Your Mom's New York Story

Summary

All Of It with Alison Stewart

Episode: Your Mom's New York Story
Date: May 8, 2026
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Von Diaz, Senior Producer at StoryCorps

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Episode Overview

This special Mother’s Day episode of All Of It brings listeners together to share heartfelt, funny, and poignant stories about their mothers and mother figures — all through the lens of their unique New York experiences. Joined by Von Diaz from StoryCorps, the episode explores the ways mothers have shaped lives through grit, creativity, courage, and love, often against the backdrop of an ever-changing city. Through calls, texts, and recorded stories, listeners and guests honor the women who both made and were made by New York.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Role of Mothers and Mother Figures in Cultural Memory

[02:19]–[03:53]

• Von Diaz reflects on the vast collection of mom stories that StoryCorps has archived, noting that “it’s not just moms, but people who also operate as mother figures. Right. Those can be aunties, can be neighbors, can be chosen family.”
• Mom stories at StoryCorps span a spectrum of emotion: “reverence to frustration to joy to laughter and often things that they taught us.”
• Alison Stewart and Von Diaz discuss the complexity of mother-child relationships, emphasizing the importance of specific memories and honest storytelling.

2. Sharing and Honoring Our Own Maternal Stories

[03:53]–[06:55]

• Von Diaz shares her personal connection to her mom, highlighting intergenerational habits and the little things that become part of us:

  “One of the things that I never thought I would adopt from her is how fastidious she is about her laundry…That's how you care for things that are nice.” (Vaughn Diaz, 04:20)

• First listener call-in: Deborah from Yonkers movingly recounts her mother’s journey from Michigan to New York to revive her acting career in 1969 while raising four children. Her story reverberates with empowerment and resilience.

3. StoryCorps Audio: Moms Breaking Barriers

[07:19]–[09:29]

• Featured StoryCorps segment: Mother-daughter duo share the experience of being the first female electrical line constructor at Con Ed.

  "I started painting my fingernails…when I go up there, I want them to know it's a woman up there." (Mother, StoryCorps, 08:18)
  “You don't belong on the ground.” (Daughter to mother, StoryCorps, 09:13)

• This story highlighted the dual legacies of tenacity and pride, and how achievements resonate through generations, especially for women in male-dominated fields.

4. More Listener Stories — Memories Across Generations and Boroughs

[10:23]–[15:31]

• Listeners call in to share diverse and deeply personal tales:
  • Marie from Brooklyn: On how her single mom made a rare jazz bar night in NYC a cherished memory, inspiring her own full-circle tradition with her son (11:00–12:23).
  • Sarah from Lower Manhattan: Recalled her artist mother’s move from Omaha to NYC as a young woman, and the sense of pride and adventure she embodied (12:30–13:26).
  • Joan from Upper West Side: Remembers standing in line at the old Regency Theater next to Jacqueline Kennedy and Carolyn, drawing parallels between her own family’s loss and the Kennedy legacy (14:16–15:31).

5. How to Talk to and Record With Your Mom

[13:30]–[14:09], [29:55]

• Von Diaz suggests starting with curiosity and open-ended questions:

  “Always starting with what is your strongest memory? Or can you tell me about a time…details are always great ways to sort of start talking to your parents.” (13:39)

• The value of recording conversations, even brief ones, is stressed repeatedly throughout.

6. StoryCorps Segment: Adoption, Coming Out, and Unconditional Love

[16:52]–[19:27]

• Jackie Miller and her adopted son, Scott, share a moving StoryCorps recording, exploring the decision to adopt, a secret from Jackie’s past, and Scott’s coming out:

  "When I came out… the first thing out of your mouth was, 'I love you, and I’m your mother.'" (Scott to Jackie, 18:10) "Plus, you help me with my hair sometimes.” (Jackie, 18:34)
  “I try not to be very emotional. I worry that you'll never know just how deeply I love you and how scary it is for me sometimes to imagine life without you.” (Scott, 18:47)

• Calls reinforce the themes of deep connection and lasting familial legacy.

7. More Community Stories: Bravery, Migration, and New York Grit

[20:35]–[34:30]

• Charles: Exemplifies faith, service, and surprising celebrity adjacency (Billie Holiday’s mother’s restaurant).
• Christina from Bay Ridge: Her mom’s path from an unwed mother’s home to a life as an artist and Coast Guard spouse, fueling her own artistic aspirations.
• Nina from Manhattan: Her mom’s photo on the newspaper's front page at the Polo Grounds in the 1930s, an early feministic symbol.
• Linda: 77 years in Queens after fleeing Nazi Germany through Bolivia—a story of diaspora and devotion to NYC.
• Pam from Putnam Valley: Her mom’s heroic rescue in the Hudson River, recognized by NYC and the press.
• Hannah from Summit, NJ: Annual trips back to NYC kept her family’s Brooklyn roots alive, even after moving to Chicago.
• Janet in Little Italy: Raised by her ‘flapper’ mom and ‘Victorian’ aunt, her mother’s career as a New York Times proofreader enabled a bold, independent life.

8. Final Reflections & The Universality of Maternal Legacies

[34:45]–[36:49]

• Von Diaz:

  “All of us have a mother or mother figure… it’s so inspiring to hear about all of the ways that these moms from your callers shaped them and how their memories are going to live on in the stories they tell about them.” (34:54)

• Strong encouragement to record, revisit, and celebrate these stories, through StoryCorps or at home.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “That’s how you care for things that are nice.”
  (Vaughn Diaz, on learning the value of caring for laundry from her mother, 04:20)

• “When I go up there, I want them to know it's a woman up there.”
  (StoryCorps Mom, Con Ed line constructor, 08:18)

• “You don’t belong on the ground.”
  (StoryCorps Daughter to her mother, 09:13)

• “She taught us we could.”
  (Deborah from Yonkers, about her mother’s courage, 06:51)

• “I love you, and I’m your mother.”
  (Jackie Miller to Scott upon his coming out, 18:10)

• “You can’t afford a negative thought.”
  (Pam from Putnam Valley, quoting her mother, 33:18)

• “I’m a divine being going through a human experience. I live in God’s time, not man’s time.”
  (Pam from Putnam Valley’s mother, 33:33)

• “Just do your best, and I will always be proud of you and I will always love you.”
  (Grace sharing her own mother’s advice, StoryCorps, 29:22)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:19] – Von Diaz joins, discussing the spectrum of mom stories at StoryCorps
• [04:38] – Listener shout-outs and first call (Deborah from Yonkers)
• [07:19] – StoryCorps: First female Con Edison line constructor
• [11:00] – Marie from Brooklyn’s jazz bar memory
• [12:30] – Sarah from Manhattan: artists’ NYC journey
• [14:09] – Von Diaz’s advice for recording with parents
• [16:52] – Jackie Miller & Scott’s StoryCorps adoption conversation
• [20:35] – Lively stories: ministers, artists, immigrants, and heroes
• [27:42] – StoryCorps: Jose and Grace, family migration from DR to NYC
• [29:22] – Grace’s mother’s gentle wisdom
• [33:18] – Pam from Putnam Valley’s life lessons and bravado
• [34:45] – Von Diaz’s closing reflections on maternal legacies

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The Heart of the Episode

Your Mom’s New York Story is as much a love letter to mothers as it is to New York itself. From immigrant mothers forging new paths, to generations of women breaking barriers, shaping arts and community, or simply passing on cherished recipes and beliefs, each narrative captured the resilience, warmth, and vital role of mothers in New York's tapestry—and our own. The episode is a testament to the enduring impact of family stories, the value of sharing them, and the power of listening, especially as we honor and remember the women who paved the way.

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For more stories:
Explore StoryCorps archives at storycorps.org or listen every Friday on NPR’s Morning Edition.

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“All of us have a mother or mother figure… and it’s so inspiring to hear about all the ways these moms from your callers shaped them and how their memories are going to live on in the stories they tell about them.”
— Von Diaz, [34:54]

Transcript

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. I have a reminder for you. The public song project deadline is one week from today. Whether you've been working on a song for weeks or just hearing about it for the first time right now, there's still time to get involved. Put the finishing touches on your track or just pick up your phone and record a voice note. Maybe an old song that your parents or grandparents passed down to you comes to mind. Pick something from the public domain record, record a song and send it to us by May 15th. For more information, head to wnyc.org PSP to learn how. That's at wnyc.org PSP and Happy Composing. Now let's get this hour started with your mom. Mother's Day is this Sunday, and many of us are getting ready to celebrate with mom whether she's still here or not ahead of the weekend. We want to invite you to take this moment now to shout out your mom. But within this framework, we want to hear your mom's New York story. It could be anything, but ideally, something that comes to mind about your mom in New York. Maybe a story of how you spent time with her in the city or how her immigration story worked out or the memories you associate with her from when she raised you.

[Unknown (brief interjection)]

Here.

[Alison Stewart]

Joining us for this conversation is Vaughn Diaz. She's a senior producer for StoryCorps, and she's brought along with her some of her favorite StoryCorps mom stories. Hey, Vaughn. Oh, I can't hear you. Let's see if we can get Vaughn on. Can I hear you? Can you hear me now?

[Vaughn Diaz]

How about now?

[Alison Stewart]

That sounds great. Nice to meet you. When you start talking to people about their moms.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

How does their tone change or their attitude when you bring up mom?

[Vaughn Diaz]

Well, I can say without a doubt that our collection of mom stories at StoryCorps, which are, again, all archived in the Library of Congress, is probably the biggest collection of stories. And it's not just moms, but people who also operate as mother figures. Right. Those can be aunties, can be neighbors, can be chosen family. And I would say that those stories, I mean, range from reverence to frustration to joy to laughter and often things that they taught us.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

Sometimes relationships with moms are complicated.

[Vaughn Diaz]

Yes.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

What is challenging when you're talking to someone who possibly has difficult feelings about their mom?

[Vaughn Diaz]

Well, I think like any other StoryCorps conversation, you know, we want folks to, to open up and dig deep in their memory banks for things that stand out, specific memories, details, the first thing that comes up when they think about them. And again, you know, moms can have so many different kinds of roles in our lives, as, as teachers or as. But, but, yeah, as you said, sometimes very complicated feelings.

[Alison Stewart]

Do you have a dear story that you hold about your mom?

[Vaughn Diaz]

Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to say, hi, Mommy. My mother is in the garden in Norris, Tennessee, right now. Or that's what she told me just a few minutes ago. Well, I'm very close to my mom. She was a young mother. I was born in Puerto Rico, and when my dad joined the army, we ended up in Atlanta, eventually in New York, North Carolina, where I live today. And my mother, one of the things that I never thought I would adopt from her is how fastidious she is about her laundry. I take so much care in every piece of clothing in separating my delicates. And I always thought it was a pain in the butt when I was a kid, but now I understand that's how you care for things that are nice.

[Alison Stewart]

Listeners, take a moment now to shout out your mom. Specifically. Wanna hear your mom's New York story? Give us a call now at 2124-3396-9212-4433. WNYC this text Vaughn, it says, my mother, Nancy Carson, started a New York children's talent agency nearly 50 years ago when there were very few women agents and very few agents that handled youth specifically and doing it while raising three teens as a single mom.

[Caller or Guest]

Wow.

[Alison Stewart]

That's a great story. Thank you for shouting that out. Let's talk to Deborah from Yonkers. Hi, Deborah. Thank you for making the time to call all of it. You're on the air.

[Caller]

Hi, Allison, thanks for taking my call. My mother grew up in a small town in Michigan. And she went to Barnard College, got an early Fulbright scholarship to go to the Old Vic School in London, went back to New York. Her mother said, you have to come home and get married. She did. But when my parents got divorced, my mother decided that she want to stay in the small town anymore. Her mother said to her, you need to stay here and join the family travel business. So my mom packed up, four children, two dogs in a Ford Falcon, and we drove from Michigan to New York City, where my mother went back to being an actress. She hadn't been an act. Well, she'd done some acting in the Midwest, but anyway, so we came to New York City. Four kids. She got us all into school. It was the most eye opening experience for children who had come from a small town in Michigan to come to New York City. I worried so much about my mother going to auditions over in Alphabet City, which was not chic or expensive in those days. She worked at La Mama frequently, and she basically taught us, all of us, to go for what you want to do. And as a mother in 1969, to do that was really a phenomenal thing. And so she's always in my head. She's sadly gone now, but she's always in my head when I think about, you know, maybe I shouldn't do this because, you know, she taught us we could.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

That's a great lesson to learn from your mom. Thank you so much for calling us. Hey, Vaughn, you brought a bunch of stories from StoryCorps for us to listen to. This is about a daughter, about how she was the first woman to. About a daughter telling the story about her mother, who was the first woman to work as an electrical constructor. Constructor for Con Edison. Anything else you want to tell us about this story before we play it?

[Vaughn Diaz]

Yeah, that's right. As you said, she was the first woman to climb utility poles for Con Ed. And she's a line constructor, so her job is to install power lines many feet in the air. And she started in the early 90s. Yeah, that's what I'll tell you. You can hear the warmth between these two people and a very specific detail about what her mother wanted her to take away from being the first worker.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's listen.

[StoryCorps Interviewee (Daughter)]

I was the first lady to climb poles there. They hated me. Nobody wanted to work with me. They kept bouncing me back and forth from one truck to another. But I will never forget my first climb on the top of the pole. They was like, okay, lady, it's your turn. You gotta go up. And they placed bets on me. She'll never get up that pole. And, you know, I wasn't going to tell you guys, like, mommy didn't do it. So I just started climbing. And when I got to the top of the pole, I was hanging 50ft in the air, and I started painting my fingernails. And everybody was like, what are you doing? And I said, when I go up there, I want them to know it's a woman up there. I remember when it was parents night and you were coming straight from work, and you said, would you feel embarrassed if I go there with my work boots? And I said, not at all. I'm proud because it shows that my mother works. And it's funny to me because what I'm doing now, and I was getting you the job at Con Edison. I really didn't want you there because of all the stuff that I went through dealing with the guys. But they swear things have changed. Do you see that change? You have people, they just don't like you just because. Yeah, but I stopped being afraid of what other people thought about me. I learned that from you. Even people that have just crossed paths with you here and there, they say, man, your mother's like, that's a bad woman. You know? You know, you stayed strong in so many things, and that's why I've always called you my eagle. You don't belong on the ground. And believe it or not, your strength also motivated me and made me keep going.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

Oh, that's a Great story from StoryCorps. My guest is Von Diaz, StoryCorps senior producer. What do you think that story captures about their relationship?

[Vaughn Diaz]

Oh, it's so good. And I have to apologize if some tone came in. My mother was texting me just now because I shouted her a mom don't text anymore.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm on.

[Vaughn Diaz]

I'm on air. You know, I. There so many StoryCorps pieces have these lines that are unforgettable. I love how her daughter says, that's a bad woman, and how her mom tells her she wants to be an eagle because she doesn't belong on the ground. Like, those are some of the, you know, in addition to the. The laundry, the. The. As your caller just stated, all of these different sort of practical tools that our moms can give us, they can also inspire us to reach new heights. So that's. That's really what. What I take away from that story.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

This text says, my mom worked at Interview magazine in the 80s. She had the Coolest style and met my dad outside the Palladium Club when he asked her for a light. Let's talk to Marie, who's calling in from Brooklyn. Hey, Marie, thanks for calling, all of it. You're on the air.

[Caller]

Hi. Thanks for taking my call. So the first time I was ever in New York City. I'm from Asbury Park, New Jersey, at the Shore. And I came to New York City at a very young age. My uncle had a music store in Music Row. And I just remember being blown away by New York. And then many, many years later, when I was about 16, I just desperately wanted to be back in New York. I just knew I wanted to be here. So for my 16th birthday, my mom surprised me by taking me to a piano jazz bar in New York City, which was so unbelievable because we didn't really travel. My parents were divorced. She was basically a single mom raising three girls. And we just didn't go anywhere. She was working all the time. And it was just such a special memory for me that she took the time to do that.

And I just.

I have that memory that she's gone now. She died about 14 years ago. But I have such a vivid memory of that night. And I feel like it really kind of spurred on my desire to be in New York, where I am now raising a family and full circle moment, which I didn't even realize I told the screener until I was calling in. I have three boys. The youngest is turning 17. He was born on Mother's Day, and he's turning 17 on Mother's Day again this year. And we're taking him to the Oscar Peterson Tribute show at the Rose Theater at Lincoln center on Saturday night. So it's just like an amazing full circle moment. And he's a huge jazz fan and he's a huge New York City fan. So it's just really. I love that it ties it all together.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

That's beautiful. Thank you so much for calling in. Let's talk to Sarah in Lower Manhattan. Hey, Sarah, thanks for calling, all of it.

[Caller]

Hi, thanks for having me on. My mother came to New York city

at age 19 from Omaha, Nebraska, to go to art school. She went to the Art Students League and she lived at the ywca. She met my dad at an art school. But when she got here and she wanted to stay in touch with her family, she didn't know how to use a payphone. She'd never seen a payphone. So the kind people at the Y taught her how to use the phone. She stayed in touch but she never really went back. She went from New York to Paris to study painting and became just the greatest New Yorker. She drove like a cab driver. And I just redid my bedroom and I just hung up a piece of hers that I hadn't seen in a long time. And it just looks fantastic.

[Alison Stewart]

Thank you so much for calling in

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

and sharing your story. We appreciate it.

[Alison Stewart]

So, Vaughn, if you want to talk to your mom and, you know, sometimes parents aren't the most forthcoming. What are some good questions to start with?

[Vaughn Diaz]

I think, you know, always starting with what is your strongest memory? Or can you tell me about a time looking at the moments where you have curiosity about aspects of your parent that, that you've always found curious or, or interesting. Details are always great ways to sort of speak. Start talking to your parents.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Joan, who's calling from the Upper west side. Hi, Joan. Thanks for calling, all of it. You're on the air.

[Caller]

Hi.

My mother was a born and bred New Yorker, very much a city girl. She was also a big fan of old movies. And so one day we were going together to the old Regency Theater here on the Upper west side no longer exist. And we realized that standing in the line, right either in front of us or behind us was Jacqueline Kennedy and Carolyn. And my mother remarked quietly to me, oh, this must be the right place to be because there's, you know, this icon and her daughter and I'm here with my daughter. And she was just so pleased about that. And we had always identified with them in a way because the year before the assassination of the president, my own father had died rather tragically suddenly. And so I'm kind of the same age as Carolyn. And my mother, you know, always felt like, oh, she could understand the widow and everything. And here we were on this line at the movies. And of course, we didn't say anything to them to respect their privacy. I can't remember what movie we were seeing, but that's the memory that popped.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

Joan, thank you so much for giving us a call ahead of Mother's Day This Sunday, we're asking you to share

[Alison Stewart]

your mom's New York story.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

My guest is von Diaz, StoryCorps senior producer.

[Alison Stewart]

We want to hear from you.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

Call and tell us your mom's New York story. Our phone number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. We'll be right back after a quick break. You're listening to all of it on WNYC.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm Alison Stewart, my guest is Von Diaz, StoryCorps senior producer.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

She's helping us with our Mother's Day show. We want to hear from you. We're asking for your mom's New York story. Our phone number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. Siobhan, you brought us another story. This is a mom and son story. It's about Jackie Miller.

[Alison Stewart]

Can you give us a little bit of.

[Vaughn Diaz]

Yeah, absolutely. This is a StoryCorps favorite, and I can tell you that Jackie Miller adopted Scott in the early 1970s, and he came to StoryCorps with his mom to ask her questions about her decision to adopt. And here's what came.

[Scott (StoryCorps Interviewee, adopted son)]

When did you and dad decide to adopt?

[Jackie Miller (StoryCorps Interviewee, mother)]

We always knew from the time we first married. And we must have talked about it even before that. You know, we're very methodical people. Now, this is something you don't know. When I was 17, I got pregnant, and the light of my life is my father. But he gave me 24 hours to leave town, and I did have a son. I gave this baby up for adoption and said at that time that I will adopt a child when I'm able to take care of a child.

[Caller]

Wow.

[Scott (StoryCorps Interviewee, adopted son)]

I just wasn't ready for that.

[Jackie Miller (StoryCorps Interviewee, mother)]

I'm sure.

[Scott (StoryCorps Interviewee, adopted son)]

Thank you for telling me so many times.

[Jackie Miller (StoryCorps Interviewee, mother)]

I was saying, gosh, is this the time to tell him? But I'm 73 now, and it just seems like such a big secret.

[Scott (StoryCorps Interviewee, adopted son)]

Well, I guess I'm speaking of secrets. When I came out, I remember kind of saying to you, hey, mom, I want to talk to you about something. And I stumbled just telling you I was gay. And the first thing out of your mouth was, I love you, and I'm your mother.

[Jackie Miller (StoryCorps Interviewee, mother)]

By that time, I knew there wasn't even any question in my mind. Just as you were this wonderful little kid with curiosity and couldn't speak. Well, you know, that was as much a part of you as any of the other things. It's just you and I couldn't be happier if you're happy with your life. Plus, you help me with my hair sometimes.

[Scott (StoryCorps Interviewee, adopted son)]

Yeah, it comes with its perks.

[Jackie Miller (StoryCorps Interviewee, mother)]

There's no downside for me.

[Scott (StoryCorps Interviewee, adopted son)]

It's kind of funny. I think of myself to be an emotional person, but where you're concerned, I try not to be very emotional. I worry that you'll never know just how deeply I love you and how scary it is for me sometimes to imagine life without you.

[Jackie Miller (StoryCorps Interviewee, mother)]

That's something I can't make better for you. And I don't doubt it'll be tough, but you'll be okay. The thing that's been wonderful, sweetheart, is that we haven't missed much. You know, we spend a lot of time together, and you'll have those memories.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

That's a gorgeous story as well. What line stuck out for you, Vaughn?

[Vaughn Diaz]

So sweet. You know, I mean, more than the line. I just want to encourage everyone listening right now to record an interview with their mom. You can record an interview using the StoryCorps app, which you can download from the App store or from storycorps.org it's so meaningful. And I'll also share that. Almost two years ago now, Scott reached back out to us because this interview was recorded a while ago to let us know that his mom was struggling with her health and that he wanted to record with her one more time. And what we learned, and there are some updates on that, which you can hear in a broadcast and also in a podcast episode, which you can also find on storycorps.org is that this practice of recording this conversation with his mother was incredibly precious for both of them and gave them this. This archive, this time capsule of their time together, but also their deep love and affection for one another.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Charles, who's calling in from the Upper west side. Hi, Charles. Thanks for taking the time to call. All of it. You're on the air.

[Caller]

Thank you. Thanks very much for the segment you're doing. My mother was a minister and a nurse, and I wanted to tell you that, like, two little stories about her, maybe three, if you don't mind. First of all, she worked in a hospital. When I would call to speak to my mother, I would call Mrs. Johnson. They would call her Johnny because she was kind of like the drummer for the hospital, which I realized. And she told me this story that whenever somebody was ever sick, they would call her in to pray for them. And one day, there was this only daughter of a couple, and there was this young doctor that was just having trouble trying to, you know, comfort the family. So they asked my mother to go and pray for her. And then she went in, and when she came out, the doctor went back in and came out with tears in his eyes. Her daughter was doing better. Their daughter was doing better. The other story, I wanted to tell you that when we grew up, I

[Caller or Guest]

grew up in Manhattan.

[Caller]

We lived on 99th street before they built Park West Village. And Billie Holiday's mother had a restaurant on the block called Mom's Holiday. And one day the restaurant got. Somebody attempted to rob it. My mother was friends with her and said, well, how. What did you do? How did you stop it from happening? She said, I cut the lights off. And they panicked and ran out. And my mother said, well, where did you learn how to do that? And she said, I saw it in the movie. And my mother was called a messenger of God because she was a really good, really good minister. She was really into it. And she would have her graduations every year at St. John's Cathedral, and one year, one of her members called her a messenger of God. So thanks for giving me this opportunity to say that. And she had a great name, Edna.

[Caller or Guest]

Like the.

[Caller]

Like the volcano Edna.

[Alison Stewart]

My grandma was Edna. Love that. Let's talk to Christina from Bay Ridge. Hey, Christina, thanks for calling all of it.

[Caller]

This is a wonderful topic. I'm so glad you're doing it, and I'm gonna try not to cry, but my mom moved from Hastings, the Upper east side, when she graduated from high school, and she was pregnant. And so her parents sent her to, like, a women's home for unwed mothers. And just months after she had this baby and put it up for adoption, she met my dad, who was dodging the draft, and they got together and fell in love. And just after a couple of months, they were like, let's get hitched. And he ended up joining the Coast Guard, and they ended up living on Governor's island, where I lived when I was a baby, because they had a Coast Guard base on Governor's island, so we moved around a bunch. But New York City, because my mom was a painter and a sculptor, she loved jazz. She was real beatnik. So she inspired my love of art and music. And ever since I was a kid, I wanted to move back to New York, and I did and ended up living in SoHo, just, you know, blocks from where my dad lived when he first met my mom. But she. She was a giving, loving person, and it's great to celebrate all the moms for everything they give us. So thank you for letting me have this opportunity.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

Of course, Christina. We appreciate it. You know, it was interesting listening to her story. Vaughn, is the idea of you think of mom as that's mom, but mom had a whole life before he showed up, and she had a life when

[Vaughn Diaz]

you showed up, you know, and so many artistic moms that are calling in today.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

Yeah, we got a call. The woman had to go. She said her mom was a window dresser in Harlem. Someone said, you know, for you, you're a person who obviously people who know you deal with food.

[Caller]

Right?

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

How can cooking and cooking, our mom's recipes bring us closer to them?

[Vaughn Diaz]

Oh, gosh. I mean, food is such a universal unifier. And so often when I talk to people about cooking, they point to their grandmothers or their mothers as having sort of held their hands. But also, you know, cooking is dangerous at first for little people, right? You're dealing with sharp objects and with fire. And I think it's. It becomes a space where your parent, where your mom or your grandmother is really guiding you through something that is not only practical, but will nourish you as. As they did when you were a child.

[Alison Stewart]

This says hello, all of it. Your show is my lifeline. My name is Julia from the Bronx. My awesome mom came from Jamaica in the west indies in the 70s. She was fastidious about prayer food, especially fish. She was the daughter of a Scottish fisherman. When she came to New York City, searched diligently for a good fish market. She found one called the Best Fish in the Bronx. The worker there who helped her was named Noah. It was meant to be. She went there for. She passed two years ago on Mother's Day weekend. And Noah went back to Mexico. I still go to that fish market and I keep in touch with Noah via WhatsApp. A wonderful memory. Thank you.

[Caller]

That's a good.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Nina in Manhattan. Hey, Nina, thanks for taking the time to call, all of it.

[Caller]

Hi, how are you?

[Unknown (brief interjection)]

I just have a quick story about my mom. She was born in New York in 1910, and when she finished her college, she was working for social services. And one beautiful spring day, she saw that the New York Giants were playing a day game. And she went along to the Polo Grounds with her lunch. She was all dressed for work, you know, in the elegant way women dressed in. And she was sitting in the bleachers. And a New York photographer who worked for one of the New York papers saw her, took a picture of her, and it was on the front page of the New York newspaper the very next day at the top of the page, Molly Moll eats her way through the hours. So my mom was always a little feministic. She was just always in the right place at the right time. It's just a happy memory.

[Alison Stewart]

That's a great memory, Nina. Thank you so much. Let's talk to Linda from Linda. Hey, Linda, thanks for calling all of it.

[Caller]

Hi. My mother moved with her mother to New York in December of 1948. They came from Bolivia and where they had fled from Nazi Germany, and they moved after my grandfather Died. My mother was 19 at the time, and she moved to Queens, and she moved live in a lot of different places, but always in Queens. She recently flew to Portland, Oregon to live with my sister. And we figured out that she lived in New York for 77 years and loved it.

[Caller or Guest]

Aw.

[Alison Stewart]

Thank you so much for sharing that story. Vaughn, we have another clip you brought us featuring Jose and Grace. Tell us a little bit about this before we play it.

[Vaughn Diaz]

That's right. So Jose brought his daughter Grace to StoryCorps. And Jose grew up in the Dominican Republic. And in the late 1950s, his mom left their home to find work in the US and so Jose brought his daughter in so he could tell her about what it was like to stay in the Dominican Republic when his mom came to New York.

[Grace (StoryCorps Interviewee, daughter)]

My mother told me that I was the cutest thing in Villajuana. She called me Chichi. She said, chichi, tuers lo malindo de Villajuana. And she would give me a big kiss, and I would go to school with this big stamp of red lipstick on my forehead. So she built a self confidence in me that no one could ever, like, take away. I was 6 years old when she left for New York City. And I remember my uncle said, you're going to cry when your mom leaves. And I said, I'm not going to cry, but I think I've been crying ever since. My mother wrote often about what she was experiencing here in New York City. And as a child, I used to look at those postcards my mother would send. I always imagined that I would live in those postcards. So when I heard that I was coming to New York, I was in seventh grade, and I thought I was going to be living in the Empire State Building. But we lived in West Harlem, and instead of living in the Empire State Building, we lived in a basement with the front windows looked into a space where people put their garbage. But at the same time, I finally was living with my mother, and I felt so good. I would say that without a doubt, she has been the most influential person in my life.

[Vaughn Diaz]

Based on that, are there any words

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

of wisdom you'd like to pass along?

[Grace (StoryCorps Interviewee, daughter)]

Well, I would just say something that my mother told me once. She said, you know, Chi Chi, I don't want you to be the smartest kid. Just do your best, and I will always be proud of you and I will always love you.

[Vaughn Diaz]

Thank you.

[Grace (StoryCorps Interviewee, daughter)]

Wow, Grace, I am so happy that we have been able to have this conversation. Be beautiful.

[Alison Stewart]

So vom. For people whose mom died when they

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

were young, or maybe they don't have an association with their mom.

[Alison Stewart]

How do you suggest we try learning

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

more about them, especially if our moms are gone?

[Vaughn Diaz]

Oh, absolutely. We have so, so, so many remembrances of moms who've passed in the StoryCorps archive. And, you know, I think the quickest way to getting to know them is by talking to the people who knew them best, by interviewing friends and family. And, you know, on a personal note, I love that story. My grandmother, who passed over a decade ago, was born in the Dominican Republic. And I just. I can't even imagine the kind of courage it must have taken for a mom to leave her son at a time where you couldn't call. There was no text there, there's no zoom. You had to just leave your baby behind with your family so that you can make a better life for him. And I just really. I really love that story.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

Let's talk to Sarah from the Bronx. Hi, Sarah. Thanks for calling, all of it. You're on the air.

[Caller or Guest]

Hi. How are you today?

[StoryCorps Interviewee (Daughter)]

Doing well?

[Caller]

Yes.

[Caller or Guest]

I'm glad that I had this opportunity to speak. I appreciate it. I have a wonderful mother. She's passed, but her name is Mrs. Loren Barbish Trendellaney. And Mrs. Delaney came from South America. All right. Lorraine came from South America, the Essequibo coast. And she was a teacher when she was about 14 years old. And she was a. She taught everyone, so they called her Teacher Lorraine or Teacher Baby. She was very well respected and as a civil. And then she was a Rhodes scholar, and she came to America to study school. And when she got here, she also was part of the reason why Eze Ogwerry, who is a Nigerian prince, came to Guyana so that she could bring the League of Colored Nations. She brought him to bring him so that people in the area would understand what their pride was and where they came from. He actually gave her a name called Chioma, which means a gift from God. And she also wrote two chapters in a book called Seven Amazing Days, which detailed Mr. Guerri's unforgettable mission. And as I look back at my mom, she's just so opportunity. The opportunity that she had to come to America to study. She was a truly an educator. She liked teaching young children, young people. So, mom, she had. She graduated from Queens College, and then she went and got her master's degree at the teachers Training College from Columbia.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

Like I said, she sounds like an amazing woman, Sarah. And I'm gonna leave it there so I can get a couple other callers in but thank you so much for call. Talk to Pam in Putnam Valley. Hi, Pam.

[Caller]

Hi.

[Caller or Guest]

Thanks for taking my call. My mom was walking along Riverside Drive, and I think it was 1955. She had my older sister and older brother with her. They were small. I was in the carriage, and she saw an old man taking his clothes off by the Hudson River. And she realized it was a little girl drowning. So she told him, wait, wait with my kids. She jumped in. She saved the little girl. All she wanted to do, she said, was get home. She was sopping wet. She grabbed us, went home, and before she knew it, there was doorbell ringing. It was all the reporters. She was on the front page of the New York Post, the Daily News, all the newspapers. We have some of the clippings. She got an award from New York City for, I don't know, bravery or something like that. She was on Queen for a Day. She passed at 93. My mother was way ahead of her time. She always used to say, you can't afford a negative thought. And when people would ask her how old she was, she would say, I'm a divine being going through a human experience. I live in God's time, not man's time.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

All right, then. And let's try to get Hannah from Summit, New Jersey, in here. Hey, Hannah, thanks for calling, all of it. Tell us about your mom.

[Caller]

Hi.

[Caller or Guest]

So I've never called in before, but I had to talk about my mom in New York. My. My mom grew up in. She was born and raised in Brooklyn. By the time I was growing up, we lived in Chicago.

[Caller]

And she never let us forget that

[Caller or Guest]

we were not Midwesterners that were actually displaced New Yorkers. Every year, we would take a pilgrimage to New York and we'd eat Lindy's cheesecake and chock full of nuts and go to all her favorite places. And I moved to New Jersey long after she died. But I know that my mother would be so happy to know that I'm living close to this city that she loved and that she taught me to think of as my true home.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

Hannah, thank you so much for calling in ahead of Mother's Day this Sunday. We're asking you to help us share your mom's New York stories. My guest has been Vaughn Diaz, StoryCorps senior producer. Do you have any more thoughts before we wrap up?

[Vaughn Diaz]

I'm so. I've loved all the stories that people have told about their moms. You know, they're. All of us have a mother or mother figure.

[Caller or Guest]

Right.

[Vaughn Diaz]

Regardless of how we came into the world, or who raised us. And it's so inspiring to hear about all of the ways that these moms from your colors shaped them and how their memories are going to live on in the stories they tell about them.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

And we'll finish with Janet in Little Italy. Hi, Janet. You've got about a minute and a half.

[Janet (Caller)]

Okay, I'll talk as fast as I can. That's easy for me. My mother was the youngest of nine. Her older sister was the oldest of nine. When my father came back from World War II, he and she got divorced when I was three months old. And so I was raised by my mother, the flapper, and my aunt the Victorian, because Mom had to go back to work. She was a proofreader on the New York Times for 50 years. And when she retired, she we headed north in her old Chevy and stumbled upon a property in Gardner, New York, with a dilapidated old house on it. And that is the house from which I am talking with you now. But she was brave. She went to she worked in Alaska for the federal government back in the early 1940s. And then for 50 years, she worked nights on the New York Times because there was like a $2 an hour differential or something for night hours. And she raised me be to love animals, to have goals, to be as daring as she was in her life. I'm a documentary filmmaker now, but I would not be anywhere near a person with the range that I'm blessed to have because of the differential between my young mother and her much older sister and the qualities of life and purpose.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

Janet, thank you so much for calling. Where can people hear more StoryCorps stories?

[Vaughn Diaz]

Von Diaz, storycor.org or every Friday on NPR's Morning Edition.

[Co-host or Producer (possibly Siobhan or another host)]

Thanks so much for joining us.

[Vaughn Diaz]

Vaughn, thanks for having me.

[Caller]

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[Grace (StoryCorps Interviewee, daughter)]

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