Friends of Negro Spirituals was founded in 2008 to preserve and extend this heritage. This is accomplished by recording the memories of those who grew up within the tradition of spiritual music. A Bay Area oral history archive has been established at Mills College as well as the Oakland Main Library History Room and the African American Museum and Library, also in Oakland.

Now Friends of Negro Spirituals has partnered with StoryCorps in this effort. We have completed over a dozen recordings so far with more scheduled this summer including a Door-to-Door recording in Oakland.

Late in June I had the pleasure of meeting and facilitating a conversation between Sam Edwards Jr., 67, and Jacob Ray White, 81, pictured above, as they recounted their early experiences with this stirring music. Mr. White recalled his rural childhood in Alabama during the Great Depression. Jacob, the youngest of seven children on a subsistence farm, was “sickly” and instead of doing the customary chores, spent many solitary hours hunting and fishing to provide food for his family. The youth drew on his experience in Sunday School and found comfort and solace in the spiritual, Way Down Yonder By Myself.

Are centuries old spirituals that found a reawakening in the Civil Rights struggles of the 1950’s and 1960’s still relevant? In an article in San Franisco’s Bay View newspaper, Lyvonne Chrisman, Vice-President and co-founder of Friends of Negro Spirituals (and StoryCorps participant!) said, “Considering the many home foreclosures, daily job losses and the dark clouds of uncertainty of the times, spirituals are tailored for all of us. We can still sing together and learn about songs that formed a bridge that brought thousands over.”

Our previous visit was arranged by StoryCorps Facilitator Alex Lyon, who also works at the Tenderloin Tech Lab. Every year the Lab aids nearly one thousand homeless and low income clients to overcome barriers to accessing technology. (Check out Alex’s Post from 10/19/09)

For our second day of recordings at the St. Anthony Foundation, Alex coordinated with Lydia Bransten of Guest Services, who helps to manage the dining room at the Foundation. At noontime each day, a meal is served to hundreds of neighborhood people. It was among this group that Lydia selected the day’s StoryCorps participants.

Having arrived earlier that morning, I had been greeted on the sidewalk by an uniquely attired man, Joseph Plamondon. Joseph was busy, as usual on weekday mornings, escorting uniformed schoolchildren to their nearby De Marillac Parochial School. Joseph makes a little money by posing for photos at the nearby Cable Car terminal with tourists who want to take home a snapshot of themselves with a colorful local. With a bit of eye makeup and his top hat, Joseph bears a striking resemblance to Heavy-Metal star, Alice Cooper.

Charles Houston told stories about growing up in New York City and the trips he made to visit his grandparents in the South during the turbulent 1950′s and 1960′s. He had to learn to deal with the reality of the Jim Crow mentality for the first time in his life.

Later in the day we had the opportunity to record a conversation between two of St. Anthony’s staff members, Lydia and her colleague Ken Humphrey. They shared memories of their first meetings, working together, and the subsequent friendship that developed as they both became parents and their families grew close.

St. Anthony’s is a special place that not only serves the vital needs of it’s clients, but does so in a manner that honors the dignity of each individual and assists them in taking positive steps toward a more stable life. Thanks to the Dining Room, many who otherwise would not be able to eat that day leave with a full stomach and leftovers for later. For the day’s StoryCorps participants, there was a chance to share their stories with attentive listeners.

We look forward to our next visit to record more conversations at the St. Anthony Foundation.

This event not only gave these co-workers a chance to find out what we do as StoryCorps Facilitators, but also gave us the chance to get to know some of the amazing stories behind these familiar faces. In addition to English, interviews were recorded in Swahili and Tagalog.

Sean, born and raised in San Francisco, talked about his love of cinema and his hopes to pursue a career in film making.

Carolyn brought in her boyfriend Greg, and told the story of how they met.

James came in with his newlywed wife, Annix. The two described their long distance courtship–San Francisco to the Philippines–and the advantages and challenges of a cross-cultural romance.

We have plans to include more of the security staff in our future recording schedule, and are so happy to have gone beyond a mere “Hello” with our CJM colleagues.
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Visitors to San Francisco who come to Chinatown see a colorful, picture-postcard view of this densely populated area. San Francisco’s Chinatown has one of the largest population of Chinese people outside of Asia. Chinatown is familiar as a center of restaurants, shops and other businesses owned and operated by Chinese Americans, but in addition to being a major tourist attraction, it is the epicenter for Chinese Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area and the West Coast.

On October 20th, StoryCorps paid a visit to On Lok Powell Street Center to record the stories of this amazing community. Since 1971, On Lok has been providing services for San Francisco seniors in centers throughout the city. The Powell Street Center offers a comprehensive package of services: clinics, doctors, nurses, physical and occupational therapies as well as recreational activities. On Lok’s focus is on supportive and preventative measures to keep it’s members within their communities and families for as long as possible. Beyond that, On Lok provides a place for seniors to meet and participate in group outings, companionship, and ethnic and cultural activities. For 38 years On Lok has helped people maintain their independence and dignity. StoryCorps came to honor and celebrate a few of these elders by recording their words in conversation with sons, daughters and social workers in the language that is native to them, Cantonese.

Since I do not speak Cantonese, I was unable to understand exactly what was said during the recordings, but afterwards I asked the interviewers about the content of their conversations. Storytellers were asked about their years growing up and the memories of their parents and grandparents. Some told the saga of their immigration to the United States. At one point, Ting Foon Lee, while recalling a memory, began what sounded to me like the recitation of a poem. When I asked her daughter, Yvonne Lee, about this she said her mother loves poetry and had committed many poems to memory as a student and recited one for her daughter during their recording. As well as receiving the respectful care provided at the Powell Street Center, six Chinese-American elders were honored by their conversation partners and San Francisco StoryCorps facilitators.

Congratulations and best wishes, Veronica and Tech!

When Walter Kahn, 86, and his daughter, Marlita, entered our San Francisco StoryBooth, I had no idea of the tale that was to come. After the recording was completed, I joked that I wanted him to sell me the movie rights to his story!

Walter told the story of being in school in Belgium as World War II broke out. As a young Jew of 17, he knew that he needed to escape the territory that the Nazis controlled. In the south of France, after twice escaping prison camps, Walter met up with his brother and the two planned to escape to Portugal and safety. After connecting with a guide who would smuggle them through the Pyrenees, the young men made the perilous journey. Staying in caves, farms, and assorted safe houses – including a bordello in Barcelona – they narrowly escaped capture many times. As it turned out, they were the first passengers on an “underground railway” that would later spirit out downed Allied pilots, partisans, and other refugees during the course of the war.

Walter painted a vivid picture of his numerous travails and close calls on his journey to safety and freedom. It was easy to visualize his story on the silver screen.

Marlita had heard stories of her father’s adventures all her life, and was thrilled to finally record the telling of his tale so that future generations would hear them as well.