America Works Podcast Library of Congress

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.