As a young teen, Najat Hamza fled Oromia, a regional state of Ethiopia, with her father to live in America. At StoryCorps, she spoke about what it means to leave "the familiar" behind.
Growing up, Mary Mills saw her mom, Joyce Carter Mills, spread her joy and love to other kids in the neighborhood. "No other parents were that fun," Mary said. "Everybody wanted to be at our house."
Decades ago, Dorothy Toy was a Broadway performer and half of a Vaudeville dance act. At StoryCorps, her daughter, Dorlie Fong, shared memories of the mom she remembers as talented and glamorous.
At StoryCorps, Carmencristina Moreno and Rosemary Selzer share memories of their father, Luis M. Moreno, who composed "beautiful music." Today, though, hearing his songs on the radio is bittersweet.
When Angela walked into George's restaurant in 1971, he was immediately smitten. They married not two weeks later. At StoryCorps, George and Angela Ju remember those early days.
Before civil war devastated Syria, Walid Sakaan's home country, his daughter Magda moved there. At StoryCorps, Walid and Magda remember family they haven't visited in years.
Tony Hicks was a teen gang member when he killed Tariq Khamisa. At StoryCorps, Tariq's sister Tasreen tells Tony that meeting him 20 years later "made a lot of room in my heart for light to come in."
Tony Hicks was a 14-year-old gang member when he killed Tariq Khamisa over 25 years ago. At StoryCorps, Tariq's father spoke with Tony about how they became friends — through pain and forgiveness.
Namira Islam Anani and Omar Anani married a few months after their first date in 2019. When Namira fell ill with the coronavirus, a distanced dinner reminded her "how important our relationship was."
William Salter, who co-wrote the popular love song, told his granddaughter that the radio kept him company during a lonely childhood. When he later found the bass, he said, "I found myself."
In April, Mauricio Valdivia died from complications related to COVID-19 at age 52. For StoryCorps, his two younger siblings, Jorge and Jessica, trade memories of their generous and fun-loving brother.
As kids whose parents worked full time, Corina Ulloa and Brenda Ulloa Martinez spent a lot of time looking after one another in their Los Angeles neighborhood. Corina said it made them who they are.
In 10th grade, Ngoc Nguyen dropped out of school in Vietnam to support her family. After earning a GED in the U.S., she told her teacher how much she appreciates the energy he gave to his students.
Clara Jean Ester was a college student in 1968 when she saw Martin Luther King Jr. give his final speech. A day later, Ester was at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., when he was assassinated.
As a kid, Jeffrey Sherman told his father, songwriter Robert Sherman, about his experience getting a polio vaccine. It sparked Robert to craft the now famous Mary Poppins song, "A Spoonful of Sugar."
