Griot Archives - Page 18 of 20 - StoryCorps

Ricardo Pitts-Wiley and Jonathan T.M. Pitts-Wiley

In 1968, following the order to desegregate the public schools, Ricardo Pitts-Wiley was bused to a predominately white school. He tells his son Johnathan T.M. Pitts-Wiley about the opportunities it afforded him and how that year changed his life.

Originally aired August 31, 2007, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Nzingha Masani and Noah Hairston

Nzingha Masani tells her friend, Noah Hairston, about receiving her name at an African naming ceremony.

Originally aired on August 21, 2007 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Iriel Franklin and Antoinette Franklin

Iriel Franklin (left) and her aunt Antoinette Franklin (right) discuss being forced to relocate to Houston, Texas, following Hurricane Katrina. For Antoinette one of her most difficult moments came when she saw her mother and aunt—her family’s matriarchs—have emotional breakdowns. For Iriel the panic of not being able to locate other members of her family was hardest.

Originally aired August 24, 2007, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Yvonne Logan Jones and Ola Mae Logan Allen

Ola Mae Logan Allen and Yvonne Logan Jones remember their parents, who migrated from Louisiana to Detroit in the late 1947.

Their father, John Logan, worked for the Budd Company making tires for cars. Their mother, Frances, worked in restaurants as a cook. Their children have become engineers, math teachers and work in the fields of home building, computer technology and the ministry.

Ruth Ballard and Ramonia Lee

91-year-old Ruth Ballard (L) tells her minister, Ramonia Lee, about moving to Tuskegee, Alabama during World War II.

Originally aired July 24, 2007 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Larry Young and Clyde Cleveland

Larry Young (left) tells his friend Clyde Cleveland about his struggle to earn his college degree after his father refused to help him out financially because he was not interested in following in his footsteps becoming a farmer.

Originally aired July 17, 2007, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

 

Otis Wade and Beatrice Perron

Beatrice Perron and Otis Wade remember Mandred Henry, her grandfather and his best friend, who left behind a “legacy of love.”

wade_extra-1

Originally aired July 13, 2007, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Bottom Photo: Otis Wade (left) and Mandred Henry in a 1990 family reunion photo. Courtesy Beatrice Perron.

Kahlil Almustafa and Kamilah Duggins

Kahlil Almustafa remembers his mother in an interview with his friend Kamilah Duggins.

Murray Brown and Kerrie Cotton Williams

Tia Williams and LeKeisha Williams

Teenagers LeKeisha Williams and Tia Williams are schoolmates and best friends. The pair, who are not related, recently talked about Tia’s father, who left her life very early.