Search Interviews

Akiba Shabazz talks with her daughters Naja and Zuri about her life growing up with her parents in Memphis, her marriages and travels.

A woman interviews her husband about growing up in rural Georgia and moving to Detroit where he joined a band. He then interviews her about her childhood in Brooklyn, and the blending of their two families.

Akili Brown talks to his friend Alexis Peskine about their time at Howard University together, the Jamaican school system, their favorite music and how they want to be remembered.

Atem Da’Hajhock (28) and John Kuai (27) talk with Joan Hecht (57) about their experiences as one of the many young refugees from Sudan called the Lost Boys.

Carlissia, 21, interviews Sylverna, 57, about growing up in Virginia and Baltimore during the Civil Rights Movement, her interest in libraries, becoming Dean of Libraries at the University of Memphis, and the problems facing African Americans today.

Troy Grant (41) talks to his former student, Alexis Saunders (17), about how he started teaching, his educational philosophy, and some of his favorite classroom memories.

Christina Mongomery (25) talks to facilitator Eloise Melzer (29) about being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 2 years ago and how it has affected her life.

Melvin Taylor (49) asks his associate Doris Green about her career as an ethnomusicologist, her creation of Greenotation (an integrated score of percussive music and dance notation), and the time she spent traveling in Africa to learn more about the...

Chandra Blackwell, 40, interviews her mother Nadine Blackwell, 80, about her memory and involvement in Brown vs. the Board of Education, integrating the Topeka Fire Department, and integrating the downtown Topeka restaurants.

Tricia Nelson interviews her parents, Horace and Carol Nelson about their decision to marry and immigrate to the United States at a very young age.

Andy Phelan (53) talks with his friend long time Civil and Human Rights Activist John Evans (86) about John's childhood, his education, and his career to include being Dekalb County's 1st African American Commissioner.

Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law Tonia Reaves (51) and Robin Young (23) talk about their experiences in school. They reflect on the impact of racism on their educational upbringings, their experiences adapting to multi-racial school environments, and their hopes for future generations.

Malik Brooks (14) and his teacher Matthew Coons (28) talk about music, school and violence in the community.

Jamaal D. Fisher (30) talks with StoryCorps Facilitator Marquita James (24) about his life.

Marcia Drummond (50) and her One Small Step partner Timothy Huntington (60) discuss parenting and parenthood, political ideologies, class, and how their youth influenced their views on the meaning of life.

William (Bill) Mayweather (71) and his granddaughter Lauren Jefferson (15) are interviewed by their daughter/mother, Tonya Groomes (45) about a member of their family being part of the Pulitzer Prize winning book “Slavery By Another Name.”

Yvette J. Benjamin (62) tells her friend, Dr. Linda Degutis (55), of her career path in medicine and describes her life in semi-retirement.

Advisor and advisee, A’dja Jones (33) and Manuela Ngo Tonye Nyemeck (21), have a conversation about their experiences as black women, how covid affected them, and day-to-day life.

Vernell talks to her granddaughter about her childhood, early adult life, travels to West Africa and advice on family life. Her parents were strict and also sacrificed so their children could attend a private Methodist school. The school was attended...

Friends and colleagues Alison Benders (65) and Margaret [No Name Given] (65) talk about their Catholic upbringings and their experiences with religion in adulthood. They reflect on what pilgrimage, faith, and community have meant to them.

Friends Timothy D. Holley, 36, and Marcus M. Williams, 25, discuss comemorating Martin Luther King Day, their careers and spirituality.

Jarrod Sport (37) interviews conversation partner and new friend Dr. Donald Felder (73) about his personal experience with school desegregation.

Friends Grace Williams [no age given] and Maria Granville (65) talk about Ms. Grace's childhood in Harlem, the history and culture of the neighborhood, and their hopes for the future of their community.

Sarah Padgett (24) interviews new friend Brandy Tolbert (34) about Brandy’s childhood, her family, and her children. Brandy also talks about her role as the director of the Literacy Alliance and how she discovered her passion for literacy work.