Tadashi Yoshii, with his granddaughter, Michi Yoshii

Tadashi shared many of his favorite family memories with Michi and Sachi, including the birth of his first son, Kenny, and meeting his wife and their grandmother, Lily, at their church in Richmond, CA. Tadashi’s conversation with his granddaughters focused mostly on his experiences during World War II, a painful topic, and one about which neither he nor Lily had shared much with the family’s younger generations. Tadashi, or “Tad”, as his family calls him, was originally from Oakland, CA, where the Yoshiis were part of a large and vibrant Japanese American community. Growing up, he said, his parents tirelessly worked around the clock to run their family’s restaurant. The start of World War II changed everything. Tadashi was 20 years old when their family, along with thousands of other Japanese American families, was forced to leave their business and almost all of their possessions behind to be interned away from the West Coast, labeled as potential “domestic threats” in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attacks. In all, over 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast were forced to leave their homes during that time.

Tadashi described the holding station where they were first held — horse stables at a Central California racetrack — and remembered carrying his mother over a ditch to the horse stall they had to live in. Later, their family was moved to an internment camp in Topaz, UT. While at the camp, a period Tadashi did not want to speak much about, his older brother and role model, Kiyoshi, joined the US Army’s 442^nd Combat Team , an all-Japanese American battalion recruited directly from the interment camps.

Lily Yoshii (R), with her granddaughter, Sachi Yoshii

At the end of the war, returning back home to rebuild their lives brought huge challenges, but there was some silver lining to that time. It was after the war that Tad met Lily, his wife-to-be. He warmly described their courtship and marriage soon after, on Valentines Day no less! In her interview with Sachi, Lily described Tad when they met: the same cantankerous jokester he still is to this day. This year, the Yoshii’s celebrated their 63^rd wedding anniversary. Lily and Tadashi both said they were happy to have finally shared with their granddaughters about their younger days — the painful and the joyful. Nothing made Tad happier, though, he said, than having their family all together in one place.

This landmark court decision is now commemorated as Loving Day, celebrated with events and festivities across the country on June 12^th, the day of its passing. To honor this year’s 44^th Anniversary of Loving Day , StoryCorps San Francisco teamed up with the Contemporary Jewish Museum and the Loving Day national organization, LovingDay.org, to host a special community recording and art-making day for multiracial, multiethnic and mixed heritage individuals, couples, and families. We also set up  listening stations with some of our favorite Loving Day-related broadcast stories.

As they came out of the booth, many participants shared with us that this was the first time they’d talked about their racial and ethnic identities so candidly with their loved ones. The laws might have changed and bi-racial identity is now much more common, but along with the pride and self-love there is still stigma and misunderstanding in the daily lives of many people in mixed race relationships and people who are the children of these partnerships. This stigma led to Robin Raber-Luna’s estrangement from her own family after meeting the man who would later become her husband, Roy, who is Filipino American.  Robin’s parents, who were Jewish American, didn’t approve of their relationship, and reconciliation only came later when they had their daughter, Rachel Hammer-Luna. In the booth, Robin emotionally described to Rachel, now 24, how difficult and painful that time was, but how they found acceptance and community in the Bay Area, where interracial couples were more common than other places they’d lived. Here, Rachel was able to grow up proud of her bi-cultural and bi-racial heritage.

Like Rachel, Mariko Fritz-Krockow, 28; Adria Richards, 33; and Sian-Pierre Regis, 26, all identify as bi-racial. They stepped into the booth together to share their experiences of growing up mixed-race, or as “mixies,” as Mariko likes to call herself and fellow bi-racial, bi-cultural friends. Mariko talked about how she grew up in Germany as German-Japanese and how people were always shocked she could speak German. Adria spoke of people constantly asking “what” she is, and the many assumptions people make of her experience, while for Sian-Pierre one of the biggest challenges is when, in predominantly Black settings, he’s experienced judgment for identifying himself as bi-racial.  Despite the stories of on-going challenges, everyone who came to honor Loving Day was there ultimately to celebrate exactly what the day is all about: the undying and unbreakable power of love—in partnerships, for oneself, in friendships, and in family.

I have particularly enjoyed the fact that our booth is located here at the CJM. It’s the first time a StoryBooth has been housed in a museum, and because of it, we have many benefits not available to other locations: we are sheltered from inclement weather, restrooms are nearby and the building that houses the CJM is remarkable architecturally. But by far, one of the greatest benefits is the variety of people coming to our booth and to the CJM. They reflect the great diversity of San Francisco and the Bay Area, and through them I encounter a cross section of our society that I otherwise would never have a chance to meet.

One of my favorite groups is comprised of the young people in the program that the CJM calls Teen Art Connect. They are recruited to do a variety of tasks at the museum as paid interns:  Docents for Architectural Tours and Gallery Tours; activities for children and families, art and craft projects; they’ve even worn a Curious George suit or other costume for storytelling events and other programs! They also assist participants when filling out forms, answering questions and being the first welcoming face of StoryCorps.

Two of the interns, Carmelisa and Eliza, also worked directly with us doing research on community-based organizations for us to contact in the Bay, and culminated their internship by planning a day of recordings at the booth. A few weeks ago on a Saturday, when the booth is not usually open, these two teens brought in participants through outreach contacts that they had developed. They had full run of the show: reaching out to participants, telling them about StoryCorps, scheduling them, and coordinating the day of interviews to ensure it went smoothly. And it did!

Eliza did a recording at the Booth with her grandmother, which you can read about here.

Though she’s now talked publicly many times about the trip and the horrific attack that almost took her life, the images are still vivid in her mind. She recounted having a bad premonition about the trip, but deciding it was worth the risk; investigating the allegations of wrongdoing at Jim Jones’ now infamous colony was of utmost importance to Ryan. In addition, Rep. Speier saw few women at the time in positions of power undertaking such important roles in international affairs. She felt a sense of responsibility to be part of the fact-finding group. What they found at Jonestown was at first “impressive,” she told Mr. Perkins, describing the infrastructure they’d built. Soon, however, the uglier sides of the situation became clear. They were slipped notes from people wanting to escape back to the U.S. She mentioned that Jim Jones was clearly high on speed and other drugs during their meetings with him.

In a tragic turn of events, as they prepared to leave back to the U.S. with defectors from Jonestown, the group was ambushed. Congressman Ryan was shot and killed, the first time a member of Congress had been shot in the line of duty, until the horrific attack on Representative Giffords earlier this year. Speier was shot five times at point blank range. She lay on the ground in shock, playing dead, just “waiting for the lights to go out,” saw her grandmother’s face in her mind (her “shero”), and said an act of contrition “like a good Catholic girl.” Miraculously, even though she received no medical attention for twenty-two hours before their rescue, she survived through the night—thanks in part to Guyanese rum brought to her by other survivors. “I felt like I was being wrapped in a flag”, Ms. Speier said of their rescue by a Guyanese Medi-Vac team. She says she remembers this moment every time she says the Pledge of Allegiance.

True to the StoryCorps experience, Congresswoman Speier shared some of the more personal moments related to her surviving the Jonestown shooting. Even though the recovery process was long and hard, as Ms. Speier told Mr. Perkins, “in a funny sort of way, it was a gift,” a gift that gave her “a zest and zeal for life.” She promised herself she’d never take another day for granted. In fact, just two months into her recovery she ran to fill Congressmen Ryan’s congressional seat to continue and honor the work – and tenacity – of her late mentor. Though her bid was unsuccessful, she continued on her political path, serving on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and in the State Legislature, until several years later when she was elected to the U.S. Congressional seat she now proudly holds.

You can listen to an excerpt of this interview, as edited and produced by KALW in San Francisco.

The program featured a ”listening stick”  art-making project, which was a big hit for all ages! In line with the event’s theme, kids and parents sat at tables hanging out together, telling stories, and adorning their crafty cardboard tubes with ears, collaged images, and even some written messages about the importance of listening in their lives.

On the other side of the classroom, StoryCorps staff and fabulous interns from the museum’s Teen Art Connect program set up  StoryCorps-inspired interactive stations: one for listening and one for storytelling. At the listening station, kids and their parents sat laughing and listening through headphones to some favorite StoryCorps stories. At the storytelling station, we invited families to record StoryCorps-esque  short interviews with each other about whatever they wanted – earliest memories, favorite moments in their lives…you name it.  Several young kids chose to interview their parents, which was, as to be expected, VERY cute.

Witnessing these sweet family moments this National Day of Listening was a great reminder to take the time to listen even when it’s not a holiday.

Jerry McLilly aka "Mr. Smiley"

When I first saw Jerry McLilly approach the San Francisco StoryBooth, I felt that I recognized him from someplace in the past.  As he began to tell his story, it finally hit me:  He was that remarkable and unforgettable crooner in the dapper suit that I had heard so many times over the years in downtown San Francisco, singing his signature numbers, “When You’re Smiling” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

Also known as Mr. Smiley, Jerry sang for most of two decades in front of the old Emporium store, before and after it closed (the facade still stands as the entrance to Bloomingdales).  We were fortunate that this day in August he brought some songs, his engaging smile and his story to share with us.

While at high school in Detroit, Jerry met Jackie Wilson, who later went on to become a major rhythm and blues star with “Lonely Teardrops” and “Reet Petite.”  Jerry was hired for $175 a week as Wilson’s valet and chauffeur when they began a tour of the “Chitlin Circuit” -  D.C, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, The Fillmore in San Francisco, and the Apollo in Harlem.  Jerry rehearsed with his mentor and role model and began his professional singing career.  After some years on the road with Wilson, he performed with a later version of The Ink Spots vocal group in venues around the world.

Famed newspaper columnist Herb Caen advised Jerry to take his solo act to the streets of San Francisco, first Market Street, Fisherman’s Wharf and later Union Square, where Jerry now can be seen and heard outside Saks Fifth Avenue at Powell and Post.  Hailed as an Ambassador of The City by former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, over his 45 years of performing Jerry has been featured on local television stations and newspapers and, in 2006, made a cameo appearance in the  film, “The Pursuit of Happyness.”

Troubled with a bad knee, Jerry “soldiers on,” keeping to a weekday schedule of performing from 9 am til 2 pm.

Living in a city can lead us to a calloused indifference.  We put on the blinders and tune out too much of the world.  Jerry McLilly is the antidote to the woes of a sometimes heartless city.  With his radiant charm, Jerry calms a pedestrian’s fear of being accosted in the street by a stranger.  He gives a passerby a smile and a song and, in return, he gets a smile and some money.  Jerry is all about feeling good and passing that vibe on.

Jerry McLilly came to StoryCorps through our outreach relationship with Community Housing Partnership.

Chris and Olga Galvez

A bilingual, bicultural home could present challenges for both parents and their children.  What will be the dominant language?  How do you balance the two heritages?

In July, Olga Galvez brought her mother, Chris Ettlin Galvez, to our San Francisco booth to tell the story of their family for an Historias recording.   Chris grew up in a white middle class family in East Oakland.  During the 1960′s Chris was hitchhiking in Central California with a friend and they were given a ride by a family of Latino farmworkers.  Chris’ friend, fluent in Spanish, was able to converse easily with the family.  That day turned out to be a transformative one for Chris.  She was introduced to an entirely new language and culture.  She went on to became a Spanish major at San Francisco State College where she also earned a teaching credential.

Having been active in the civil rights movement during this period, and with her newly developed language skills, Chris found a place in the United Farm Workers organization.  Soon, Chris met her future husband, a Salvadoran immigrant.  After a whirlwind courtship, they got married and began a family in San Francisco.  In Chris’ words, having her children was “the best thing that ever happened to me.”  Chris felt that it was important for her daughters to be fluent in Spanish and it became the dominant language spoken in the home.  English could easily be picked up from Chris’s side of the family and in the larger culture.

During the civil war in El Salvador, Chris and her family began sheltering refugees from that war-torn country in their home and in the community.  They became active in the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980′s.  Their parish provided a safe haven for a number of political exiles and San Francisco became a Sanctuary City.

Chris now works at Community Housing Partnership (CHP), a nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness permanently in San Francisco. CHP is teaming up with StoryCorps to record the stories of their community.

Olga has grown up aware of the inequities in our world and witnessed the efforts of her mother and others in the struggle for social justice.  For Olga’s family, the commitment to a  higher purpose transcended the limits of language and culture.

This StoryCorps recording gave Olga an opportunity to thank her mom for the values instilled as she was growing up in a bilingual and bicultural home.   Chris had a chance to tell Olga that her two daughters are “her greatest achievement.”

Mickey Stewart remembers old Fillmore district.

Mickey Stewart came to the San Francisco StoryCorps booth on August 15, as part of a community partnership with Friends of Negro Spirituals, an Oakland-based group that continues and holds the tradition and heritage of spiritual songs.

Mickey came with stories rich with culture and history. He talked about San Francisco’s North Beach during its heyday of the “Beat” era and also when the Fillmore District, once known as “Harlem of the West,” was a lively and thriving black-owned jazz mecca before the city’s redevelopment plan targeted some 60 square blocks and forced the removal of 200 black-owned businesses. The plan affected more than 13,000 Fillmore residents, mostly African American. After redevelopment, block after block had nothing but large empty lots where buildings had been razed.

Mickey recalled some of the happiest times of his youth spent near old Fillmore, street like the Chicago Barbershop, Red Shoe shop, and Kansas City Bar-be-cue.

He fondly recalled being present when all the music filled the clubs with musicians such as John Coltrane, and others. He said the street “was lined from one end to the other with jazz clubs, stores and restaurants,” and recalled how it all changed “when they started redevelopment. We lost control of that area.”

When he’s not working on cars or spending time with at least one of his eleven children or his wife — they’ve been married more than 30 years – Mickey keeps himself busy as a member of the Bay Area Desperados, a black motorcycle club.

He described what it’s like to ride a motorcycle and how many people don’t realize that “blacks ride big bikes,” adding “The average bike you see blacks riding on, they’re sitting on about $40,000.”

He’s also experienced a little danger as well. He remembers one time he was run off the road. When the driver pulled over to see Mickey sprawled on the ground and saw that Mickey was not injured, “the driver took off.”

It’s apparent this father of 11 loves his bike.

“When the sun hits that chrome on a motorcycle, there’s nothing like it.”

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.”

Dr. Erica Britton and Gwendolyn Bikis first met at a book club. They have been married several times; their right to marry has been overturned and marriage certificates nullified a few times over the course of their relationship. Last married in 2008 – the ‘Summer of Love’ – they are one of the 18,000 couples whose marriage is still recognized by the state of California after the passing of Proposition 8. As Erica says, ‘We are one of the fortunate few.’

Erica and Gwendolyn came to the StoryBooth and shared some of the moments when they felt “most married.” For Erica, it was after their wedding ceremony when the party was dying down, and she and Gwendolyn were sitting on the back of a pick-up truck, their feet dangling, watching the sunset and catching their breath together for the first time that day. For Gwendolyn, she feels most married on Saturday afternoons at home, when they argue about what to watch on TV. This, of course, made Erica laugh.

Erica also shared a poignant moment from their marriage: recently Gwen was called back for more tests after a mammogram and they both feared the worst. As Erica packed their bags for the hospital she made sure to pack their marriage certificate as well, fearing the doctors wouldn’t believe they were legally married and that she would not be allowed to be with her wife or be included in the medical decision-making. Erica was emotional as she recounted that day; the fear still visible in her face.

Fortunately, there were no problems with Gwendolyn’s health or their experience in the hospital. As Erica said, the doctor looked them both in the eye and discussed all the medical options with the both of them.

Gwendolyn and Erica are looking forward to spending the rest of their lives loving and caring for each other. They hope their marriage will always be honored in the state of California, and hopefully one day all across the country. Erica’s hope for the future is that she and Gwendolyn can be little old ladies, sitting on a porch in Atlanta drinking tea, together–as wife and wife.