StoryCorps

Dr. Leon Chestang grew up in a tight-knit neighborhood in Mobile, Ala. during the 1940s. He paints a vivid image of his early childhood for StoryCorps. He remembers the activities the children would engage in and how interesting the people were that lived on his street. He also tells of a time his brother attempted to run away from home, and how he came to realize he could use his experience to write a manuscript to help young African American men... 

Edited by Corey Carpenter      

As a child, Dr. William Pollard’s parents taught him to always be appreciative of those who help him throughout his life’s journey. As a result, he credits his many academic achievements to those who have assisted him along his professional path.

When Dr. Pollard sat down at StoryCorps, he went into detail about some of those people – from a minister in Raleigh, North Carolina to those closest to him, like his wife – highlighting their roles in his path to success in the world of higher education...

Edited by Corey Carpenter

In this StoryCorps segment, friends Bobbi Kidd and Betty Jo Fain talk about how they met around 10 years ago while living in transitional housing at Sybil Smith in Mobile, Ala. Bobbi mentions how she remembers the vision board Betty created while living in Sybil Smith and how it accurately portrays the life that Betty is living now..

Edited by Jalen Hutchinson

Colleagues and friends J.C. Barker and Dorothy Morrison have both worked with the Mobile Symphony Orchestra for years. 

The pair stopped by StoryCorps to talk about the importance of music education in Mobile. Dorothy tells us how she became involved with the orchestra and they both discuss the aspects they believe are most powerful about having such a positive organization in their community...  

Edited by Corey Carpenter

Kitty and her husband Dean had a daughter with Cerebral Palsy and together, they started the U.S. Handicapable Square Dance Association in Mobile, Ala. In this StoryCorps piece, Kitty sat down with StoryCorps facilitators to talk about her late husband’s commitment and passion for developing an event for handicapables – those who are mentally disabled – to come and dance...

Edited by Jalen Hutchinson

At StoryCorps, former U.S. Attorney for Southern Alabama Kenyen Brown spoke with professor and community partner Demetrius Semien about how the two came to meet at the re-entry council Kenyen founded in Mobile.

Demetrius talks about battling alcoholism, getting arrested and coming out on the other side. He also shares how the work he's done in conjunction with Kenyen has helped him come full circle in his journey... 

Edited by Corey Carpenter

Harold English and his daughter Jennifer have a lot in common - from spirituality to personality traits, and a love for the ocean.

They sat down at StoryCorps to discuss these similarities. Harold tells Jennifer about surfing and how it helped form his new outlook on spirituality, and he reminisces about special moments when Jennifer was a baby...

Edited by Corey Carpenter

Sisters Lillian, Joy and Mary have always loved their hometown of Gulf Shores, Ala. 

They reflect on their childhood on the Gulf at StoryCorps – growing up as the daughters of a fisherman and fond memories of their grandparents. The eldest sister, Lillian, shares how she married a shrimper and helped start the popular Gulf Shores Shrimp Festival, an event that has become a big tradition and has helped increase tourism in the town over the years...

Edited by Corey Carpenter

In this StoryCorps interview, 11-year-old Mia’s unruffled personality comes out while quizzing her mother Cara about the details of her happiest moments and the future hopes she has for Mia. The joy displayed in Cara’s answers perfectly displays a mother’s love for her daughter...

Edited by Kierra Wright

In this StoryCorps interview, Aaron talks with his daughter Jennifer about his experience going to prison, and how it affected Jennifer’s lifestyle. Although he faced some struggles following his release, Aaron didn’t allow those struggles to stop him from becoming an author and motivational speaker...

Edited by Kierra Wright

In this StoryCorps interview, Angela Jordan speaks with her daughter Vivienne and her husband Chris about the "Christmas tornado" that hit their home in 2012. They discuss their memories of that destructive time and what their neighborhood looks like now...  

Edited by Kierra Wright

In this heartwarming StoryCorps interview, 11-year-old Molly Johnson talks to her dad Matthew about the day she was born, some of their favorite memories, and what she’s looking forward to in life. You can’t miss the love that this father and daughter have for each other in the laughter they share...

Edited by Anastasiya Titarenko

In this StoryCorps interview, Krista Harrell talks to her friend Justine Burbank about how her first love set the tone for how she views love; this newfound perspective has given Krista insight on her personal love language and how to properly give love to her future partner...

Edited by Kierra Wright      

Cudjoe Kazoola Lewis was the longest-living survivor of the Clotilda. the last-recorded slave ship to land in the United States in Mobile Bay. In the 1860s, Lewis founded Africatown with a group of other Clotilda survivors – just three miles north of downtown Mobile. Many of Lewis’ descendants still live in Africatown today.

April Livingston is an artist and resident of Mobile. In 2016, she created a bust of Lewis for Africatown’s Union Missionary Baptist Church. In this StoryCorps interview, April tells her boyfriend Andrew about the time she spent on this project and how it has led to her personal growth.

*The original monument was carved by Henry Williams in 1959 and was stolen from the courtyard in front of the Union Baptist Church of Plateau outside of Mobile in 2002...

Edited by Anastasiya Titarenko

Fredrick D. Richardson is from Nymph, Alabama - a small town in Conecuh County. Now he is the oldest elected official in tenure in the city of Mobile. He sat down with his friend Maria Gonzalez at StoryCorps to talk about everything he’s overcome to make it where he is today...

Edited by Anastasiya Titarenko

Susie Richardson and Mae Ceal Herndon are sisters-in-law and close friends. In this StoryCorps piece, Susie reflects on her childhood and how her life has exceeded her expectations. She tells Mae about having to wear casts and braces on her legs as a child and learning to walk without them despite her doctor’s predictions...

Edited by Anastasiya Titarenko

Meredith Portman always knew she wanted to be a mother, so after being a foster mom she adopted her daughter Brianna. Meredith sat down with her mom and Brianna at StoryCorps in Mobile to reminisce about Brianna’s adoption day and share their hopes for the future...

Edited by Anastasiya Titarenko

When Ed and Sarah Jane Masline found out they were going to have a baby, they didn’t know what to expect. But they never thought their son Robert would be born with severe hemophilia. In this StoryCorps interview, Sarah Jane talks to her husband about their experience finding out Robert’s diagnosis and what they’ve learned since then...

Edited by Anastasiya Titarenko

Artist Chris Cumbie shaped his nontraditional, artistic style in rural Alabama. From a young age, his grandfather taught him how to use what was around him to build what he needed. While at StoryCorps, Chris spoke with his fiancé Harriet Shade about his childhood and the influence of the support and encouragement she’s provided him and his son Christian. 

Christian has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and his resilience to overcome his condition and make art has reminded Chris to always make the best of the hand he's been dealt...

Edited by Corey Carpenter

In this StoryCorps interview, Mark Ryan asks his friend Jeremy Wolff about his decision to leave his corporate job to pursue his passion for music festivals – a decision that has led to Jeremy’s freedom. The two friends also discuss how Jeremy’s newfound freedom has pushed him towards his dream and his true purpose for being on this planet...

Edited by Kierra Wright

In this StoryCorps piece, nine-year-old Juan Mario talks to his mom and dad about their childhoods in Venezuela and Mexico and learns about the commonalities and differences between their lives...

Edited by Anastasiya Titarenko

Juan Torres and his wife are immigrants from Mexico and Venezuela, respectively, who now live in Mobile, Alabama. They sat down at StoryCorps and gave their son Juan Mario a chance to ask about what inspired them to start their nonprofit - “Belong” - to help immigrants in Mobile...

Edited by Anastasiya Titarenko

Ramez Skaff immigrated to the United States in 1970 from Lebanon. In this StoryCorps piece, his daughter Adele Hapworth asks him about what he experienced when he moved to the U.S., how he met his wife and what he values most in life...

Edited by Anastasiya Titarenko

Cai Unger and Ariel Chavez are immigrants from completely different parts of the globe – Germany and Bolivia. They met and fell in love in Mobile, Alabama. In this StoryCorps piece, the happily married husbands talk about their wedding day and their hopes for the future...

Edited by Anastasiya Titarenko  

As a birthday gift to her mom Beth Gibson, Chris Gibson Barraza had a unique idea in mind: to use the StoryCorps platform to discuss their individual experiences - her parents being in a biracial relationship and Chris growing up as a biracial child in an all-white neighborhood – experiences that have had lasting effects...

Edited by Kierra Wright  

In 2010, Bethany Kraft and Casi Callaway were colleagues working for different environmental nonprofits in Mobile, Alabama. When the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, they didn’t know what to expect or what the impact would be. In this StoryCorps piece, Bethany and Casi reflect on how that horrific disaster changed the Gulf Coast and their lives...

Edited by Anastasiya Titarenko  

Chandra Brown led her parents John Spears and Charleen Brown to StoryCorps so they could talk about their earliest experiences with segregation. Chandra’s father discusses how segregation wasn’t only prevalent in the south, while her mother speaks on her experiences with prejudices in college and offers some parting wisdom on living a fulfilled life... 

Edited by Corey Carpenter

In 2008, Andrea Mills lost her sister Brooke to cancer. Brooke cut off contact with her family because of differing beliefs, but she and Andrea reunited once she became ill. Andrea sits down with StoryCorps facilitator Vera Carothers to discuss her sisters last days and how those last days have impacted her life...    

Edited by Corey Carpenter

In many parent-child relationships, things are left unsaid. In this StoryCorps interview, a mother and son tackle some big questions and come to understand each other more fully; Mark Terry asks his mother Toni about the challenges she faced when she got divorced, accepting her sexuality and how her family came to accept her and her partner Dee Dee...  

Edited by Anastasiya Titarenko 

J.D. Crowe has been working as a political cartoonist in Alabama for nearly 20 years. In this StoryCorps piece, Crowe sits down with his friend Lynne Oldshue to discuss his parents’ influence on his drawing, as well as the impact of his work in the current political climate...

Edited by Corey Carpenter