Philadelphia Poll Worker Supports Her Community, and Inspires Daughter to Do the Same
Cherie DeBrest cast her first ballot nearly 30 years ago and has voted in every election since.
She felt “duty-bound” to vote in honor of those before her who weren’t allowed. She credits her inspiration to early suffragettes, Black women like Mary Church Terrell and Ida B. Wells, who fought for the right to vote in 1920, but never got the chance to vote themselves. She carries their legacy, along with so many others in the fight for civil rights, each time she goes into the voting booth.
But last year, she decided to take it a step further and started working at the polls in her North Philadelphia neighborhood.
Using StoryCorps Connect, she spoke with her 18-year-old daughter, Naima.
Top Photo: Cherie and Naima DeBrest following their StoryCorps interview in Philadelphia, PA on October 21, 2020. Courtesy of Naima DeBrest.
Originally aired October 30, 2020, 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.
“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.
Three Generations Of Women Pharmacists On Living Through The Pandemic
Vivian Garcia Leonard came to the United States as a Cuban refugee and fought to make a name for herself as a hospital pharmacist. She’s been on the job for 59 years, but in the wake of COVID-19 has had to stay home. Now her daughter, Vivian Janet Leonard, and granddaughter, Marissa Sofia Ochs, carry on the family legacy.
They spoke through StoryCorps Connect about the tough choices the coronavirus pandemic demands.
Top Photo: Vivian Garcia Leonard (left), Baby Liana, Marissa Sofia Ochs, and Vivian Janet Leonard. Courtesy of Marissa Ochs.
Bottom Photo: Vivian Garcia Leonard working as a pharmacist.
Originally aired July 3rd, 2020 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Balancing Risk: Doctor Makes Tough Calls Between COVID-19 And Family
Dr. Joseph Kras works in hospice and palliative care in St. Louis, Missouri. After long days treating many COVID-19 patients, he goes home to his 18-year-old daughter Sophie, who has a condition that makes her vulnerable to the virus.
They spoke through StoryCorps Connect about the tough choices the coronavirus pandemic demands.
Top Photo: Dr. Joseph Kras and his daughter, Sophie Kras, at their StoryCorps interview in Olivette, Missouri on June 13th, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Kras family.
Originally aired June 26, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Together At A Distance: How One Doctor’s Family Is Navigating The Risk Of COVID-19
As the Director of Microbiology at a hospital in Rochester, New York, Dr. Roberto Vargas has been working long hours in the lab running COVID-19 tests.
Because of the risk of exposure, he’s been isolating himself from his wife, Susan, and their four young kids over the past two months. At first, he stayed at a hotel near his job, but more recently, he’s moved into the basement of their home.
That’s where Roberto was when he recorded a remote StoryCorps interview with Susan, and their 10-year-old son, Xavier, to talk about what it’s like having to keep their distance from him, even at home.
Top Photo: Roberto Vargas (left), Xavier Vargas, and Susan Vargas at home in Stafford, New York on May 16, 2020. Courtesy of the Vargas Family.
Originally aired May 29, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
‘We’re Like A Lifeline’: Postal Workers Fight Fear To Work In A Pandemic
When Evette Jourdain was struggling to get back on her feet, landing a job as a postal worker in Palm Beach, Florida seemed like a blessing. Now the job carries with it risks she never imagined.
Evette and friend and fellow mail carrier Craig Boddie had a remote conversation using StoryCorps Connect, to talk about what it means for them, personally and professionally, to do their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Originally aired May 15, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Top photo: Craig Boddie and Evette Jourdain in Palm Beach, FL. Courtesy of Craig Boddie and Evette Jourdain for StoryCorps.
A Funeral Director, First Responder And Father: ‘You’re Stronger Than You Feel’
Dan Flynn has a passion for helping people.
As a funeral director in Santa Barbara, California, he’s supported many families during times of loss. But in response to COVID-19, Dan was compelled to help in a different kind of way.
At StoryCorps, he spoke with his daughter Shannon about why he chose to serve at the epicenter of the pandemic, as a member of the national mortuary response team in New York City.
Their interview was recorded using StoryCorps Connect, our new platform that allows loved ones to record interviews while maintaining social distancing.
Top photo: Dan Flynn and his daughter Shannon Doty for StoryCorps. Photos courtesy of Daniel Flynn and Shannon Doty.
Bottom photo: Dan Flynn attends a national mortuary response team training in 2013 in Albuquerque, NM. Photo courtesy of Dan Flynn.
Originally aired May 1, 2020 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
‘We Have A Driver’s Heart’: New York City Bus Operators On Work And Loss During COVID-19
Tyrone Hampton and Frank de Jesus are New York City bus operators and close colleagues. To date they’ve lost 30 fellow bus operators to COVID-19. In all, more than 80 New York City transit workers have died in the pandemic.
They had a remote conversation about work and loss using StoryCorps’ remote recording platform, StoryCorps Connect.
Top Photo: New York City MTA bus operators Tyrone Hampton and Frank de Jesus in their respective homes. Photos courtesy of Hampton and de Jesus.
Originally aired April 24, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.