill of “meeting and hanging out with gay people for the very first time.”  He said, “I didn’t know there were gay men like them.  I thought gay men were the old men who wore trench coats and brown derby hats and who hung around tea rooms (bathrooms) in bus stations.”  In a more somber tone, Diamond Lil recalled how the AIDS epidemic impacted Atlanta’s gay community.  “Some of my friends began to get sick…got the AIDS virus…it was a very, very scary time.  I was terrified, and, because of that, I passed up a few very hot men.  I regret that now.”  At the end of his life, Diamond Lil remarked, “I want to be remembered as a revolutionary.”

In his way, Dave Hayward is also a revolutionary, as he is determined to make sure that Atlanta’s (and Georgia’s) LGBTQ history is not lost. In Dave, we have  a partner who not only wants to fulfill the mandates of his own organization’s interests, but who also understands and wants to further the StoryCorps mission.  If you work for an organization or are involved in a project, please consider becoming a StoryCorps partner and help preserve the stories of your community.

Eli Clare (above left) arrived at the booth with his recording partner, Aimi Hamraie (above right), an Emory graduate student who uses Eli’s books as teaching tools in her classes.  Eli’s books, The Marrow’s Telling: Words in Motion, and Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness and Liberation, look at the body, queerness, disability, race, gender and sexuality in ways not explored before.

Barely 15 minutes into the conversation, Aimi read a quote from Eli’s book, Exile and Pride, “Our bodies are not merely blank slates upon which the powers that be write their lessons.  We cannot ignore the body itself, the sensory, mostly non-verbal, experience of our hearts and lungs, muscles and tendons, telling us and the world who we are.”  Using this quote as the backdrop, Aimi asked Eli what his earliest memory of his body was, and what his sensory experience of the world had told him about who he is.

Eli responded, “My earliest memory of my body is a glimmer I have….of a hospital.”  He went on to tell when and where he was born and that he was born two months premature.  He talked about the “birth trauma” that occurred as he was being born and the cerebral palsy that resulted from that trauma.  He recounted not being able to walk until he was two and a half years old and how he, at that age, still had no verbal skills.  He then shared, “at that point, my parents were desperate not to have a disabled kid.”  Finally, he talked about his parents taking him to the state hospital in Salem, OR, for a first round of diagnostic testing.  That testing, he said, “resulted in the diagnosis of mental retardation.”  So, he said, “to get back to your question, my first bodily memory, the flash I have of being on a really high table in an exam room surrounded by doctors being completely terrified that I was going to fall off that table.  Completely convinced that I was just going to tumble to the floor….completely, bodily out of control”

Throughout the conversation, and with the help of Aimi’s skillful questioning, Eli brought seemingly hard-to-grasp and academic subject matter out of the mental stratosphere and into the physical world by relating his personal story and  experiences with race, class, gender, queerness, body image and disability.

Today, Eli is a writer, speaker/teacher, activist and poet living in Hinesburg, Vermont.  He was visiting Atlanta to speak at a variety of events hosted by various Emory University departments.   For more information about Eli Clare, please visit his website.

Part of Eli’s story was edited by WABE and aired during Morning Edition and City Cafe on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Listen to that broadcast a www.wabe.org/storycorps

On a Saturday afternoon in early February, not long after Atlanta had thawed from its week-long, frozen paralysis, girls from the Atlanta Girls School and the Global Village School met to get to know each other a little better.  The Atlanta Girls School, a private college preparatory school, got an opportunity to meet girls whose lives, and in some cases families, had been torn apart by war.  Many of the girls lived in refugee camps in countries as different as Thailand and Somalia.  Now, here in the United States, they work hard to piece together the remnants of a former life to create a new and dynamic future for themselves, their families, and their communities.

These schools’ first-time meeting of minds and cultures produced many memorable moments.  Students Meh Sod (Global Village School) and her partner Emma (Atlanta Girls School), talked about family activities and goals for the future.  When Emma shared her family’s penchant for weekly movie-watching gatherings, Meh couldn’t relate.  Her father died very young, and the Burma native’s life trajectory would land her in a refugee camp in Thailand before her move to the United States.

Shelby  (Atlanta Girls School) and Nura (Global Village School) seemed as if they had been friends for many years.  They came into the booth giggling and laughing with each other.  During their conversation, they discussed their likes and dislikes, the places to which they’d like to travel, their goals and their role models.  Shelby talked about her favorite teacher, a math teacher, Ms. Clayton, who teaches pre-calculus and calculus, swims, kayaks, hikes, is married and expecting a child – in Shelby’s opinion, doing it all.  Nura turned the conversation in a different direction when she began talking about her initial thoughts of the United States vs. the reality once she arrived.  Before arriving, she thought it was a place “where you could just rest.”  She thought there were no problems in the country and that a person could get a job easily.  Once here, she quickly realized that she had to work hard for what she wanted.  And that there was no easy ride for anyone.

At the end of the day, the teachers who organized the recording day, Linda Smiley from the Global Village School and Peggy Hasty along with Ms. Hannon from the Atlanta Girls School, realized that the two-day experience – both the meet-and-greet activity day and the recording day – provided them with enough raw material for months of lesson plans yet to come.  They fully understood the importance of what they had done, the impact that these experiences would have not only on each girl who participated, but also on the girls’ families, the schools to which they belong, the Atlanta community, and on them.