At StoryCorps in Baltimore last month, retired Col. Denise Baken (center) told her children, Christian Yingling and Richard Yingling, about the discrimination she faced as a black woman in the Army. Emilyn Sosa for StoryCorps hide caption
StoryCorps: Recording The Lives And Stories Of Everyday Americans StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate the lives of everyday Americans by listening to their stories.
StoryCorps
Sharing And Preserving The Stories Of Our Lives
Maria Rivas holds photographs of her mother, Julia Medina, who died in 2012. Maria cared for Julia for six years at the end of her life. Courtesy of Caroline Dezan for StoryCorps hide caption
Ian Bennett and his mom, Connie Mehmel, at StoryCorps in 2009. Chaela Herridge-Meyer/StoryCorps hide caption
Donnie Pedrola, 48, (left) and Tom Gasko, 57, at their Rolla, Mo., vacuum repair shop and museum, in June. "Most people aren't that passionate about something," Pedrola says of Gasko's lifelong and prolific love for vacuum cleaners. Dupe Oyebolu/StoryCorps hide caption
'You Get Swept Up': A Story Of Love, Passion — And Vacuum Cleaners
Kristin Sollars (left) and Marci Ebberts say nursing is more than just a job. "Sometimes I wonder why everyone in the world doesn't want to be a nurse," Sollars says. Emilyn Sosa for StoryCorps hide caption
During a service at St. Bridget Catholic Church in Postville, Iowa, last year, Consuelo Lopez (center, right) and her son Pedro carry a book containing the names of those arrested and detained during a 2008 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on a local meat processing plant. Consuelo Lopez, who cut meat at the plant, was among those detained and deported. Jim Slosiarek/The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gazette hide caption
When His Mom Was Deported In 2008, A Certainty Shattered: 'Where Is Home?'
Siblings Christine Cuddy (left) and Flip Cuddy hold a photo of their mother, Susan Ahn Cuddy, the first Asian American woman in the Navy, at their StoryCorps interview in Northridge, Calif., last July. Naomi Blech/StoryCorps hide caption
Their 'Tough' Mom Was Also The Navy's 1st Asian American Woman Officer
During their StoryCorps interview in April, Elizabeth Coffey-Williams (left) told her niece, Jennifer Coffey (right), about how her loving family did not understand what being transgender meant. "My parents were afraid, well, you know, this might be contagious," she said. Jud Esty-Kendall hide caption
Coming Out As Transgender When There Was No Language To Describe It
Elizabeth Vega and Jamell Spann became friends after Vega comforted an emotional Spann while they were protesting in Ferguson, Mo., as strangers in 2014. Dupe Oyebolu for StoryCorps hide caption
'What You Did Changed Me': Ferguson Protesters Found Friendship Amid Unrest
Craig and Amanda Farrell in September 2017. Courtesy of the Farrell family hide caption
Walter Dixon and his son Russ Dixon at their StoryCorps interview in Waynesville, Mo. Modupeola Oyebolu/StoryCorps hide caption
Declared Dead At War, He Returned Alive To Find His World Had Moved On Without Him
Julia and Joel Helfman, shown at their StoryCorps interview in Philadelphia in 2019, met in 1943 and were married six years later. Eleanor Vassili/StoryCorps hide caption
Greg Force and Abby Force at StoryCorps in Greenville, S.C. Alletta Cooper/StoryCorps hide caption
Corinthia Isom (right) was just a child when her mother died. At StoryCorps in 2015, Kathleen Payne (left) told Isom why her mom trusted her to take care of her daughter. Carolina Escobar/StoryCorps hide caption
Jamal Batar and his father, Aden, at StoryCorps in West Valley City, Utah, in March 2017. The Batar family fled the civil war in Somalia for the United States in 1994. Mia Warren/StoryCorps hide caption
'We Are Americans': Somali Refugee Family Reflects On Making A Life In The U.S.
Sean Sala, center left, and Fernando Zweifach Lopez, center right, march together at San Diego Pride on July 16, 2011. Courtesy of Fernando Zweifach Lopez hide caption
To 'Get Even' With 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' He Brought Military Float To Pride Parade
Tina Dietz and Patrick Conteh at StoryCorps in Bismarck, N.D. Savannah Winchester /StoryCorps hide caption
'She Was The Adult I Needed Growing Up': Remembering A Great-Aunt's Enduring Love
Maria Ochoa poses by the Arizona-Mexico border wall, south of Tucson, Ariz. Camila Kerwin/StoryCorps hide caption
1st-Generation Mexican American Attempts To Save Migrant Lives In The Arizona Desert
Candi and Estela Reyes shared memories of their father during a 2012 StoryCorps interview in El Paso, Texas. Anaid Reyes/StoryCorps hide caption
'He's In Our Soul': Sisters Remember Their Dad's Legacy On Father's Day
At StoryCorps in June 2015, Alexei Romanoff remembers an inspirational figure who helped him feel proud to be a gay man. Jill Glaser/StoryCorps hide caption
'I Will Never Lie About Being Gay Again': LGBT Activist Remembers Source Of Pride
Dr. William "Lynn" Weaver during a 2017 visit to StoryCorps in Fayetteville, N.C. StoryCorps hide caption
Sarah Seltzer interviews her grandfather, 104-year-old Gilbert Seltzer, in West Orange, N.J., in January for StoryCorps. Afi Yellow-Duke/StoryCorps hide caption
He Led A Platoon Of Artists Who Fooled The Germans: 'Imagination Is Unbelievable'
In October 1983, rescuers probe the wreckage of the U.S. Marine command building near the Beirut airport, a day after a terrorist attack killed 241 U.S. service members. Zouki/AP hide caption