Georgia Archives - Page 2 of 7 - StoryCorps

Sisters Remember Growing Up In Their Parents’ Hollywood Laundry Business

In the 1940s, Siu Fong Yee Wong and Moon Tung Wong — also known as Frank — immigrated from China with their firstborn daughter, Suzi, and opened up a laundry business on Melrose Avenue, right in the center of Hollywood.

The Wong kids (Suzi, Eddie, Donna & Warren Wong) with a World Book Encyclopedia set in the early 1960s. Courtesy of the Wong family.

As Frank and Siu Fong Yee saved up for a house, the growing family lived in the back of the laundry.

It was a cozy setup: behind the business, the family carved out a living space. Their bedroom, play area and living room were all rolled into one, and the kitchen space doubled as a study and wash room.

Suzi and Donna Wong at their StoryCorps interview in Atlanta on March 15, 2022. By Hillery Rink for StoryCorps.

Sisters Suzi and Donna came to StoryCorps in 2013 and then again in 2022 to share stories of what it was like growing up just minutes from all the big movie studios in Hollywood, California… but a world away.

Siu Fong Yee Wong and Frank Moon Tung Wong, before their laundry closed in late 1984. Courtesy of the Wong family.

Originally aired March 25, 2022, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Listen to Suzi and Donna’s story on the StoryCorps Podcast.

“The Black Vote Matters:” How An Army Veteran Inspired A Teenage Martin Luther King, Jr.

Warning, the following story includes a description of racial violence.

In 1945, World War II US Army veteran Maceo Snipes, returned home to Taylor County, Georgia. He voted in the county’s primary in July of 1946, and the next day, he was murdered by a white mob.

The news of Snipes’ lynching — and the killing of four other African Americans — reached a teenage Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., then studying at Morehouse College. These murders inspired King to write a letter to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

A teenage Dr. King’s letter to the editor of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. MLK was a Morehouse College student inspired to speak out following Maceo Snipes’ lynching. Courtesy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Raynita Snipes Johnson, Maceo Snipes’ great niece, only recently learned of her uncle’s story when she campaigned for Black voting rights in the 2016 presidential election.

Raynita Snipes Johnson at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The church was a destination for Martin Luther King, Jr. following a KKK bombing that killed four Black children in 1963. Photo courtesy of Raynita Snipes Johnson.

She sat down with her friend, Gene Robinson, to talk about her uncle’s contribution to the Civil Rights Movement.

Gene Robinson and Raynita Snipes Johnson at their StoryCorps Virtual recording on August 29, 2020.

 

Find out more about the effort to honor Maceo Snipes’ life at The Maceo Snipes 1946 Project.


Top Photo: United States Army veteran Maceo Snipes. He served in World War II, and was murdered shortly after returning home from service. Photo courtesy of Raynita Snipes Johnson.

This story was recorded in collaboration with the PBS series FRONTLINE as part of Un(re)solved— a major initiative documenting the federal effort to investigate more than 150 cold case murders dating back to the civil rights era. More such stories can be explored in an interactive documentary at Un(re)solved.

Originally aired January 14th, 2022 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

“He Created His Own Destiny”: Siblings Remember Their Video Game Pioneer Dad

Engineer Gerald Lawson was always fascinated with how things worked. 

He went from tinkering with TV parts as a young teen to helping lead the team that created the first ever home video game system that used interchangeable game cartridges. 

His invention allowed people to collect and play different games on the same system. It was one of the greatest technological innovations in the field — paving the way for a multi-billion dollar industry.

Lawson’s pioneering spirit also influenced the way he raised his two children, Anderson and Karen Lawson in 1970s Silicon Valley.

The Lawson Family: Catherine, Gerald, Anderson and Karen. Circa 1975. Courtesy of the participants.

Growing up, they remember a home filled with state-of-the-art technology — like an early digital clock and some of the first home computers. They came to StoryCorps to reflect on their unforgettable childhood and their father’s colossal personality.

Anderson, Gerald and Karen Lawson. 1973. Courtesy of the participants.
Top Photo: Anderson and Karen Lawson at their StoryCorps recording in Atlanta, GA in 2015. By Diana Guyton for StoryCorps.

Originally aired September 17, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

‘My Way of Serving’: An Airline Worker Finds His Calling Honoring The Military’s Fallen

Brian McConnell has been an airline worker for nearly four decades. Much of that time was spent working “the ramp” at the Atlanta airport — the area where aircrafts are refueled, boarded and loaded. But in 2005, after witnessing the work of the Delta Honor Guard — a group of volunteers who handle extremely personal cargo — he found a new calling.

At StoryCorps, Brian told his wife, Nora, about the moment everything changed, and how he’s found a sense of purpose by honoring the military’s fallen.

This story was recorded in partnership with Delta Air Lines.

Top Photo: Nora and Brian McConnell at their StoryCorps interview in Atlanta, Georgia on April 14, 2016. By Morgan Feigal-Stickles for StoryCorps.

Originally aired October 17, 2020, on NPR’s Weekend Edition. 

Together, Mother And Daughter Social Workers Face New Challenges During Pandemic

In 2018, Michelle Huston and her daughter Lauren Magaña came to StoryCorps in Atlanta to talk about their shared calling: helping people in the last stages of their lives.

Two years later, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Michelle and Lauren returned to have a conversation over StoryCorps Connect about how their usually very intimate jobs have changed due to the lockdown caused by the virus.

Top Photo: Michelle-Dawne Hudson and Lauren Magaña at their StoryCorps interview in Atlanta, GA on August 21, 2018. By Hillery Rink for StoryCorps.
Bottom Photo: Michelle-Dawne Huston and her daughter Lauren Magaña working together at a nursing home in 2018.

Originally aired October 2, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

After 15 Years of Incarceration, Mother is Reunited with Daughter Due to COVID-19

When Nia Cosby was 4 years old, her mom, Chalana McFarland, was convicted of multiple counts of mortgage fraud, and sentenced to 30 years in prison. It was the largest sentence ever handed down for this offense at the time, and the judge went on record to say he was giving her a harsh sentence as a deterrent for those wishing to commit similar crimes. 

Nia was raised by her grandparents, but spoke to her mom weekly and visited her as often as she could. Chalana did everything she could to remain an active part of her daughter’s life, often making her custom school supplies and monogrammed socks for her basketball tournaments. 

Chalana McFarland (L) with five year old Nia Cosby (R) at Coleman Camp in 2006. Courtesy of Chalana McFarland.

After Nia went to college, it became harder for them to see each other in person due to visitation restrictions at the Florida prison where Chalana was incarcerated. But in April, the U.S. Attorney General sent a memorandum recommending that facilities release nonviolent inmates who were vulnerable to COVID-19. Chalana was among those selected to be transferred to home confinement, and was released on June 9. 

In their first weekend together in 15 years, Chalana and Nia came together for StoryCorps to reflect on the challenges they’ve faced and look towards the future. 

Today, Chalana remains in home confinement in Marietta, Georgia. Nia continues to live in Florida, where she is pursuing a business degree at a local university.

Top Photo: Nia Cosby and Chalana McFarland in Marietta, GA on June 28, 2020. By Michael Reese for StoryCorps.

Originally aired July 24, 2020 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

“Untangling The Code”: How Losing Relatives to Cancer Inspired A Life’s Work

By the time Hadiyah-Nicole Green was 4 years old, she had lost her mother and her grandparents. Hadiyah-Nicole and her brothers went to live with her Auntie Ora Lee Smith and Uncle Gen Lee in St Louis, Missouri.

When she was in her early 20s, both Hadiyah-Nicole’s aunt and uncle were diagnosed with different forms of cancer. At 22 years old, she became the primary caregiver to the couple that had raised her.

Photo: “Auntie” Ora Lee Smith and Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green.

Watching these two important people have their lives upended by cancer and its effects inspired Hadiyah-Nicole to dedicate her life to fighting the disease.

She came to StoryCorps with her cousin, Tenika Floyd, to reflect on her aunt and uncle, and the impact that their lives had on her.

Today, Dr. Green has successfully developed technology that has killed cancer in laboratory mice, without the use of chemotherapy and radiation, and without any observable side effects. Her work is in the process of moving forward into human trials.

Dr. Green is an Assistant Professor at Morehouse School of Medicine. She also founded the Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation in honor of her late aunt.

Top Photo: Hadiyah-Nicole Green and Tenika Floyd at their StoryCorps interview in Atlanta, Georgia on January 28, 2017. By Jacqueline Van Meter for StoryCorps.

When You Finally Told Me

On this season of the podcast, we’ve been listening to difficult conversations between loved ones, friends, and sometimes, even strangers. Whether people are sitting down together for the first time or reconnecting, each conversation has run the gamut of human emotion — from joy to despair and everything in between. In this episode, a couple grapples with a horrific memory from the past.Winfred Rembert grew up in the south during the height of the civil rights movement. In the late-60s, he participated in a protest in the town of Americus, Georgia — where racial tensions were especially high — and was arrested as a result.

One day, while Winfred was serving time in the county jail, the deputy sheriff walked into his cell and pulled a gun on him. Fearing for his life, Winfred wrestled the gun out of his hands and managed to escape, but was eventually caught by the police and thrown into the trunk of their car.What happened next is something Winfred kept quiet for a long time. But years later, still suffering from nightmares, he finally told his wife Patsy the truth: that he was one of few people to have ever survived a lynching.

Nearly 50 years later, Winfred and Patsy sat down for StoryCorps to talk about what happened to him. Warning: This story includes racial slurs and a graphic description of violence.

Top photo: Artwork by Lindsay Mound.
Middle photo 1: Winfred and Patsy Rembert in Sycamore, Georgia in 1974, two days before their wedding. Courtesy of the Rembert family.
Middle photo 2: Patsy and Winfred Rembert at their StoryCorps interview in Hamden, Connecticut in April of 2017. By Jacqueline Van Meter for StoryCorps.   
Bottom Photo: Patsy and Winfred Rembert in April of 2017 at their StoryCorps interview in Hamden, Connecticut. By Jud Esty-Kendall for StoryCorps.

Released on February 4, 2020.

Like the music in this episode? Support the artists:
“Heat and Memory” by Jarrett Floyd
“Hollow & ghosts” by Ending Satellites (feat. Francois Creutzer) from the album And So Sing the Black Birds

The Boy From Troy: How Dr. King Inspired A Young John Lewis

As a young man, John Lewis was inspired by the words and actions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At StoryCorps, Congressman Lewis told his friend Valerie Jackson how he met Dr. King, and went from “the boy from Troy” to a civil rights leader in his own right. 

Top photo: John Lewis and Valerie Jackson at their StoryCorps interview in Atlanta, GA on February 20, 2018. By Daniel Horowitz Garcia for StoryCorps.

Originally aired January 17, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

New Year’s Eve With Spencer The Possum

’Tis the podcast season for difficult conversations, but on this New Year’s Eve episode, we’re bringing you something a little different; just one story that we couldn’t resist sharing.

Many people will be watching the ball drop in Times Square, but you’re probably unaware that the “real” action will be happening in Tallapoosa, Georgia. That’s where Bud and Jackie Jones, career taxidermists, live. They helped establish a completely different kind of New Year’s Eve tradition in their small town.

Bud and Jackie came to StoryCorps in 2018 to share the love story that helped launch it all.

Since the Tallapoosa Possum Drop began in the late 1990s, the event has grown from about 40 people to over 7,000 in attendance. That’s more than twice the population of Tallapoosa itself.

Top photo: Artwork by Lindsay Mound.
Middle photo: Bud and Jackie Jones in 2018 at their StoryCorps interview in Tallapoosa, Georgia. Photo by Brenda Norbeck-Ford for StoryCorps.
Bottom photo: Bud and Jackie Jones pose near “Spencer” at the Possum Drop in Tallapoosa, GA in 2014. Courtesy Bud Jones.

Released on December 31, 2019.

Like the music in this episode? Support the artists:
“Heat and Memory” by Jarrett Floyd
“Towboat Theme” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Towboat