StoryCorps Atlanta

StoryCorps: Gnimbin Ouattara

Kate Sweeney — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:50:08 +0000

In 2001, Ivory Coast native Gnimbin Albert Ouattara came to the U.S. on a prestigious Fulbright scholarship to study history.

At Georgia State, advisors suggested his first name would be hard to pronounce, and so they made his middle name, Albert, his first name on school records.

Then 9-11 happened, and the simple name-change ended up complicating Gnimbin’s life more than anyone had predicted.

StoryCorps: Bert Adams

Myke Johns — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:28:28 +0000

At a time when many people think about retiring, Bert Adams started thinking about hiking the entire Appalachian trail, a trail going more than 2,000 miles that starts in Georgia and ending in Maine. Usually it takes about five or six months of hiking every day to complete the trail and only about a quarter of hikers who start the trail finish it. At StoryCorps, Bert Adams explained the appeal … and what happened next.

StoryCorps: Julie Cardwell

Kate Sweeney — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:44:27 +0000

Julie Cardwell spent a few years thinking there was a chance she’d never have kids. That was 25 years ago.

She brought her son McLaren, now 21, to StoryCorps to tell him the story of his unlikely beginnings.

StoryCorps Atlanta comes to you in partnership with the Atlanta History Center.

StoryCorps: Sirretha Joy & Felicia Joy

Kate Sweeney — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:42:00 +0000

As a child in the 1940s, Sirretha Joy grew up on a family farm in rural Mississippi.

Her father died when she was young, and so at age seven she began cooking, cleaning, and caring for her five younger siblings.

At StoryCorps, she told her daughter Felicia Joy about her ambitions to get off the farm, and what came of them.

StoryCorps: Kendall Brown

Kate Sweeney — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:35:00 +0000

Kendall Brown grew up as an African-American female. It was an identity and a body that never felt right, and which caused uncomfortable scrutiny.

Since 2011, Kendall’s been taking hormones and undergoing surgeries to transition completely to male. He described his experience to his friend, A.J. Jones.

StoryCorps: Bill Kuen & Hope Lawler

Kate Sweeney — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:36:00 +0000

Volunteer Hope Lawler spends an hour each week with Bill Kuen, a 94-year-old hospice patient. His vision has faded, so she’s been reading back to him some of the love letters he sent his wife Helen during their 59 years together.

At StoryCorps, Hope began the conversation.

Bill’s family estimates that over nearly six decades with his wife, he wrote her between 200 and 300 letters.

StoryCorps Atlanta comes to you in partnership with the Atlanta History Center.

StoryCorps: Beth Zemsky

Kate Sweeney — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:30:00 +0000

Beth Zemsky of Minneapolis is an activist for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights. At StoryCorps Atlanta, she told fellow activist Kierra Johnson about a deeply affecting moment back in 1987—at the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.

This story was recorded at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Creating Change Conference.

StoryCorps Atlanta comes to you in partnership with the Atlanta History Center.

StoryCorps: John Seay and Jennifer Teems

Kate Sweeney — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:35:00 +0000

John Seay is a lawyer and musician, but talking in front of other people hasn’t always been easy for him. He’s one of millions of people with a speech impediment.

These days, not everyone picks up on it, including his wife, Jennifer Teems.

StoryCorps Atlanta comes to you in partnership with the Atlanta History Center.

StoryCorps: Ana Maria Martinez

Kate Sweeney — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Ana Maria Martinez was raised in Colombia with her mom and extended family, as well as a maid. She was content there.

But then her mom fell in love with an American man, and Ana Maria found herself in a new country at the age of 12. She told the story of her arrival to the U.S. to her husband, Mario Martinez.

StoryCorps: Pat Hussain & Pam McMichael

Kate Sweeney — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Pat Hussain is a longtime advocate for gay rights, but her journey to become a face of social change hasn’t always been easy. At StoryCorps, friend and fellow activist Pam McMichael began by asking Hussain a question.

A warning: Some of the language in this story may not be appropriate for all listeners.

StoryCorps Atlanta comes to you in partnership with the Atlanta History Center.