For the Love of Books: One Librarian Makes All the Difference
As a young father in Brooklyn, NY, Rich Jean wasn’t always sure how to keep his three year old daughter, Abigail, busy and happy. He decided to start taking her to their local library. Abigail was soon enrolled in one of their programs for young learners. That is where they met an aspiring librarian, Hasina Islam. Hasina was still an intern at that time, but immediately did everything she could to encourage Abigail in her love of books.
Four years after that first encounter, Rich, Abigail and Hasina came to StoryCorps to talk about how that chance meeting set them on a path to friendship.
Hasina Islam and Abigail Jean after their StoryCorps recording on April 25, 2021. Courtesy of Hasina Islam and Rich Jean.
Five years later, while separated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Hasina and Abigail came back to StoryCorps to reconnect remotely with a second recording in 2021.
Top Photo: Rich Jean, Abigail Jean and Hasina Islam at their StoryCorps interview in Brooklyn, NY on November 5, 2016. By Jhaleh Akhavan for StoryCorps.
The 2016 interview was recorded in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and IMLS National Medal winner, Brooklyn Public Library.
This interview is part of the Anwar Collection of Muslim Voices through StoryCorps’ American Pathways initiative. This initiative is made possible by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and an Anonymous Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Stuart Family Foundation. It will be archived at the Library of Congress.
Originally aired April 30, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Longing For The Home She Left Behind: One Woman Reflects On The Refugee Experience
Growing up, Najat Hamza was a precocious child, and one of twelve siblings in a large and close-knit family. She grew up in Oromia, a regional state located in Ethiopia, but due to a violent conflict in the region, she was forced to flee with her father and two older siblings when she was a young teenager.
Leaving the rest of her family behind, they initially went to Kenya before resettling in Minnesota, where she still lives today.
Photo: Natjat Hamza in Stillwater, Minnesota in 2020.
In 2017, she came to StoryCorps to reflect on her refugee experience and the unshakable longing for the home she left behind.
Top Photo: Najat Hamza in Maplewood, Minnesota in 2017. Courtesy of Najat Hamza.
This interview is part of the Anwar Collection of Muslim Voices and Tapestry of Voices Collection through StoryCorps’ American Pathways initiative. This initiative is made possible by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and an Anonymous Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Stuart Family Foundation. It will be archived at the Library of Congress.
Originally aired April 16th, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
A Daughter Pays Tribute To The “Mom Every Other Kid Wanted”
Mary Mills grew up as an only child in the 1960s, in a quiet neighborhood near Santa Monica, California.
Mary Mills, 4, with her mother, Joyce Carter Mills, in front of their family car, in 1967. Photo courtesy of Mary Mills.
Although Mary didn’t have siblings to play with, she was never lonely. There were plenty of children nearby and they all seemed to want to be at her house. More specifically, they wanted to hang out with Mary’s mother, Joyce Carter Mills.
Mary Mills and Joyce Carter Mills at their StoryCorps interview in Santa Monica, CA on February 7, 2020.
By Mia Raquel for StoryCorps.
In 2020, Mary brought her mom to StoryCorps to tell her why she was “the mom every other kid wanted.” Joyce, who was 89 at the time of their interview, starts their conversation.
Top Photo: A young Mary Mills with her mother, Joyce, in 1963. Photo courtesy of Mary Mills
Originally aired April 9, 2021 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“My Mother the Performer”: The Life and Legacy of Dorothy Toy
In the late 1930s, Dorothy Toy and her dance partner Paul Wing made their Broadway debut after years touring on the Vaudeville circuit. In one of their earliest Broadway appearances, the duo, billed as Toy & Wing, performed in a musical review. That night, as Toy & Wing took their bows, the applause was thunderous. Dorothy later told her daughter that the audience got on their feet and applauded so vigorously the bandleader was forced to bring them out repeatedly – stalling the next act. Dorothy would say, she lost track of how many bows they took that night, but that they became a fixture on Broadway from then on.
Dorothy, Paul and a young Dorlie Fong dancing the cha cha during an encore performance. Courtesy of Dorlie Fong.
Dorothy Toy and dance partner Paul Wing (Toy & Wing) posing at the Forbidden City Nightclub in 1950’s San Francisco. Courtesy of Dorlie Fong.
Decades later, after founding her own dance company and touring the world, Dorothy Toy planned to visit StoryCorps with her daughter, to look back on a lifetime of performance. But she passed before that was possible. Dorothy was 102 years old when she died. She had suffered multiple broken hips and lived with dementia, but she considered herself a dancer well into her final years.
In March of 2021, her daughter Dorlie Fong came to StoryCorps to honor her mother. In that session she committed to tape many of Dorothy’s stories from a bygone era of Vaudeville, Hollywood, and Broadway. But beyond that, Dorlie described what it was like growing up backstage and finding connection with her mother the star.
Top Photo: (L) Dorothy Toy and her young daughter Dorlie Fong backstage in the 1950’s. (R) Dorlie with her mother on her 101st birthday. Courtesy of Dorlie Fong.
Bottom Photo: Dorothy Toy performing in her home dance studio in front of a CBS news crew. Courtesy of Dorlie Fong.
Originally aired April 2, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“There Was Always Music In The House”: Memories Of Luis M. Moreno, A Father And Prolific Songwriter
When Luis M. Moreno was around six years old, he encountered a fayuquero or traveling vendor who had a little guitar up for sale. The family story goes that Luis wanted the guitar and the vendor, seeing that Luis was just a small child, told him the guitar was his if he proved he could play it. After fiddling with the strings for a while, Luis played a little tune, and the vendor gave it to him.
This moment marked the beginning of a lifetime of music for Luis.
He drew inspiration from all the things he lived. Born in 1899, he became an orphan at the age of 8 and grew up seeing other musicians perform in the cantinas or taverns of his native Mexico. Then, the family tales say he was conscripted to fight in the Mexican Revolution, and after being shot in battle, he immigrated to the United States, settling down in California in the first half of the 20th Century.
Photo: A young Luis M. Moreno
That is where he met his wife and creative partner, Carmen Moreno. Together they were known as Los Moreno or El Dueto de los Moreno, famous for the Mexican folk music they performed on the radio and in venues throughout the Los Angeles area.
More than a century after their parents’ birth, his daughters, Rosemary Selzer and Carmencristina Moreno, now 67 and 81, came to StoryCorps to share their memories of growing up surrounded by music, and the bittersweet legacy that their father left behind.
Photo: Carmencristina Moreno and Rosemary Selzer in March 2021
Top Photo: Carmen Moreno and Luis M. Moreno performed under the name of Los Moreno or El Dueto de los Moreno
Originally aired March 26, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“We Mesh Together Like One”: A Miami Love Story
In 1971 George Ju was running a Chinese restaurant in Miami, Florida. George was born in China and immigrated to the United States at the age of 10. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he settled in Miami, and this is where he met Angela Rivas.
One night, while attending her friend’s engagement party, Angela met George, who was cooking for the event. George was immediately smitten, and there began their journey of love and laughter.
Angela Ju and George Ju in Los Angeles, California Chinatown, in 1988. Courtesy of MJ Moneymaker.
George and Angela Ju came to StoryCorps, nearly 50 years later, to talk about falling in love and staying in love.
Top Photo: Angela Ju and George Ju at their StoryCorps interview in Spring Hill, Florida on October 21, 2018. By Morgan Feigal-Stickles for StoryCorps.
Originally aired March 19, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“I Have These Dreams Where I Go Back”: Dad and Daughter Mourn a Syria They Once Knew
Walid Sakaan grew up in Syria and immigrated to Memphis in his 20s, where he settled and raised a family of his own. Despite moving away, he always stayed connected to where he was from— which included a large close knit family, where he was one of eleven siblings.
Photo: Walid Sakaan (bottom center) with his siblings in Aleppo in 2006.
In an attempt to connect to her father’s roots, Walid’s daughter, Magda, moved to Syria as an adult and built a life for herself there but when the war began in 2011, she left and they have both not been back since.
They came to StoryCorps to remember both the country and the people they love.
Top Photo (left to right): Magda Sakaan and Walid Sakaan at their StoryCorps interview in Memphis, Tennessee in 2019. By Eleanor Vassili for StoryCorps.
This interview is part of the Anwar Collection of Muslim Voices through StoryCorps’ American Pathways initiative. This initiative is made possible by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and an Anonymous Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Stuart Family Foundation. It will be archived at the Library of Congress.
Originally aired March 12th, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Room In My Heart: How One Woman Found Forgiveness After Her Brother’s Murder
On January 21st, 1995, 20-year-old Tariq Khamisa, a student at San Diego State University, was out delivering a pizza, when a gang tried to rob him. Things escalated, and at the urging of an older gang member, 14-year-old Tony Hicks shot and killed Tariq.
Tariq Khamisa as a high school senior. Courtesy of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation.
Tony became the youngest person in California to be charged as an adult, and spent the majority of his sentence at maximum-security prisons.
As the Khamisa family was grieving, Tariq’s father, Azim, leaned on his spiritual practice as a Sufi Muslim.
In 2000, five years after Tariq’s death, Azim went to Folsom State Prison to meet Tony for the first time (you can hear them in conversation here). 15 years later, Tariq’s older sister, Tasreen, did the same. The friendships forged between the Khamisa family and Tony directly contributed to Tony’s release from prison in 2019.
To hear more from the Khamisa family and Tony, check out this episode of the StoryCorps podcast.
Top Photo: Tasreen Khamisa and Tony Hicks. Courtesy of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation.
This interview is part of the Anwar Collection of Muslim Voices through StoryCorps’ American Pathways initiative. This initiative is made possible by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and an Anonymous Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Stuart Family Foundation. It will be archived at the Library of Congress.
Originally aired March 5th, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Carrying The Weight
On this week’s episode of the StoryCorps podcast, how two families came together in tragedy and forgiveness.
On January 21, 1995, 20-year-old Tariq Khamisa — a student at San Diego State University, and a part time pizza delivery driver — was out delivering a pizza when a gang tried to rob him.
When Tariq refused to hand over the pizza, and got back into his car, an older gang member told a younger gang member, 14-year-old Tony Hicks, to shoot Tariq. He did; Tariq died that day.
Photo: Tariq Khamisa. Courtesy of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation.
Earlier that month, California had changed its laws so that the minimum age to be tried as an adult for violent crimes went from 16 to 14. Subsequently, Tony became the youngest person in the state to be charged as an adult. He pled guilty to Tariq’s murder and was sentenced to 25 years to life.
While Azim was grieving the loss of his son, he leaned on his Muslim faith. “I couldn’t be in my body. I couldn’t sleep or eat but I could meditate. And I had this out of body experience. And I don’t remember how long I was gone, but God sent me back to my body with the wisdom that there are victims at both ends of the gun.”
Approximately 9 months after Tariq’s death, Azim started the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, a non-profit that helps create safer schools and communities through educating and inspiring young people in restorative principles. He did so in partnership with Tony’s grandfather and guardian, Ples Felix.
Photo: Ples Felix and Azim Khamisa at their StoryCorps Connect conversation. By Sylvie Lubow for StoryCorps.
And a few years later, the realization that Azim came to — and his friendship with Ples — propelled Azim to do something else: meet Tony.
Photo: Tony Hicks and Azim Khamisa. Courtesy of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation.
In 2015, twenty years after losing Tariq, his sister, Tasreen Khamisa, felt a strong pull to visit Tony. Like Azim, that pull was also rooted in spirituality. “I had some really vivid dreams. And in those dreams, Tariq was always telling me it was important that I have a relationship with Tony.”
After that first meeting, Tony and Tasreen stayed in touch. They have a close friendship today — one that extends to Tasreen’s kids as well — and will continue to be a part of each other’s lives.
Photo: Tasreen Khamisa and Tony Hicks. Courtesy of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation.
Forgiveness is complicated. People come to it at their own time, on their own terms, and some people don’t get there at all. But like Azim said, in this case, forgiveness was something that they chose for themselves.
Top photo: Artwork by Lindsay Mound.
Both Ends of the Gun: How Two Men Were Brought Together in Tragedy and Forgiveness
On January 21st, 1995, 20-year-old Tariq Khamisa, a student at San Diego State University, was out delivering a pizza, when a gang tried to rob him. Things escalated, and at the urging of an older gang member, 14-year-old Tony Hicks shot and killed Tariq.
Photo: Tariq Khamisa as a high school senior. Courtesy of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation.
Tony became the youngest person in California, at the time, to be charged as an adult; he was sent to a maximum-security prison at the age of 16.
In the years that followed, Tariq’s father, Azim, came to the realization that “there were victims on both sides of the gun.” Soon after, he reached out to Tony’s grandfather (and guardian), Ples Felix. They developed a friendship and worked side by side to start a restorative justice foundation in Tariq’s name.
Five years after Tariq was killed, Azim went to Folsom State Prison and met Tony for the first time, and they’ve been in touch ever since.
In 2019, at the age of 39, Tony was released from prison. He now works as a plumber and volunteers his time with the Tariq Khamisa Foundation.
Tony and Azim recently spoke over StoryCorps Connect to remember the day they met, and the unexpected connection that was forged between them.
Top Photo: Tony Hicks with Azim Khamisa in 2019. Courtesy of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation.
This interview is part of the Anwar Collection of Muslim Voices through StoryCorps’ American Pathways initiative. This initiative is made possible by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and an Anonymous Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Stuart Family Foundation. It will be archived at the Library of Congress.
Originally aired February 26, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.