Aside from textiles, Hans leaves his legacy in three daughters, all now in their 50′s: Lynmarie Singer Storey is the oldest; Monica Singer Franklin is the middle child; and Susan Singer is the youngest of the family. The sisters met at the Atlanta StoryBooth in November 2011 to mark the 20th anniversary of their father’s death and share their favorite memories of him.

Monica, Lynmarie, and Susan Singer at StoryCorps Atlanta

After making their trips from Macon, Georgia, Spartanburg, and Greenville, South Carolina — over 225 miles combined — the sisters spent a brief afternoon together, reminiscing in the StoryBooth and poring over photo albums in our lobby, before heading back to the businesses their father inspired them to lead.

Hans exemplified the immigrant entrepreneur story.  An incessant inventor who constantly sought innovations for the weaving machines he worked with, he invented the grooved metal disk on which to rest fondue forks in a fondue pot, called the mahasi. Hans named his invention to include the name of his wife,  MArian, followed by his own HAns and SInger letters.  The mahasi, the clip grip, and the rotary creel are devices still used in weaving and other industries.

Each daughter had a unique memory of their father’s positive attitude.  Susan explained the “blue sky planning” her father taught them, a practice of finding the scrap of blue in even the cloudiest sky. By watching it and focusing on it, he believed, you could always make the sun come out eventually.  Monica remembered that Hans was so relentlessly positive that, “He would take us on vacation even when he was broke.”  He always managed to create a good time for his girls.  When Lynmarie decided to open her own videography business, her father wrote her a letter, full of confidence and pride and expressing his strong belief in her abilities. Inevitably encountering his own failures alongside his successes, Hans held a firm belief that his daughters can still recite together: “Nothing is good or bad by itself. Only your thinking makes it so.”

After their interview, Monica wrote StoryCorps Atlanta to share her impressions of the experience. “It was a wonderful way to remember someone.  Our memories are so precious and the only thing we have to remember family like Daddy’s.”  She also shared the photos below. “In all of the pictures we are smiling and having a wonderful time,” she points out, “a true reminder of where our joy for life comes from.”

Ready for the next road trip

Hans Singer working on his next invention

The Singer family at the Grand Canyon

With Grossi, or grandmother, in Switzerland

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.

Hillery had two strong reasons for wanting to visit StoryCorps.  “I wanted to document some of our stories for us to have when we got older and our memories started getting foggy.  I also felt it was important for people to hear that how two gay men met and started their life-long relationship isn’t that different from how millions of straight people do the same thing.”

Sean, his partner, told us, “I was intrigued, albeit a bit hesitant, by Hillery’s suggestion to do the interview.  I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to talk for the full length of the time, but we know how that turned out.”  The pair talked for 40 minutes and covered events from just their first few years together.

Hillery Rink and partner Sean Rindge have been together for more than 20 years.

Sean had made personal recordings of his grandmother several years ago, and “the response from the family who got recorded copies of our talk was overwhelming.”  This time, too, family and friends have requested copies of their StoryCorps CD, which Hillery and Sean plan to share.  Says Sean, “It really is true that everyone has something to say, and it isn’t just our established writers who should have a lock on it.”  Hillery adds, “In this sometimes contentious culture we live in now, I think it is important to remind each other of how we all are much more alike than we are different.  StoryCorps is a great way for us to spread that word.”

In his interview with fellow classmate Jim Ostrowski, Roland Dawkins remembered that in 1986, “Druid Hills was predominantly white, very affluent, highly educated, but also a very liberal and Democratic portion of Atlanta.  At that time, I lived literally on the other side of town, and the (integration) program, “Majority to Minority” was in its heyday.  I had to take a bus, actually a couple of buses, for an hour and a half.  Eventually it got tiresome, but by then all my friends went to the school I went to.”

Roland Dawkins and Jim Ostrowski

Jim, who was our senior class president, added that it was, “something way out of the ordinary for that neighborhood, at that time, but it all seemed to work pretty well.”  They talked about how he and Roland, with all their differences, “were the bridge between cliques, we were the bridge between races, between socioeconomic stratuses.”  Their friendship has lasted more than 30 years.

When I told Melanie Lester in our interview that I remembered her strong personality standing out during the elementary school years, she confirmed.  “I was always a really, really friendly person.  Strong willed, yeah, I would agree with that.  Opinionated, yeah, I would agree with that, as well.”  With regard to race, “I never saw black or white, though… that was the great thing.  It would never occur to me that there was a difference.”

Lauren Waits and Melanie Lester

Roland expressed a sentiment shared across the reunion’s StoryCorps interviews.  “All my very good friends were at school, and they were a mix of people, and they came from all walks of life.”  As their reunion invitation stated, “You can’t get the last 25 years back, but you can still talk about it.”

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.”

A number of StoryCorps alumni were invited to share their stories and to talk about why they came to StoryCorps. (Use the links to listen to their stories online.)

Theresa Nguyen came to the United States after the fall of Saigon. She and her daughter, Stephanie, described how the intimate conversation they had at StoryCorps has helped bring them closer.

Sara Takele fled her home country of Ethiopia decades ago. She has spent more than twenty years now navigating this country, not only as an immigrant, but as the mother of a special-needs son. After playing her story, Sara explained she thinks it’s important to speak out as a mother of a son with autism.

Representatives from the Global Village School, which provides an enriched education to teenage girls whose formal education has been interrupted by war and refugee camp experiences, described the day that StoryCorps recorded at their school.

Laura Murvartain, who came to the U.S. from Mexico as child explained that she recorded her story to honor her parents. She feels that her success is really her parents’ success.

Sara Totonchi brought her parents, Emil and Louise to StoryCorps. Emil is from Iraq and Louise is from Ireland. At first, neither of their parents were happy with them dating a foreigner. They told Sara how their families began to overcome their prejudices. At the event, Sara reminded us that these personal stories help humanize the issue of immigration.

You can watch a video of the event at Atlanta Forum Network. Thanks to everyone who came out to the Auburn Avenue Research Library for listening, and to our StoryCorps Alumni for sharing their experiences.

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.

Kerrie Cotton Williams, Archivist and Manager of the Archives Division at the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History and StoryCorps alumna discussed the importance of archiving our stories.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Representatives of two community partner organizations, Touching Up Our Roots and Lambda Legal, spoke about the work they are doing with StoryCorps Atlanta.

Dave Hayward from Touching Up Our Roots is recording stories with pioneers of Georgia’s gay rights movement. He brought several of his storytellers with him to share their experiences.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Connor Gillis described the work Lambda Legal is doing to record stories of trangender individuals.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We’d like to thank the sponsors of Out & Outloud: Atlanta Pride Committee, The Phillip Rush Center, Radial Café and WABE 90.1.