“At night she would tell her stories.”

Ellaraino & Baki Annur

Ellaraino experienced a common teenage reaction when she learned she’d have to leave Los Angeles to spend the summer in Louisiana with her great-grandmother, Silvia. Less common was Ellaraino’s realization that Silvia had lived through the Civil War, and had a lot to teach her great-granddaughter about the true meaning of freedom.

Ellaraino’s summer with Silvia took place in the 1950s. Many years later, she came to StoryCorps with her friend Baki AnNur to remember the stories she heard in that Louisiana log cabin.

The short “Silvia’s Legacy” brings to life the original conversation between the two women, available here.

Para subtítulos en español, haga click en el ícono de YouTube en la esquina derecha, y escoja “Spanish” bajo la opción de “settings” y “subtitles/CC.