True stories of everyday people

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Michael O’Brien

Michael Obrien talks about training to go to India with the Peace Corps in 1973, how growing up in a large family on a Wisconsin dairy farm helped prepare him for that work and how stories and language affect our world view.

Sherril Lyn Adkins

In the Summer of 1966 Sherril Adkins got a job as a waitress at Catfish King in Birmingham, Alabama. Having grown up on integrated military bases she had not yet experienced the racism of ordinary white folks of the South. When the restaurant would not serve an...

Ellen Marcy Rosenthal

Ellen Rosenthal tells of researching the history of her great-grandfather, Maurice Rosenthal, a Jewish peddler during the 1880’s; a challenging time for families living in the tenement apartments of New York City.

Richard Claude Libert

Richard Libert tells of working as attorney in New York City and finding an outlet for his love of performing music. He met Pete Seeger, began singing in a group at coffee houses, then joined forces with his friend Andy with whom he recorded and performed for several...

Don Dale Drennen

In excerpts of his interview, Don Drennen tells about Michael, his partner of 22 years whose life was cut tragically short by Multiple Sclerosis in January 2014. Their relationship was full of love, dedication and compassion for each other and the communities they...

Bryan Hudson

Tired of negative media content in 2000, Bryan Hudson used a Lilly Endowment Grant to establish a Media Camp so that African Americans and other young people could benefit from positive mentoring and learn to be media producers.