People In America: Recent Episodes
Voice of America
Artists. Public servants. Scientists. Immigrants. Innovators. Celebrities.
“People in America” (PIA) profiles their amazing stories and showcases the diversity and individuality of American people.
The series allows you to experience their journey through their voice. It captures the visual, sounds and textures that celebrate who they are and what they do best.
Stories that personify democracy, self-sufficiency, expression and community.
PIA will introduce people in America whose contributions enhance the fabric of America.Find out more about People in America.
Jorges Yances art evokes a mysterious interplay between past and present, reality and fantasy a style called magical realism.
Juliana Desmond is a sculptor. She also has a passion for chocolate. During many of her travels to Mexico,Desmond became inspired to shape and form chocolate that looks like art.
Aari Ruben is an advocate for marijuana legalization, drug policy reform and human rights. Ruben is the director and owner of Desert Bloom Re-Leaf Center.
Over 3,000 butterflies fly freely at the largest conservatory for the insects in the United States, Butterfly Wonderland. The conservatory is located in Scottsdale, Arizona. More than 70 species of butterfly can be found there in 3,000 square meters of tropical paradise in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. Dayna Cooper is curatorial director. “The landscape design here is highly specialized. It has to incorporate roosting areas for the butterflies. A lot of nectar for them to feed on, with absolutely no host plant material, and host plants are of course the plants that butterflies reproduce on. So, all the female butterflies out here do not have a host plant to lay eggs on, which is why we don't have caterpillars out in the Conservatory.” Great Eggflies video player. Embed" />A pair of Great Eggflies on a date. A Postman sipping from a favorite nectar source, Psiguria vine.Cooper says the butterflies are diverse in shape, size, and color and their life cycle is divided into four parts: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and finally, adult butterfly. “Each week, butterfly farmers send us a shipment of pupae (also called chrysalides (butterflies) or cocoons (moths). Once we get them, we secure them to glass boards,” Cooper says. “Our Emergence area is where people can see and watch as butterflies emerge from their chrysalides, or moths emerge from their cocoons, dry their wings and then be released into the conservatory. Most people have never seen that happen. So it's very, very special.” Cooper says the Blue Morpho is a popular butterfly at the conservatory, along with many others. The butterflies come from tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, Central and South America, as well as Florida. Dayna Cooper, Curatorial Director Cooper has spent 20 years in the green industry, working in horticulture and natural resources management. Cooper has been a part of the conservatory since its beginning and has learned a lot of fun facts about butterflies that she shares with visitors. “Butterflies have taste receptors on their feet. They don't have ears. They feed on nectar from flowers and fruit. Butterflies feeding on nectar from mix fruit A butterfly finds food by using its large compound eyes—which are sensitive to light, movement, color, and patterns—as well as its antennae. The antennae may look like ‘feelers,’ but they have chemical receptors and are used primarily for smelling,” Cooper says. Butterflies feeding on Banana Brew video player. Embed" />The brown and grey butterflies ...
Minnesota-based Ragamala Dance Company has educated, performed and evolved for over 25 years. Ranee Ragamala and her daughters Aparna and Ashwini are trained in the South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam. Their performances capture an intercultural and multidisciplinary form of dance.
Jim Warlick is the master of presidential memorabilia, trinkets and novelties. Owner of the souvenir store White House Gifts in Washington, D.C. Warlick's company describes its mission as offering a “nonpartisan tribute to Presidential history.”
The Soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) are part of the U.S. Army Caisson Platoon. These men and women soldiers have the honor of carrying departed military members from all branches and dignitaries to their final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery.
James Samuel Harris Sr. loves to play the blues. Born in Chicago in 1927, Harris moved to St. Paul, Minnesota as a teenager and lived with his grandparents who introduced him to music. “My grandparents decided I should have some culture and music was the culture they thought I should have,” he says. Harris says country western music was an early influence - Hank Williams Sr. and Gene Autry were among his favorites. Harris says Catholic nuns first taught him to play the piano. “If you hit the wrong note, the nuns would hit you with a ruler. I said, ‘Oh, no, I don’t need that,’ so I started skipping lessons. I started then playing by listening to music, and I gradually learned how to read a little music and then I taught myself how to blend the two things in order to get a song to go out of me.” The first time Harris says he saw his name in lights was at a performance in White Bear, Minnesota. Harris says people enjoyed his playing so much that he soon started having jam sessions at a local cafe. He says the sessions helped him learn new tunes and his repertoire got bigger and bigger. “It was all about playing the blues. Then, after playing with other musicians, I decided to add some jazz as well to my performances,” says Harris. Harris has a son who is also a musician. James Harris III, better known as R&B producer Jimmy Jam, has produced records for Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and Usher. Harris says he vividly recalls the time he and his son played together. “I played at the American Legion hall over on Broadway and St. Paul. He played drums and I played the piano and the last song we played together, I remember, was ‘Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,’ and then he ended up being taken out on the road by Prince.” Harris also plays the congas, bongo and guitar. After recording his signature song ‘Cornbread,’ he acquired his nickname. “The song Cornbread got kind of popular. At shows, people would say, ‘Cornbread, could you play your song?’ And so, I started to be called Cornbread,” says Harris. Harris has been a part of Minnesota music history. He played on “Hi-Yo Silver” by Augie Garcia, said to be Minnesota’s first rock and roll record. Harris was inducted into Minnesota’s Blues Hall of Fame in 2012. ...
James Samuel "Cornbread" Harris Sr. is a singer and pianist who performs in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Harris has been a part of Minnesota music history, performing on Minnesota's first rock 'n' roll record, Harris was inducted into Minnesota’s Blues Hall of Fame in 2012.
Mark Brooks is no stranger to golf. In fact, he says, “I chose golf, I certainly had designs on maybe doing something else if golf didn’t work out, but it has worked out for me and it is an interesting game.” Mark Brooks plays on the Champions Tour of the Professional Golfers Association. Brooks has seven wins on the PGA Tour, including one major win, the 1996 PGA Championship. He turned became a professional in 1983, and he holds the record for most career starts on tour: over 800 and counting. “I went straight to the PGA Tour. I never played any other tours around the world. I did not have to play the ‘mini tours,’ you know, where you’re scraping by. I went straight to ‘the show.’ You have to qualify. It’s a big qualifier. A six-round golf tournament, played in the fall, and it’s been that way for quite a few years,” he says. “I was fortunate enough to get my first shot right of college.” Brooks says playing with professional golf players right out of college helped him to realize his own shortcomings and the need for learning how to improve his play. “Once I got on tour, I basically saw that everything about my game needed to be improved. I had a pretty good swing but I needed these things to change. I made some changes after about five years of struggling, trying to stay on tour, you know, pretty much just kind of gutting it out, playing on instinct. And within probably four or five months, I saw some dramatic improvement in my ball striking, which, you know, it’s how close you hit it to the hole and hit fairways and all that. And after about five years on tour, things kind of clicked.” Brooks says although physical abilities matter when playing, the game of golf tests a player’s mental stamina, but he says the game has changed. “One of the things we’re seeing, the equipment gotten so much better, the golf ball itself, which is integral to playing the game, the ball has changed quite a bit in the last 20 or 30 years. It goes straighter. It goes further. It fights the elements better as far as the wind. Technologies kind of entered the game in a strong way in the last 15 or 20 years, so it’s allowed a different style of athlete, I’m going to ...
Mark Brooks plays on the Champions Tour of the Professional Golfers Association. Brooks has seven wins on the PGA Tour, including one major win, the 1996 PGA Championship. Brooks says although physical abilities matter when playing, the game of golf tests a player’s mental stamina, but he says the game has changed.
When in public, Muslim woman and girls may wear a hijab, a head or body covering that conforms to Islamic standards of modesty. These women may also want to participate in sports without compromising their religion and clothing, and with a sport hijab, they can do just that.Fatimah Hussein is co-founder of ASIYA (pr. ah-SEE-yah), an activewear company that is changing the lives of Muslim girls and women by producing culturally-appropriate athletic wear. Hussein owns the business with partner Jamie Glover, and the company is named after a woman revered in Islamic history. ASIYA Sport ASIYA Sport“Many young Muslim girls when they start playing sports, can’t focus completely on the game, because they are also focus on their hijab. They either take it off or don’t play,” Hussein says. “They didn’t have any accessibility of a sport hijab that they felt very comfortable with. Many hijabs require pins as fasteners. When playing a sport, hijabs can be hot and unwieldy. If it comes unraveled, another player could trip on it, or the pin could jab the wearer or others, making it dangerous for everyone. So, I was like, there should be some kind of a solution for this,” says Hussein.A sports hijab was the answer. ASIYA markets hijabs that are for fast paced physical activity. The headwear is made from a sweat-wicking fabric, designed to be comfortable and safe for play. ASIYA Sport ASIYA SportHussein, a Muslim woman was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, and came to the United States at age six with her parents and sister, fleeing civil war. She says that she played sports in school as a child but was preoccupied with thoughts of her hijab. “This doesn’t look right, this is falling, I don’t feel comfortable inside,” she says she remembers thinking.Hussein is still involved with sports in her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. In her free time, she is a basketball coach. She is also a licensed social worker. Fatimah Hussein, CEO & Co-Founder of Asiya, Champi Fatimah Hussein, CEO & Co-Founder of Asiya“A lot of girls in our community want to try new things and play sports, but they aren’t confident, says Hussein. “They’re constantly told they shouldn’t be doing something boys are able to do, they get intimidated,” she says.Hussein also found an indoor neighborhood gym for girls to play sports on their own.She also established Girls Initiative in Recreation and Leisurely Sports (G.I.R.L.S), a nonprofit program for Muslim girls. 0dfbfc6c-39f3-40d8-aba3-1a7a1491e575.jpgHussein talks frequently of identity, community, and taking pride in being a Muslim. She ...
Guy Gilchrist says making people happy is his purpose in life.“It's everything. It's my heart. My creative engine. Knowing that I have this ability to give you something. You know to give. it's actually incredibly fulfilling to me.” Everyday Gilchrist draws vivid, colorful cartoons that have been enjoyed by people around the world, cartoons such as Peter Pan, Pink Panther, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and many others. Gilchrist is perhaps best known as Jim Henson’s original cartoonist. Jim Henson created memorable comedic puppet characters such as the world famous frog, Kermit.“I got to write and draw for the Muppets Show for Jim Henson, but I’ve also created the Muppets comic strip and was instrumental in Henson’s ‘Fraggle Rock,’ and the creation of the ‘Muppet Babies,’ as well as creating children’s books and writing songs. How cool is that?”Guy Gilchrist, American Cartoonist Guy Gilchrist, American CartoonistGilchrist says it all started with drawing circles and other simple things at age 10, guided by his mother. “We couldn't afford to go to the movies to see Perter Pan and Mickey Mouse. So, my mother would show me the ‘funnies’ newspaper. She brought me the 19 cent Golden Book of Peter Pan, and then we would sit at home after dinner and draw Peter Pan and Tinkerbell and stuff like that. We also didn't have a television because we didn't have any money. My mom would let me go stand in front of the appliance store and I would watch those black and white televisions, and there would be Walter Lantz doing the same circles and drawing Woody Woodpecker.” Guy Gilchrist, American Cartoonist Guy Gilchrist, American CartoonistGilchrist has no formal education. He says he just went to work drawing anything that would help him learn how art was created. He says inspiration came from the letter written to him by Mr. Lantz.“I read the biographies and everything of all of the great people that had done great things. Receiving a letter from Walter Lantz, that was it for me! It read, ‘My goodness you have an amazing amount of talent and if you keep on going and keep on doing exactly what you’re doing, I have no doubt that someday you’re going to be a famous cartoonist. Sincerely, Walter Lantz.”Gilchrist has become a famous cartoonist. He’s drawn 1940 superheroes on playing cards, created a coloring book of Pluto and Goofy, and other children’s books based on popular cartoon characters, such ...
What is space? Shannon Walker says there are many answers to this question.“We have stars, planets and galaxies in space. There’s lots of nothingness out there, but it’s really not,” she says. “There’s gas, dust and other bits of matter floating around ‘emptier’ areas of the universe, but you can’t see it very easily.”Walker is an astronaut with NASA, the US space agency. She lived and worked for six months on the International Space Station in 2010. Walker says her ride to and from the space station was on a Soyuz spacecraft, for which she trained as a co-pilot, and flew with the Russians.Shannon Walker, American Scientist and NASA Astron Shannon Walker, American Scientist and NASA Astronaut?“I spent a lot of time in Russia training and learning how to fly that spacecraft. I was fully trained just like the commander to do everything that needed to be done, so that was exciting,” she says. Learning how to and being expected to know how to fly an international partner vehicle is quite something, especially having to do it all in Russian,” Walker says.Shannon Walker, American Scientist and NASA Astron Shannon Walker, American Scientist and NASA Astronaut?Walker says seeing the Milky Way from the space station is a beautiful thing. She says without atmosphere and clouds blocking your view, the number of stars and the colors you can see is incredible.Walker adds that rocketing to space and back produces some one of a kind feelings.“You're sitting on a launch pad a couple of hours before you take off, and you've done all your system checks, and you're waiting and you're waiting. And then shortly before the launch, you can hear the very top of the rocket, and so you can hear things happening beneath you, because all of a sudden the valves are opening and the fuel is starting to flow, and you can sort of hear it and feel it inside the capsule, so you know you were getting ready to go. And then, when the engines light, there's just so much noise and vibrations and you can feel. You know the forces of movement are shoving you back in your seat. Now coming back is sort of a different set of vibrations and noises, because you've been floating for months and months, and then you get into a little tiny capsule to come home and you fire an engine and that’s not ...