Search Interviews

Seto You, age 92/93 or 97/98, is interviewed by his son, Ed You, age 26, about his early days in the USA. He arrived from China in 1916, worked as a cook in this country well into his 80's. He...

The photo featured here is from 1992, our first year together. When Stonewall happened, neither of us knew. We became a couple in Chicago 23 years later. The chorus of CeCe Peniston's "Finally," a tune that was popular during our...

My father’s name is Alan Johnson. He was born in the year 1957 in Royal Oak, Michigan. He told me that his first job was a caddy at a country club but he didn’t know how to carry the clubs...

Longtime friends Buta Muzuri (49) and Pierre Bashale (54) talk about their respective life journeys, including living as political refugees in Boise, Idaho.

Megan Grandstaff (35) and her colleague Becky Kidd (51) talk about their involvement as volunteer fixers at Community Glue Workshop, a free monthly community repair clinic in Chicago.

Charlie Wilson (69) talks to his new acquaintance, Brandi Washington (18), about growing up in Mississippi, moving to the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago in the 1970s, his family, his work, and his advice to young people on making a...

Spouses Jamie Koch (71) and Cathy Koch (71) reminisce about their family, life in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, their involvement with the church, historic preservation, and their occupations.

John Ford, a long-time client of EZRA's, sits down with a member of EZRA's Social Action team to discuss his experiences growing up as a Black man in Chicago, working with EZRA, and gentrification in Uptown, Chicago.

Athena Miller, 8th grade, interviews her grandfather, Tom Zemrowski ("Pops"), about how he met her late grandmother ("Gramzie") at Purdue University in 1965. Other interesting glimpses of his past are revealed as well. Recorded during Thanksgiving 2021.

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.

Xavier McElrath-Bey (43) and James Dold (36) reflect on their childhood and the people that helped them become the men they are today.

Emma VandeWater is a student in the Master of Urban Planning program at the University of Kansas. Sean Tapia is a graduate of the University of Kansas and works at a planning firm in Chicago. In this interview we talked...

Tami Owen (49) interviews her uncle Robert Maddock (89) about his life growing up in a military family, his service in the United States Marines Corps, his work, and his two marriages.

Sue Espey Ellis (55) talks with her father, John Espey (83), about growing up in Clearwater, Florida, attending the same college of Florida State University, Chicago, segregation and desegregation of the north and south.

One Small Step partners Nadene Eads (71) and Helen Poot (70) have a conversation about the need for state services, the fears that drive their choices, and prayer in schools.

Colleagues Terry Conrad (76) and William Marcus (70) discuss their careers in public radio.

Siblings Ambar Rizwan (36) and Daanish Rizwan [no age given] discuss their childhoods, going to a predominately white High School, and expectations from their parents. Daanish describes his UX work and his efforts to bring about representation and inclusion. Ambar...

Michael Stalzer (76) talks to his daughter, Kathy Kubik (46), about growing up on the South Side of Chicago, serving with the 330th Radio Research Company in the Army during the War in Viet Nam, working for ComEd for 38...

One Small Step conversation partners Hannah Mitchell [no age given] and Arlene El-Amin [no age given] discuss growing up in Montreal and Chicago. They also discuss their Unitarian and Muslim beliefs and the ways that their beliefs are similar.

Karol Kennedy (59) talks with her mother, Kristina "Kris" Young Smirl (83), about her childhood, parenting, memories, jobs, and hobbies.

Cleo Francine Wilson (77) speaks to her partner Bob Roth (74) about her first experience at a camp traveling outside of her Chicago West Side neighborhood, and feeling a "fish out of the water" after her trip.

My Grandfather, John Grey, has had an interesting upbringing moving from place to place with his family. He was raised as a young child in Chicago Illinois, and later moved to Dallas Texas with his family. In this interview, Me...

Aidan Bank (14) talks with his mother, Elysa Jimenez (33) about her life being a young mother and how she overcame challenges.

This Interview was conducted as part of a class assignment for SOWK 732 Migration, Human Rights, and Social Justice, a graduate level social work course at Loyola University Chicago. The Interview mainly focuses on immigration and economic justice from the...

Christopher "Chris" Conkell (33) speaks with father, William "Bill" Conkell (74), about his life as a Secret Service agent and health challenges.