The First And Second In Flight — Two Black Women Make Coast Guard History
The U.S. Coast Guard currently has more than 800 pilots. They perform crucial search and rescue missions, often in adverse weather situations.
For 215 years, not a single one of them was a Black woman.
That was, until Jeanine Menze joined in 2005, becoming the first.
Cmdr. Jeanine Menze, stationed at Air Station Barbers Point, Oahu, Hawaii in 2006. USCG photo by PA2 Jennifer Johnson.
Two years later, she met La’Shanda Holmes and introduced her to the world of flight. La’Shanda would then go on to earn her own wings, becoming the second.
Lashanda Holmes at Air Station Los Angeles. U.S, in 2010. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class Adam Eggers.
Lieutenant Commander La’Shanda Holmes and Commander Jeanine Menze came to StoryCorps to remember that time, and reflect on the impact they’ve made in each other’s lives.
By 2014 there were five Black women pilots in the Coast Guard, nicknamed “The Fab Five”. Since then, that number has gone up, adding a sixth…with more waiting in the wings…
From left to right are Cmdr. Jeanine Menze, MH-65 helicopter pilot Lt. Cmdr. LaShanda Holmes, HC-144 fixed wing pilot Lt. Angel Hughes, MH-60 helicopter pilot Lt. Chanel Lee, HC-144 fixed wing pilot Lt. Ronaqua Russell. 2019. Photo by Lt.Cmdr. Ryan P Kelley.
Originally aired October 2, 2021 on NPR’s Weekend Edition.
Top Photo: From left to right, Jeanine Menze and La’Shanda Holmes, at La’Shanda’s flight school graduation at NAS Whiting Field, Milton, FL, in 2010. Courtesy of La’Shanda Holmes.
A Family Remembers A Civil Rights Activist On The 60th Anniversary Of His Killing
Herbert Lee, Sr. was a businessman, farmer and activist for racial equality in 1950s Mississippi.
On September 25, 1961, he was murdered in Liberty, MS. His white killer, Mississippi state legislator, E.H. Hurst, was acquitted the very next day.
On the 60th anniversary of his death, Shirley Lee Riley — Lee’s youngest child — and her son, Clifton Franklin, sat down for StoryCorps to remember Herbert Lee’s civil rights legacy.
Herbert Lee’s daughter, Shirley Lee Riley, and her son, Clifton Franklin. Courtesy of Clifton Franklin.
Top Photo: Herbert Lee, Sr. and Prince Estella Lee. Courtesy of Clifton Franklin.
For Those Left Behind: An Afghan American Marine Reflects On His Homeland
In 1980, Ajmal Achekzai fled Afghanistan during the onset of the Soviet–Afghan War, leaving his birth city of Kabul behind. He was only five years old.
The next time he would return would be in November of 2001. U.S. Marines were the first major ground forces sent to Afghanistan after 9/11. Ajmal was among them.
Cpl. Ajmal Achekzai talks with two Afghan locals on December 10, 2001 at the perimeter of a patrol base in Southern Afghanistan. Photo by Sgt. Joseph R. Chenelly/USMC/Getty Images.
Twenty years later, Ajmal is witnessing the return of Taliban control. He sat down with StoryCorps to remember where he came from, the dire uncertainty of Afghanistan’s future and the love he has for its people.
Ajmal Achekzai with his mother, in July of 2001, at the Salt Lake International Airport. Courtesy of the Achekzai family.
Top Photo: Ajmal Achekzai at his StoryCorps interview in Costa Mesa, CA, on August 19th, 2016. By Liyna Anwar for StoryCorps.
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 September 03, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Divided By Immigration Status: Brothers Reflect On Their Bond
Growing up in Bakersfield, California, Randy Villegas and his older brother Angel lived under the same roof, but in separate realities: Randy was a U.S. citizen, but Angel was undocumented.
Randy (left) and Angel (right) at the California Speedway car show, in Fontana, CA. in 1999
In 2012, Angel became a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, a government program that protects nearly 700,000 immigrants brought into the United States as children from deportation. It also grants them a range of benefits, such as work permits and health insurance from employers who offer it. Despite this, every decision Angel makes is still influenced by the uncertainty of his residency status.
The two siblings came to StoryCorps in 2020, when they were in their twenties, to talk for the first time about the moment Angel realized he was undocumented, and how that affected their relationship.
Top Photo: Angel and Randy Villegas at Angel’s graduation ceremony from the New School of Architecture & Design in San Diego in 2018. Courtesy of the participants.
This interview is part of the 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 23rd, 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.
‘Just the Two of Us’: A Grandfather’s Musical Legacy
William Salter, 84, helped write one of America’s most iconic love songs, ‘Just the Two of Us’ — made famous by Grover Washington Jr. in 1981. But before he became a renowned musician, William was “just another kid on the block,” trying to find himself. He grew up in New York City, the child of a single working mother, and learned that music would be his greatest companion.
Decades later, after building a successful music career, William became a proud grandfather. He and his eldest granddaughter Jada spent most of their summers together, bonding over music and playtime.
Photo: (R) William Salter, his granddaughter Jada and her father (L) Jamal Salter. Courtesy of Jada Salter.
In January of 2021, using StoryCorps Connect, Jada, 25, asked her grandfather how he first found his sound.
Top Photo: Young Jada Salter and her grandfather William in 2002. Courtesy of Jamal Salter.
Originally aired February 12, 2021 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
2 Sisters on Enjoying Life: “Instead of a Drama or a Novela, Make It a Sitcom”
Brenda Ulloa Martinez and her sister, Corina Ulloa, grew up in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles in the 1980s.
Both of their parents worked. Prior to opening a bridal shop together, Irma worked as a seamstress in a factory and Arnulfo as a delivery truck driver. So the young sisters would often rely on public transportation to get to school. This also meant they’d return home to an empty house.
Left to right: Brenda Ulloa Martinez, at age 4, and Corina Ulloa, at age 2, in their family apartment in Los Angeles in the 1970s.
In 2010, they came to StoryCorps to share some of their hard-earned wisdom with the next generation: Brenda’s daughters, Camila Martinez and Isabela Martinez.
Top Photo (left to right): Corina Ulloa, Brenda Ulloa Martinez, Camila Martinez, and Isabela Martinez at their StoryCorps interview in Los Angeles, California on March 6, 2010. By Alejandro De La Cruz for StoryCorps.
Originally aired January 29, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Our Own Mountains to Climb: How A Personal Trainer Inspired a 90-Year-Old to Embrace His True Self
A few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, we heard from 90-year-old Kenneth Felts, a man who amidst quarantine, decided it was time to confront a truth he’d been hiding for more than 60 years.
After coming out — first to his daughter, then publicly — Ken wanted to talk to the one person who inspired him the most: his personal trainer, David Smith.
The two met back in 2013, at Ken’s local rec. center in Colorado. From water aerobics to weightlifting, what started as a professional relationship quickly blossomed into a friendship; one that ultimately helped Ken find the strength to be exactly who he was.
Top Photo: David Smith and Ken Felts in Denver, Colorado in 2013. Courtesy of David Smith.
Bottom Photo: David Smith and Ken Felts at a training session in 2017. Courtesy of David Smith.
Originally aired December 11, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
A Road Trip And Lost Time: A Father And Son Reconnect After 30 Years
For many of us, living through this pandemic is a reminder of the importance of strengthening our connections with loved ones. Now, reflections from a father and son who did just that.
When T. Chick McClure was growing up, they were really close to their dad, Chas McClure. They spent time fishing, sledding, and swinging a bat in the backyard. But when Chick was 14 years old their parents divorced and their dad moved away for his job in the Navy. They spent the next 30 years having a distant relationship, speaking only occasionally.
Chas McClure and T. Chick McClure in McClure Pass, Colorado. Photo Courtesy of T. Chick McClure.
But after 30 years Chick decided to change that. Not long after, Chas responded by inviting them on a two week road trip through the Southwest. They used StoryCorps Connect to remember the trip that brought them back together.
Originally aired August 14, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Top Photo: T. Chick McClure and Chas McClure in Los Angeles, California. Courtesy of T. Chick McClure.
‘Why Do You Take Me To Protests So Much?’: A Black Father Answers Tough Questions From His Son
When 9-year-old Aidan Sykes sat down to interview his dad, Albert Sykes, he had some serious questions. Albert, who runs an education nonprofit and mentors kids who are struggling in school, talked to Aidan about Black fatherhood, and his hopes for his son’s future.
Aidan interviewed Albert at StoryCorps in Jackson, Mississippi.
Top Photo: Albert and Aidan Sykes at their StoryCorps interview in Jackson, Mississippi in 2015. By Vanessa Gonzalez-Block for StoryCorps.
Middle Photo: Albert and Aidan Sykes in Jackson, Mississippi, 2020. Photo courtesy of Albert Sykes.
Originally aired March 20, 2015, on NPR’s Morning Edition. Rebroadcast on June 5, 2020, on the same program.