Brothers Pass On Their Father’s Lessons From The Farm
Arguster and Lebronze Davis grew up on their family’s farm in Wetumpka, Alabama. As two of 17 siblings, they had little time for anything outside of school and work.
The brothers came to StoryCorps to talk about their childhood and remember their dad, Ben Davis.
Top photo: Lebronze and Arguster Davis at their StoryCorps interview in Birmingham on October 3, 2019. By Emilyn Sosa for StoryCorps.
Middle photo: The Davis family during a reunion in Wetumpka, AL, in 1969. Lebronze Davis is not pictured, because he was serving in Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Arguster Davis.
Bottom photo: Hattie and Ben Davis — mother and father to the Davis children — in Wetumpka, AL. Approximately 1951. Photo courtesy of Arguster Davis.
Originally aired November 1, 2019 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“We Missed Knowing Each Other:” 50 Years After Desegregation, Two Classmates Remember
On October 29, 1969, the Supreme Court ordered schools across the country to desegregate, in the little-known but milestone case Alexander v. Holmes. It was 15 years after schools had resisted Brown v. Board of Education, and most black students in the South still attended all-black schools.
Eli Brown and Natalie Guice Adams met in third grade, when their school in Winnsboro, Louisiana first integrated. Brown is black, and Adams is white. As two of the top students, their lives were academically intertwined through elementary and high school, yet deeply separate.
Adams and Brown would go on to become co-valedictorians of the Winnsboro High School class of 1980. Today, Brown is an OBGYN in Birmingham, Alabama, and Adams is a professor at the University of Alabama. At StoryCorps, they sat down to remember life after integration for the first time.
Top photo: Natalie Guice Adams and Eli Brown at their at their StoryCorps interview in Birmingham, AL on October 2, 2019. By Emilyn Sosa for StoryCorps.
Middle photo: Natalie Guice Adams and Eli Brown pose as two of Winnsboro High School’s “Most Likely To Succeed” students. Black and white recipients of the distinction were photographed separately. Photo from the Winnsboro High School 1980 yearbook.
Originally aired October 25, 2019 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“Amnesty Days:” One Father’s Made-Up Day of Forgiveness
There are many religious traditions that help people atone for doing something wrong. But in this StoryCorps conversation, we’ll hear from a dad who created his own method of repentance for his kids.
Vickie and Michael Feldstein grew up in Newton, Massachusetts in the late 1960s. As adults, they came to StoryCorps with their dad, Bernie Feldstein, to talk about what he called “Amnesty Days.”
Top photo: From left to right, the Feldstein family in 1983; Michael, Bernie, Barbara and Vickie in Newton, MA. Courtesy of the Feldstein family.
Originally aired October 11, 2019, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
From Internment to Disney, a Japanese American Artist Draws Strength Through His Work
Willie Ito was a wide-eyed little boy when he first saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in technicolor at his neighborhood movie theater in San Francisco.
That’s the moment he realized he wanted to be an animator.
But Willie’s dreams were interrupted in 1942, when his family was sent to a Japanese American internment camp in Topaz, Utah. He was eight years old at the time.
At 85, Willie came to StoryCorps with his son, Vince, to remember.
Top photo: Willie Ito at his home studio in Los Angeles, CA in the late ‘70s. Courtesy of Willie Ito.
Middle photo: Willie Ito holding a toy Dopey bank. His father bought it for him at a five and dime store when he was a child, before his family was interned in Topaz, UT from 1942 to 1945. Photo by Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan for StoryCorps.
Bottom photo: Vince Ito and Willie Ito at their StoryCorps interview in Los Angeles, CA in September 2019. Photo by Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan for StoryCorps.
Originally aired October 4th, 2019, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Teachers and Educators: Bring StoryCorps to Your Classroom for #TheGreatListen 2019
This year marks the fifth Great Thanksgiving Listen. The Great Listen is a national project that empowers young people to connect with an elder over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and record an interview about their lives using the free StoryCorps App. For the past four years, we have all been working together — teachers, students, and StoryCorps — to create a culture of listening across the United States with the simple concept of asking students to honor someone in their lives with an interview over the Thanksgiving holiday.
This fall, StoryCorps invites teachers and students alike to perform the powerful act of sitting across from a grandparent, a sibling, a mentor, or a friend for 40 minutes, asking important questions, and listening carefully to their answers.
To that end, we put together the new 2019 Teacher Toolkit to help support the efforts of educators in classrooms across the country. It’s full of curriculum ideas and student handouts, tips for recording a great interview, and resources for implementing The Great Listen in your classroom over the next few months.
You can learn more at TheGreatListen.org, or download the 2019 Teacher Toolkit.
We look forward to making history with you and your students this year!
If you would like to hear from fellow educators or share your own experiences and tips for The Great Thanksgiving Listen, head over to the StoryCorps in the Classroom Facebook group.
We’re Still Here
At StoryCorps, we have a fierce commitment to raising up the voices of those we rarely hear from. In the LGBTQ community, those are often the voices of trans women of color.
So in this episode, we’ll hear from those who have frequently been the first to stand up for equality — but are typically the last to be recognized for their contributions.
Our first story comes from 72-year-old Felicia “Flames” Elizondo, who as a teenager, found her way to the Tenderloin district in San Francisco, where she met other LGBTQ people for the first time. She came to StoryCorps to talk about hanging out at Gene Compton’s Cafeteria, the site of a lesser-known turning point in the fight for LGBTQ rights in the 1960s.
Our second story features Alexis Martinez, who grew up on Chicago’s South Side. She sat down for StoryCorps with her daughter, Lesley Martinez Etherly, to remember what it was like to come out as transgender — and how their relationship has evolved over time.
Next, we’ll hear from the family of Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old transgender woman who was killed in 2008.
Angie’s family recorded two interviews at StoryCorps to remember her: one between her sister and niece, and another between her mother and brother.
Lastly, we’ll hear from Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a trans elder who’s been fighting to protect people in her community for close to six decades. At 78 years old, Miss Major sat down with her good friend Jay Toole at StoryCorps in New York City.
Top photo: Artwork by Michael Caines.
Middle photo: Felicia “Flames” Elizondo at StoryCorps in San Francisco, CA in 2014. By Yosmay del Mazo.
Middle photo: Alexis Martinez and Lesley Martinez Etherly at StoryCorps in Chicago, IL in 2013. By Yasmina Guerda.
Middle photo: Angie Zapata. Courtesy of Maria Zapata.
Middle left photo: Ashley Zapata and Jessica Murguia at StoryCorps in Brighton, CO in 2018. By Liyna Anwar.
Middle right photo: Maria Zapata and Gonzalo Zapata at StoryCorps in Brighton, CO in 2018. By Liyna Anwar.
Bottom photo: Miss Major and Jay Toole in Oakland, CA in 2013. By Syd London.
Released on July 16, 2019.
Like the music in this episode? Support the artists:
“Overture” by Patrick Wolf from the album Sundark and Riverlight
“Foreign Ghosts” by Matt Stevens
“Filing Away” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Crab Shack
“Black Band of Water” by Snake Oil
“Vittoro” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Aeronaut
A Danger To My Country
In the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy was searching the country for suspected communists during the Red Scare. But what many people don’t know is that along with communism, ”sexual perversion” was also seen as a threat to national security. As a result, thousands of LGBTQ people, in all levels of government, were investigated — and many were outed, fired, or forced to resign.
In this episode of the StoryCorps podcast, you’ll hear the story of Bobby Cutler, who served during the Eisenhower administration as the first U.S. National Security Advisor. Cutler is the man behind Executive Order 10450, which led to a culture of fear and repression for LGBTQ people, or what we now know as the Lavender Scare.
But Cutler’s role in the Lavender Scare was unknown for years. Cutler died in 1974, and we’ll hear from Peter Shinkle, Bobby Cutler’s great nephew, who discovered this and more when he read his great uncle’s diaries decades later.
We’ll also hear from colleagues and friends of Cutler’s. Steve Benedict worked in the White House with Cutler. Steve also introduces us to another friend and colleague of Cutler’s, Skip Koons. We’ll then hear from Ed Glazbrook, who was Skip Koons’s partner for 36 years, until Koons’s death in 2005.
Finally, we’ll hear about how LGBTQ people outside of the government dealt with discrimination in the workplace. Dick Titus and Zeek Taylor have been together for nearly 50 years, but when they moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1975, they went to great lengths to hide their relationship so Dick could stay employed.
Top photo: Artwork by Michael Caines.
Second photo: Peter Shinkle and Steve Benedict at their StoryCorps interview in Gettysburg, PA. By Jud Esty-Kendall.
Third photo: Skip Koons (above left) with Bobby Cutler (above right). Courtesy of Peter Shinkle.
Fourth photo: Skip Koons at the American Embassy in Paris shortly before he resigned after coming under investigation for his homosexuality. Courtesy of Ed Glazbrook.
Fifth photo: Peter Shinkle with Ed Glazbrook at their StoryCorps interview in New York City, New York. By Rochelle Kwan.
Bottom photo: Dick Titus and Zeek Taylor at their StoryCorps interview in 2015 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. By Natalia Fidelholtz.
Special thanks to the Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Marquette University Libraries for the archival audio of Senator Joseph McCarthy. To hear a longer portion of this audio, visit the library’s website. For more information about the Lavender Scare, Peter Shinkle wrote a book, Ike’s Mystery Man, about Bobby Cutler’s life and involvement in the Lavender Scare.
Released on July 9th, 2019.
Like the music in this episode? Support the artists:
“Overture” by Patrick Wolf from the album Sundark and Riverlight
“Untitled #5” by Yusuke Tsutsumi from the album Birds Flying in the Dark
“Black Band of Water” by Snake Oil
“Watermarks” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Crab Shack
“Foreign Ghosts” by Matt Stevens
“Cast In Wicker” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Aeronaut
Stonewall OutLoud: A New Documentary
Beginning in the early hours of June 28, 1969, the Stonewall riots were a turning point in the movement for LGBTQ rights. “Stonewall OutLoud,” a documentary in partnership with YouTube Originals and World of Wonder Productions, celebrates the voices and memories of people who were there, interpreted by a cast of actors and public figures.
Many of the voices featured were recorded by StoryCorps founder Dave Isay as part of his 1989 radio documentary Remembering Stonewall. For many of the recording participants involved, this was the first time they had ever been interviewed about their experiences at Stonewall.
We’re sharing these stories as part of Stonewall OutLoud, our national effort to record and preserve the voices of LGBTQ elders during this anniversary year. Get inspired by listening to more voices and stories, and pledge to add a recording to the collection.
Finding Sanctuary at Aunt Shirley’s Farm
Tina Dietz grew up in rural North Dakota in the 1980s. Though her home life was turbulent, there was one place she felt most loved.
In 2018, she came to StoryCorps with her partner, Patrick Conteh, to remember.
Top photo: Tina Dietz and Patrick Conteh at StoryCorps in Bismarck, North Dakota. By Savannah Winchester for StoryCorps.
Bottom photo: Tina’s great aunt Shirley Krosch, who passed away in 2012. Courtesy of Tina Dietz.
Originally aired June 28th, 2019, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Remembering Stonewall: 50 Years Later
In this episode of the StoryCorps podcast, we take you back to the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, when police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. These raids were common in those days, but on this particular night, when patrons fought back, the world took notice.
The so-called riots that unfolded over six nights has been called a turning point in the movement for LGBTQ rights.
First, we bring you an excerpt from a documentary produced in 1989 by StoryCorps founder, Dave Isay, called Remembering Stonewall. For many of the people involved, this was the first time they had ever been interviewed about their experiences at Stonewall.
Next, we’ll hear Michael Levine in conversation with his friend Matthew Merlin about Michael’s involvement in Stonewall and what it meant to him years after the fact.
And finally, excerpts from Stonewall OutLoud, StoryCorps’ effort to document the stories of LGBTQ elders before they are lost to history.
Top photo: Artwork by Michael Caines.
Second photo: The Stonewall Inn on July 2, 1969. Credit Larry Morris/The New York Times/Redux.
Third photo: Matthew Merlin and his friend Michael Levine at the New York City StoryCorps booth in June of 2009. Photo by Katie Simon.
Bottom photo left: Amanda Berry and Christina Cipriani Xavier at their StoryCorps interview for Stonewall OutLoud.
Bottom photo right: Alexis Martinez and Luan Joy Sherman at their StoryCorps interview for Stonewall OutLoud.
Released on June 25, 2019.