America Works Podcast: Recent Episodes
Library of Congress
America Works, an ongoing podcast series from the Library of Congress, features the voices of contemporary workers from throughout the United States talking about their lives, their workplaces, and their on-the-job experiences. Drawn from hundreds of longer oral history interviews collected by fieldworkers for the American Folklife Center’s Occupational Folklife Project (OFP), America Works is a testament to the wisdom, wit, knowledge, and dedication of today’s working Americans. These engaging oral histories, which have are preserved in the American Folklife Center’s archive, are enriching and expanding America’s historical record.
Jeremy Presar is a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service based out of the French Creek, West Virginia Post Office. Now in his sixth year as a mail carrier, he tells folklorist Emily Hilliard about his 70-mile route, delivering to 600 mailboxes, the challenges posed by animals, weather and being bi-racial in a largely White area as well as the pride he takes in working for America’s “vital lifeline.”
Shanda Dunn of Lexington, Kentucky, talks with folklorist Ethan Sharp about being a Peer Support Worker as part of his larger Occupational Folklife Project “Hope for Recovery.” Shanda explains how she overcame her own complicated past and struggles with substance abuse to train and now, to work alongside clinicians as a counselor for others recovering from substance abuse disorders.
Jobie Hill, an architect and historic preservation specialist from Iowa City, Iowa, explains how her interest in her own African American heritage led her to become an expert on the documentation, preservation, and repurposing of slave dwellings throughout the United States. She talks about her training and professional experiences as an architect and what inspired her to document more than 700 structures built by enslaved African Americans. The interview was conducted by documentarian Sarah Filkins as part of her Occupational Folklife Project on “Women Architects.”
Barbara Norman, a blueberry farmer from Covert, Michigan, speaks with oral historian Anna-Lisa Cox about growing up on her family’s farm as part a larger Occupational Folklife Project documenting “Multigenerational African-Descended Farmers of the Midwest.”
Leah Chase, chef and owner of the legendary Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in New Orleans talks with documentarian Candacy Taylor in her bustling restaurant for the Occupational Folklife Project “The Green Book: Documenting African American Entrepreneurs.” More than just a James Beard award-winning eating establishment, Dooky Chase’s has served patrons that range from Presidents to Civil Rights leaders and celebrities to Louisianans in search of great food – and explains why she had to slap President Obama’s hand when he tried to put hot sauce on her gumbo.
Jerry Bransford, a seasonal tour guide at Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park, tells folklorist Brent Bjorkman how his family’s multi-generational history with the cave led him to become a guide after retiring from a successful corporate career. Members of his family began working as cave guides in the 1830s. Like many of the early guides, they were African Americans and through their knowledge, they became local, national, and even international celebrities, despite being enslaved. He also talks about how his family’s relationship with the Cave was abruptly severed in 1941, when it became a US National Park and all African Americans workers were dismissed; and his wish to make sure today’s park visitors learned about the important contributions his family, and other African Americans cave workers, made in the exploration and development of this celebrated natural wonder.
Marcus Wimby, Director of Haugabrooks Funeral Home in Atlanta, Georgia, talks about his work and career. For more than 90 years, Haugabrooks has been a mainstay of Atlanta’s African American community. Mr. Wimby – a relation to Ms. Geneva Haugabrooks, the dynamic woman who founded the multi-generational business in 1929 -- was interviewed by documentarian Candacy Taylor for her Occupational Folklife Project “The Green Book: Documenting African American Entrepreneurs.”
Damon Walker, a “luthier” or string instrument maker in Durham, North Carolina, talks about his work making and fixing double or ‘upright’ basses with folklorists Katy Clune and Julia Gartell as part of their Occupational Folklife Project “Fixing, Mending, Making New: North Carolina's Repair Professionals.” Mr. Walker – or “Dr. Bass” as he is widely known in the business – explains how his love of music and woodworking combined with years of formal apprenticeship at an atelier led him to became of the very few African American luthiers in the United States.
This is AFC staff folklorist Nancy Groce and this America Works episode features excerpts from a longer interview with the independent professional wrestler Seymour Ray – a respected athlete who is widely known by his professional name: “Ray Idol.” He was interviewed at his home in Bristol, Tennessee, by folklorist Delainey Bowers as part of her project documenting “Independent Professional Wrestlers in Central Appalachia.”
This is AFC staff folklorist Nancy Groce and this America Works episode features excerpts from a longer interview with Dr. Susan Morelli, a neonatologist and geneticist who works in Provo, Utah. She was interviewed by folklorist Lisa Gabbert as part of a larger project on “Doctoring,” which documents the training, daily routines, work environments, personal motivations, occupational folklore and humor of contemporary American physicians.
This is AFC staff folklorist Nancy Groce and this America Works episode features excerpts from a longer interview with Mike Williams, a dirt track auto racer at the famed Ransomville Speedway in western New York. He was interviewed at his home on the Tuscarora Nation by folklorist Edward Millar from the Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University.
This is AFC staff folklorist Nancy Groce and this America Works episode features excerpts from a longer interview with Rosemarie Francis-Primo, a home healthcare aide in Brooklyn, New York. She is a proud member of Domestic Workers United, an advocacy organization that represents Caribbean, Latina, and African nannies, housekeepers, homeworkers, and caregivers in metropolitan New York.
This is AFC staff folklorist Nancy Groce and this America Works episode features excerpts from a longer interview with Joyce Godbout, a dairy farm manager or herdsperson for the Vincent Farm in Burke, New York. She was interviewed for the Library by folklorist Jill Breit as part of the Library’s Occupational Folklife Project documenting “Dairy Farm Workers in New York's North Country.”
This is AFC staff folklorist Nancy Groce and this America Works episode features excerpts from a longer interview with grocery store cashier Luann Miller, who over the past three decades has worked just about every job there is in the grocery business – from shelf re-stocker, to cashier to bagger. When interviewed by folklorist Deborah Fant for the Washington State Workers project, Miller was working at Thriftway, a locally-owned unionized grocery store in West Seattle, Washington.
This America Works episode features excerpts from a longer interview Tina Moore Braimah, a Certified Nurse Midwife and the founder of Sankofa Birth and Women's Care in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was interviewed by folklorists Josephine McRobbie and Joseph O'Connell as part of their Occupational Folklife Project on “Midwives, Doulas, and Birth Workers,” which documented the training, daily routines, experiences, rewards and challenges of birth workers in diverse communities and occupational settings throughout North Carolina.
Interview with cement plant worker Jude Bejarano, who was interviewed by historian Vyta Pivo as part of a project documenting the occupational culture of Cement Workers in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. The Lehigh Valley is considered "the birthplace of the American cement industry.”
West African immigrant Komla Ewu tells oral historian John McKerley about how he left a prestigious but unprofitable teaching career in his native Togo to pursue the American dream. He talks about how he raised the funds needed to pay his way to the U.S., how he found work on the “picnic line” in a giant Midwestern meatpacking plant – (one of America’s most grueling jobs)—and how grateful he is to be an American worker.
Bill Hatch, a farmer, winery work and the owner of Zephaniah Farm Vineyard in Leesburg, Virginia, explains to folklorist Kim Stryker how he transformed his multi-generational family milk and beef farm into a successful winery – and why he loves being part of the wine industry. “Nobody ever asked me about milk and what vintage it was and how did you make it? Nobody ever said: ‘I love your milk!’ but in the wine business, people say: ‘I love your wine!’”
Thomas Sink, who is better known to his many fans as “Popcorn the Circus Comic,” is interviewed by oral historians Tanya Finchum and Juliana Nykolaiszyn as part of their AFC-sponsored Archie Green Fellowship to document traveling circus workers who for decades have “wintered over” and settled in and around Hugo, Oklahoma. Popcorn talks about how, for more than thirty years, he entertained people, young and old, throughout the Midwest. He speaks about his love of his profession, the rush he would get when audiences applauded his routines, and how his pride of being part of the circus community was balanced by the hardships and challenges of being constantly the road.
Kira Fobbs, an elementary school teacher who has devoted her life to teaching 3rd and 4th graders and Special Ed students in the schools of Madison, Wisconsin, is interviewed by folklorist Mark Wagler. Teaching is one of America’s largest professions, yet the voices of classroom teachers are rarely heard. Proud of her own heritage--which includes African American, Swedish and German-Jewish ancestors--she is an innovative, enthusiastic and dedicated teacher. She speaks poignantly about how her personal experiences have helped shape her teaching career.
The respected profession potter Dolores Fortuna, head of Fortuna Pottery in Galena, Illinois, is interviewed in her studio by folklorist Meredith McGriff. Fortuna, whose career includes teaching at the Art Institute of Chicago, talks about how she discovered her love of pottery as a student at University of Chicago. She recalls how she was instrumental in creating cooperative networks and studio spaces for artists in Chicago and Virginia, and how, when she moved to Galena about 20 years ago, she worked with the area’s large community of potters to establish annual “pottery tours.” These tours bring members of the public—who are also potential customers--directly into scores of potters’ studios. She speaks eloquently about what being an artist means to her. As Fortuna speaks, you can hear the gentle hiss of her kiln as it cycles on and off in the background.
Henrietta Ivey, a dedicated home health care professional, is interviewed in her Detroit home by Michigan State gerontologist Clare Luz and her colleague, epidemiologist Khalid Ibrahim, as part of an Archie Green Fellowship documenting the occupational experiences of home healthcare professionals throughout the state of Michigan. Ivey talks about how much she loves her profession and the pride she takes in making it possible for her clients to stay in their own homes safely and with comfort and dignity. She also expresses frustration about the lack of respect and challenging work environments often encountered by home healthcare professionals.
The distinguished architect Roberta Washington, who is the principal (or head) of her own firm, Roberta Washington Architects in New York City, speaks with oral historian and architect Sarah Filkins as part of Filkins’ Archie Green Fellowship to document women architects throughout the United States. Washington traces her career, her involvement in community planning and network building, and her work in designing hospitals, schools, and the African Burial Ground Interpretive Center in lower Manhattan for the National Parks Service. She talks about the challenges she faced as a woman--particularly as an African American woman--in a field that, especially when she started, was overwhelming White and male. She begins this episode by recalling how, as part a junior high school assignment to interview “someone about their job,” her life was changed when she chanced upon a Black professor of architecture, who just happened to be renting her neighbor’s home.
Mario Cervantes, a skilled factory worker who makes the tools that make the planes for Boeing aircraft in Wichita, Kansas, is interviewed by Briana O’Higgins on behalf of the Kansas Humanities Council as part of an American Folklife Center Archie Green Fellowship to document Boeing Aircraft Workers. Shortly before this interview, Boeing--which had been a community mainstay for decades--announced it was permanently closing all its factories, offices and facilities in Wichita. Mr. Cervantes talks about his family’s connection to Boeing, his pride in his trade, and his pride in working for Boeing. He also discusses his Hispanic heritage and how it has impacted his career; labor unrest and his commitment to fair employment; his union; and his disappointment that Boeing would no longer be a presence in Wichita.
Arizonian Bernardo “Bernie” Piña is the sales manager at Ciruli Brothers, a family-owned fresh produce import company in Nogales, Arizona. For generations, the city of Nogales, which is located directly on the US-Mexican border, has been a major port-of-entry for the buying, selling, and shipping of fresh fruits and vegetables imported into the US and Canada from growers throughout Mexico and Latin America. If you, like most Americans, enjoy eating fresh produce from Mexico, it probably came through Nogales. Mr. Pina, a third-generation produce worker, tells folklorist Nic Hartmann what it’s like to be a salesman in Nogales’ vibrant and close-knit produce industry.
Mike Peabody of Barre, Vermont, is a program coordinator at the Additional Recyclables Collection Center (ARCC) of the Central Vermont Waste Management District, one of the few hard-to-recycle centers in the country. He talks about how he learned his trade, the cultural and ecological importance of working with hard-to-recycle materials, some of the characters and challenges he deals with at work, and why he’s proud to be involved in waste and recycling work. Upbeat and full of great stories about recycling in his New England community, Peabody was interviewed by Archie Green Fellow Virginia Nickerson as part of her occupational history project “Trash Talk: Workers in Vermont's Waste Management Industry,” which documented the work experiences of the men and women who collect garbage and recycle trash throughout the Green Mountain State.
Underwater marine diver Jim Mercer describes his year-round job checking, maintaining, and repairing commercial fishing boats in and around the port of New Bedford, Massachusetts. It’s a unique, challenging, and dangerous job. Jim, who grew up in the New Bedford area, is totally committed to it. He is interviewed by Madeline Hall-Arber from the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center as part of the American Folklife Center’s Archie Green Fellowship project “Working the Waterfront: New Bedford, Massachusetts.”
Electrician and journey wire-woman Kim Spicer is a proud member of The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local #3, in Queens, New York. Kim talks about how she tried numerous other, less fulfilling jobs before apprenticing to become an electrician and why she loves it. She touches on her training, some of the tasks and skills involved in her work, her daily on-the-job routines, and the challenges of being a woman in a traditionally male trade. Kim was interviewed as part of the Archie Green Fellowship project “Illuminating History: Union Electricians in New York City” by fellow electrician Jaimez Lopez and artist/documentarian Setare Arashloo.
This episode features Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Sgro, who works with The Night Ministry in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1976, The Night Ministry provides housing and healthcare to people who are homeless or who are living in low income situations. Sgro talks about providing healthcare on the Ministry’s Outreach Bus, which travels to a different low-income Chicago neighborhood every evening. In this thoughtful interview with documentarian Margaret Miles, Nurse Sgro talks about her job, her career, her clients, and the satisfaction she finds in her work.
Houston ship channel pilot Captain James Hensley has the daunting task of guiding giant ocean-going ships into and out of one of the world’s largest and busiest ports. The famous Houston Ship Channel is 52 miles long and in some places incredibly narrow. His is not a job for the faint of heart -- there is literally no room for mistakes! In this interview with folklorist Betsy Peterson, Captain Hensley talks about learning and practicing his highly-skilled occupation, his family’s longstanding maritime traditions, becoming one of the first African Americans to be officially credentialed as a captain, and the pride he takes in his work.
Funeral director Heather Campbell Hill of the Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh, North Carolina is interviewed by folklorist Sarah Bryan as part of an Archie Green Fellowship from the American Folklife Center to document funeral services workers in the Carolinas. Although relatively new to her profession, Heather’s dedication and compassion to help people during, as she says, “the worst times of their lives,” is reflected throughout her interview. She talks about learning her profession, Death Cafes, Green Burials, and facing the unknown. A note to listeners: although not explicit, Heather’s interview does include discussions of death, bereavement and funerals.
Fish net maker Sarah Fortin was working for Reidar’s Trawl & Scallop Gear Marine Supply in New Bedford, Massachusetts when she was interviewed by oral historian Fred Calabretta from the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center as part of an American Folklife Center funded Archie Green Fellowship project. Fortin, who grew up in the community, talks about learning her trade, the skills she needed to master, and the challenges she sometimes faces as a younger female worker. She also told us about the vibrant community of fellow workers who continue to make New Bedford one of America’s most important and vibrant fishing ports.
Originally from upstate New York, Patrick Bovenzi has spent his entire career as a race track worker, rising through the ranks to hold numerous official positions at race tracks across this country. Today, he is one of America’s very few “horse identifiers” – i.e., an expert who can assess and certify the identity of individual race horses. Mr. Bovenzi was interviewed by folklorist and Archie Green Fellow Ellen McHale at the Tampa Bay Downs Racetrack in Tampa Bay, Florida, on behalf of the American Folklife Center as part of her documentation project “Stable Views: Voices and Stories from the Thoroughbred Race Track.”
Chicago-based folklorist Bucky Halker interviews iron worker Sharon Sisson and her husband, iron worker Richard Sisson about their experiences as iron workers in the Chicago area. Their interview, which was recorded at Iron Workers Union Local #63 Headquarters in Broadview, Illinois, covers numerous topics. This episodes features Sharon’s experiences as a woman entering a previously male-dominated trade and a prank she played on a fellow worker to stop him harassing her in their workplace.
Shuly Amsel, an accomplished wig maker from Brooklyn, New York, talks about her successful wig and beauty business. She explains how she learned the trade and expanded her business from a small home-based shop primarily serving the women in her own Orthodox Jewish Community, to a high-profile business creating top-quality wigs and beauty products for celebrities and the fashion industry.
Houston shipyard owner Richard Bludworth of Bludworth Marine talks about growing up in his family’s shipyard, learning his complex trade, and the community of maritime workers that make Houston one of the world’s largest and most vibrant ports. A fine story teller, he relates some great on-the-job experiences, his love of the sea, why he likes working with “pirates,” and his pride in his home city of Houston. Bludworth is one of more than 50 Houston ship channel workers interviewed for the OFP “Working the Port of Houston.”
Joyce Vegar, a dedicated home health care worker from Coos County, Oregon, talks about her pride and pleasure as well as her challenges in helping her clients remain in their own homes and communities. Vegar is one of more than 40 home health care workers interviewed by University of Oregon researchers for the “Taking Care” OFP collection. This moving episode highlights the enormous and over unheralded contributions made by workers in this under-documented profession.
Barbara Miller Byrd, the third-generation owner of the Carson and Barnes Circus based in the small town of Hugo, Oklahoma, talks about growing up in the traveling circus founded by her grandparents more than 75 years ago. She shares great memories and stories and offers in-sights into the colorful and complex occupations that are needed to sustain a traveling circus in contemporary America.
Jeff Hafler, hair stylist and owner of The Beauty Bubble Hair Salon and Museum in Wonder Valley, California, talks to interviewer Candacy Taylor about how much he loves his job, how beauty salons function as impromptu community centers, and why customers confide in their stylists. He talks about his pride in working in the service industry and explains why having a vocation is often a better guarantee of employment than a college degree.
Gold mine worker Greg Vaught tells folklorists Meg Glaser and Charlie Seemann from the Western Folklife Center about how he came to work at a gold mine and his various mine jobs, including being the mine safety officer. He explains how he started using his musical talents to write humorous songs about mine safety and has become Newmont mining’s unofficial “Safety Troubadour.” And he sings an example of his work!
New from the American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress: “America Works” features the voices of contemporary workers from throughout the United States talking about their lives, their workplaces, and their on-the-job experiences. Premieres September 3.