“She’s probably the strongest woman you’ll ever meet.” Remembering the Mother of Women’s Judo
Women’s judo wasn’t allowed into the Olympics until 1988, after martial arts champion Rusty Kanokogi threatened to sue the International Olympic Committee for discrimination. This helped earn her the nickname, “the mother of women’s judo.”
Her daughter, Jean Kanokogi, remembers a physically powerful figure with a presence so imposing “You didn’t even have to turn around, because you felt that she was in that room.”
Eve Aronoff Trivella was coached by Rusty on the first U.S. women’s judo team at the 1988 games. At StoryCorps, she and Jean remembered what that competition meant to Rusty… and a pivotal moment from her early life that brought her there.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired July 19, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
How One Man Found Purpose in Being a Death Doula
Michael Rogers has found great pride in his work as a death doula, providing spiritual and emotional support to those transitioning to the end of their lives.
Michael Rogers and a friend at the Bastrop Federal Penitentiary in Bastrop, Texas in the late 80s. Courtesy of Michael Rogers.
This work also made Michael reflect on his own life and choices. As Michael told his stepson at StoryCorps, some of those choices landed him in prison where he realized he wanted to live a meaningful life.
Michael Rogers and his brother’s at Michael’s wedding in the Lower East Side, New York, in 2004. Courtesy of Michael Rogers.
Michael Rogers at the House of Refuge Church of God and Christ in Los Angeles, California. Courtesy of Michael Rogers.
Top Photo: Michael Rogers at his StoryCorps interview in Manhattan, New York on March 19, 2006. By Laura Spero for StoryCorps.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired July 12th, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“I Was Born In A Refugee Camp.” Two Sisters Reflect On Struggle And Survival
Sisters Mai Lo Lee and Beth Lo grew up in a large Hmong family on a ginseng farm in Wisconsin. But their story dates back to the American War in Vietnam.
Originally from Laos, the Lo family fled persecution after the country fell to communist forces in the mid 1970s. The new regime declared the Hmong people enemies of the state, as they’d fought alongside the U.S. against the communist government.
The Lo family in the Ban Vinai Holding Center, Thailand, in 1980. Photo courtesy of Mai Lo Lee.
The Lo family crossed the Mekong River, which borders Laos and Thailand, and spent years in the Ban Vinai Holding Center—a refugee camp in Thailand. In 1980, six months after Mai was born, they immigrated to the U.S. and resettled in Wisconsin, where the parents found work as ginseng farmers.
Beth and Mai Lo with their father, Sai Vue Lo, in Wausau, WI, circa 2018. Photo courtesy of Mai Lo Lee.
At StoryCorps, the sisters reflected on their family’s struggles and survival, their Hmong heritage, and how a rice steamer became a family legend.
Top Photo: Beth Lo and Mai Lo Lee at their StoryCorps interview in Appleton, WI on August 20, 2023. By Delilah Righter for StoryCorps.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired June 21, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“We’re Going to Lead with Love.” A Lesbian Bishop Reflects on a Career of Service
Karen Oliveto didn’t grow up in a religious family, but as a kid she fell in love with Sunday school. She loved learning the stories from the bible, and she’d wake her mom every Sunday to take her and her siblings to church. Before long she knew she wanted to be a pastor, and gave her first sermon when she was 16.
Karen Oliveto and Robin Ridenour at the Alive Now church camp in Sierra Nevada, California, circa 1993.
Courtesy of Karen Oliveto.
But during her first year of seminary, Karen realized she was a lesbian. Despite the United Methodist Church’s view at the time—that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings—she persisted. And in 2016, Karen was elected to be the first openly gay bishop of the United Methodist Church.
She came to StoryCorps with her wife, Robin Ridenour.
Robin Ridenour and Karen Oliveto at a church in Sacramento in 2016. Courtesy of Karen Oliveto.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired June 6, 2024 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“He Was a Gentleman and a Gentle Man to Me”: A Widow Remembers Her Late Husband, a Marine Veteran
Marine Corporal Daniel MacMurray at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina in 1982. Photo courtesy Cynthia Alvarez.
Seventeen years ago, Cynthia Alvarez fell in love with Marine Corporal Daniel Mark MacMurray. She was a peace activist, and he was a proud Marine veteran and firefighter, and the two didn’t always see eye to eye. But they agreed to love each other. And they did just that, until Dan became sick and died.
Cynthia came to StoryCorps to remember him.
Cynthia Alvarez and her daughter, Isabela Alvarez, at their StoryCorps interview in Philadelphia on April 27, 2024. By Alan Jinich for StoryCorps.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired May 25, 2024, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.
“He’s A Rainbow Baby:” A Mother’s Lessons On Grief
Marilí Rodríguez García spent several years working as a doula in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was called to the profession after losing her first child, Adrián José, a few days after his birth, May 14, 2009.
Marilí Rodríguez García, pregnant with her first son, Adrián José, and standing with a friend in Cayey, Puerto Rico in 2009. Photo courtesy of Marilí Rodríguez García.
Several years later, her son Emil Gustavo was born.
Marilí recently came to StoryCorps to remember that time and reflect on the ways she was able to move on.
The Figueroa Rodríguez family in Carolina, Puerto Rico in 2019. Photo courtesy of Marilí Rodríguez García.
Top Photo: Marilí Rodríguez García at her StoryCorps interview in San Juan, Puerto Rico on February 7, 2024. By Jo Corona for StoryCorps.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired May 10, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
A Blues Legend Reflects on 70 Years Of Ripping Up The Stage
Growing up in the Fillmore district of San Francisco, Peylia Balinton only remembers her mother playing classical piano at home. It wasn’t until she visited a friend’s house that she was exposed to Blues music. That was the start of a lifelong career on stage.
Concert posters featuring Sugar Pie DeSanto. Courtesy of Lorraine Balinton.
Peylia’s first performance was at an open mic at the historic Ellis Theater in San Francisco, where she soon became a regular. It was after one of these performances that she was approached by Johnny Otis, who immediately recognized her talent and asked her to record an album. Otis also gave her the stage name Sugar Pie DeSanto.
Jim Moore and Sugar Pie DeSanto at their StoryCorps recording, on August 11, 2022, in Oakland, CA .
By Jo Corona for StoryCorps.
Sugar Pie came to StoryCorps in 2022 with Jim Moore—her manager of over 50 years—to remember how she got her start.
Top Photo: Sugar Pie DeSanto performs at the Apollo Theater in New York City, 1964. Photo by Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired May 3, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Divers Reflect on Discovering Their History
In 1959, Albert t José Jones founded the first Black Scuba Diving Club in the U.S. as a senior in college.
Since then the club has grown to over 3,000 members and traveled all over the world training Black divers and coming face to face with history.
At StoryCorps Albert shared memories of 65 years of underwater exploring with his colleague Jay Hailger.
Albert Jones in diving gear in Key West, Florida in 2000. Courtesy of Albert Jones.
Top Photo: Albert Jones scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, Heron Island, Australia in 1961. Courtesy of Albert Jones.
Middle Photo: The Underwater Adventure Seekers in Sandy Point Beach, Annapolis, Maryland in 1974. Courtesy of Albert Jones.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired April 26, 2024 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
A Daughter Reflects on What Philadelphia’s Chinatown Meant to Her Mother.
In the 1960’s Deborah Wei’s parent’s left China for the United States and eventually settled in the suburbs of Philadelphia. . At StoryCorps, Deborah talks with her daughter Kaia Chau about how her mother navigated making a home, and what Philadelphia’s Chinatown meant to the family.
Deborah Wei’s mother with strawberries she grew in Philadelphia in 1981. Courtesy of Deborah Wei.
Top Photo: Deborah Wei with her mother and sister in Philadelphia in 1959. Courtesy of Deborah Wei.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired April 19, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
How A Tiny Gift Shop Became a Refuge for Queer People
The storefront of Drop Me A Line in Portland, Maine in 1990. By Roger Mayo.
Young gay couple Roger Mayo and Jim Neal opened Drop Me A Line, a tiny gift shop in Portland, Maine, in 1990. Although Portland in those days could be unfriendly for queer people, they chose to carry greeting cards and books that catered to LGBTQ customers. At StoryCorps, the former romantic partners reflected on how the store became so much more.
Bottom Photo: Jim Neal with transgender actress Lady Chablis at a book signing at Drop Me A Line in 1997.
Originally aired March 8, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.