Honoring World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, commemorated on December 1st, is a global day of solidarity for those around the world affected by HIV, and is an opportunity to honor those lives lost by the epidemic. This year marks 35 years of World AIDS Day, a milestone to celebrate significant progress made in fighting the HIV-AIDS epidemic, and to recognize the work that lies ahead. Listen to a collection of voices that amplify the experiences of individuals affected by the epidemic — stories resonating with love, loss, and unyielding resilience.
My Aunties
In the early eighties, Stefan Lynch was raised, cared and loved for by gay parents. Stefan remembers the succession of AIDS-related illnesses in his family, including the death of his father in ‘91. Even in the face of terrible sickness and loss, his aunties showed him how to survive and care for one another.
Christopher remembers the early days of the AIDS epidemic
Mary Caplan and Emily Collazo
Mary Caplan tells Emily Collazo the story of her brother’s death from AIDS in the early 1980s. Mary recalls the mood of the time, the way people spoke about AIDS, and how her life changed after she brought him home from the hospital for the final time.
A Married Couple Remembers Those They Lost to AIDS
Larry Dearmon and Stephen Mills met in 1992, during the height of the AIDS epidemic in Little Rock, Arkansas. Together for 26 years, the two came to StoryCorps to remember the loss that eventually brought them together.
Reverend Eric Williams and Jennette Berkeley-Patton
In 1991, Reverend Eric Williams was a new pastor at the Calvary Temple Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri. At StoryCorps, he told his colleague, Jannette Berkley-Patton about his first experience dealing with AIDS in his ministry.
These Memories Shapes His Journey Into Hospice Work
Hajime Issan Koyama made his way into a career in hospice care after witnessing many of his friends and colleagues pass away during the 1980s AIDS epidemic in New York City. But the experiences that laid the foundation for his concept of death and dying go back to his childhood growing up in Japan, and his favorite grandmother. He came to StoryCorps in July of 2015 with his husband, Paul Boos, to share those memories.
Doug Neville and Ryan Johnson
Doug Neville and Ryan Johnson met in 1986, shortly before Doug was diagnosed as HIV-positive. At StoryCorps, they talk about their three decades of friendship and how Doug’s diagnosis has shaped their perspectives on life.
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Stories to Honor Native American Heritage Month
November is National Native American Heritage Month — dedicated to honoring the diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of Native people. The month celebrates the enriching contributions and profound influence Native people have had across the continent, and also serves as a reflection and acknowledgement of the challenges they have confronted historically and in the present.
Join us in honoring and uplifting the voices of Indigenous people across the country by sharing and listening to their stories.
My Father, the Giant
Thompson Williams remembers his father, a larger-than-life tribal leader of the Caddo Nation and a veteran of World War II.
Listen to Thompson and Kiamichi-tet’s original StoryCorps interview.
The Bookmobile
Storm Reyes was working full-time at a migrant work camp at age 8. She remembers the day a bookmobile arrived, and the world was suddenly at her fingertips.
Where I Come From
Barnie Botone looks back on the beauty and the tragedies that he and his family have experienced on the railroad.
“She Always Gave.” Remembering Shoshone Leader Lillian Pabawena Pubigee
Gwen’s family migrated from city to city across the Wasatch Front region in Utah. But Gwen continued to visit the tribe’s reservations for powwows, funerals, or basketball games, and during the summers she’d visit her grandparents. The time she spent with her maternal grandmother, Lillian Pabawena Pubigee, stands out the most.
Gwen came to StoryCorps with her daughter, Heather Timbimboo Jorgensen, to talk about those trips, and to honor the memory of Lillian.
“I Didn’t Know If I Really Belonged”: A Chickasaw Woman Finds Her Way Back to Oklahoma
Shelby Rowe works in suicide prevention and has dedicated her life to helping people struggling with mental health. But she came to StoryCorps with her best friend, Johnna James, to share her own story of overcoming hardship, and how she found belonging in her Chickasaw roots.
This Couple is Fighting for Equality and Safety For Two Spirit People On Tribal Land
Felipa DeLeon Mousseau Grew up in Manderson on the Pine Ridge Reservation. When she was young she knew a few gay people, including her cousin, and while they were accepted in the community they were not always respected.
When she was in her 30’s Felipa went out for a night with coworkers to a dimly lit, crowded bar in Rapid City, South Dakota. This is where she first saw Monique “Muffie” Mousseau. Muffie had also grown up on the reservation, but 16 miles from Felipa in a small town called Porcupine.
A fast and intense love sprung up between them. And it took them on a journey that neither of them could have anticipated. They came to StoryCorps to talk about that night and what came next.
A Mother And Son Remember “Grandma Chief”
In 1985, Wilma Mankiller made history when she became the first woman to lead the Cherokee Nation. Her family remembers her as an inspiring trailblazer, and as a supportive mother and grandmother.
Carolyn DeFord
Carolyn DeFord, a Puyallup tribal member, remembers her mom, Leona Kinsey, who disappeared twenty years ago. She is part of an epidemic of Native American women who have gone missing and never been found.
“Strong Lines, Beautiful Lines”: Two Alaska Native Women Make Their Mark
Friends Grete Bergman and Sarah Whalen-Lunn came to StoryCorps to talk about Grete becoming one of the first women in the modern Gwich’in Nation to get facial markings.
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