Narrative

Priscila Ramirez recently joined her daughter, Elen Callahan, at StoryCorps to share what it was like coming to an unfamiliar country with her husband and only $120 between them to see if they, too, could experience “The American Dream.”

Jennifer Erdin joins her husband, Ben, and son, Josh, at StoryCorps to share what inspired her to join Harvest Hope’s mission to help eliminate food insecurity across the Palmetto State.

When Harriet Hancock's middle child, Greg, came out to her as gay, she instantly accepted and supported him. But she learned that his friends who were gay had not received the same kind of acceptance as she had given her son.

This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Nicholas Milano about the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Milano is a neurologist specializing in cognitive disorders and dementia and he’s Director of the South Carolina Alzheimer’s Network (SCAN) at MUSC. 

In aviation, a pilot checklist is an essential tool used to ensure flight safety, legal compliance, and airworthiness of the craft to be flown. The checklist exists thanks to a man named Ployer Peter Hill. Or, as South Carolina’s Carol McLaren knew him, “Uncle Ployer.”

On May 16, 2024, Shaheena Bennett was sworn in as the first Black female president of the South Carolina Bar Association. A month before, she and her colleague, Nekki Shutt, sat down with StoryCorps to talk about what led to that groundbreaking moment.

Beth DeHart and her son, Jonah DeHart-Thompson, have dedicated their lives to serving and improving South Carolina communities. From the moment Jonah was conceived in the hearts of his two mothers, it was their intention to show him he was not only special, but that every person was special and deserved to be loved and cared for, regardless of their background.

How different is life as a teenager from generation to generation? That’s what 15-year-old Daniel Brown sought to find out when he invited his grandfather, Steve Garris, to the StoryCorps studio to share what it was like growing up in a small southern town. Garris reflects on his youth, from misadventures to falling in love with the music that became the soundtrack to his life in Andrews, South Ca...

Christine Currie and Jacelyn Arradaza met while working at the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs. In 2024, they sat down with StoryCorps to share some personal experiences that inspired them to bring a greater understanding of Asian history and culture into our nation’s schools.

Laura Tolliver Jefferson was a consequential figure among Columbia’s Little Camden, Arthurtown, and Taylors communities. During her lifetime, Jefferson was a strong advocate for literacy, civic engagement, and bringing essential systems like sidewalks, streetlights, water, and sewage access to her community. 

In 1967, Lee Cannon enlisted in the Air National Guard, where he served eight years as a navigator. In 2024, he sat down with his daughter, Leah, at StoryCorps to explain the unique nature of his job, and to fill in the gaps of a remarkable story he had once told her when she was a child.

The South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities first began as an idea by Virginia Uldrick, a well-known music teacher in Greenville, S.C. Educators Jennifer Thomas and Scott Gould recently joined StoryCorps to explain the mission of the school, and Uldrick’s standards of excellence for both her students and staff.

Able South Carolina's President & CEO Kimberly Tissot joins Vice President Mary Alex Kopp and Senior Director of Community Education, Dori Tempio, at StoryCorps to discuss their agency's core values and vision for true equity for people with disabilities.

According to the Urban Institute, nearly half of all families across the U.S. with children ages 3 and younger struggle to pay for diapers. Here in South Carolina, a young mom named Ayanna White found herself experiencing that struggle and wanted to find a way to not only help herself, but others as well who were in a similar situation.

Sarah Seegars was intrigued by a sentence in John Codega’s dating app bio: “I was detained in Russia one time.” On their first date, John shared the story of an incident that occurred overseas during the early part of his teaching career. Two years later, in 2024, the couple, who were then engaged to be married, sat down with StoryCorps so that John, a teacher in Columbia, could recount the story...

While friends Chiara Cox and Elen Callahan did not grow up together, they share a similar journey. They were both born in the Philippines, but eventually moved to the United States. Although they sought to assimilate into their new American culture, they began to long for the people and traditions they had once known in their youth.

Mark and Virginia Pulver of Greenwood, S.C., have been together for over 50 years. During that time, their military and humanitarian work has taken them around the world. They sat down with StoryCorps in 2024 to discuss some of their adventures and the occasional cultural differences they would encounter, including at mealtime.

Amanda Hamilton is a South Carolina mom who invited her daughter, Eliza, to join her at StoryCorps in 2024 to ask her candid questions about her life and her experience with depression and anxiety. Hamilton is an employee of South Carolina ETV and SC Public Radio.

South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center’s founder Sue Berkowitz joins her friend and executive director Bridget Brown to share what launched her career path, and what continues to inspire her passionate work at the agency.

Claire Mattes and Sam Livoti met while working at the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina. In 2024, the two sat down with StoryCorps to discuss the impact of the book The Diary of Anne Frank , and how the book can be a helpful starting point for learning about World War II and the Holocaust.

The original Columbia neighborhood of Wheeler Hill is now just a memory for those who once called the historically African American community “home.” That includes former resident Crissandra Elliott, whose childhood home was located at 215 Bull Street.

Cecil Williams is well-known as a chronicler of the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina. The photojournalist was born and raised in the town of Orangeburg where he still resides, as does the museum which he built. The South Carolina Civil Rights Museum is home to hundreds of photographs Williams captured that bore witness to the realities of striving for racial equality.

In the early 1950s, Holly Scott enrolled in the Columbia Hospital School of Nursing, which was first established in 1935 as the School of Nursing for Black Students. When it closed in 1965, the school had graduated a total of 401 nurses in its history, including Scott.

On August 28, 1963, an estimated 250,000 people made their way to Washington, D.C. to demand civil and economic rights for African Americans. In attendance at the March on Washington was Gloria Dreher Eaddy of Columbia, SC, who later became a friend and mentor to Dr. Bobby Donaldson, a professor at the University of South Carolina. They spoke with StoryCorps in 2024.

William Starrett has been dancing since he was a small child. His talent was recognized early, earning him the spotlight with prestigious dance companies such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Eglevsky Ballet, and The Joffrey Ballet. Since settling in Columbia, SC, he know directs the South Carolina Ballet.