- The eight-episode series, part of the American Folklife Center’s ongoing Occupational Folklife Project, introduces audiences to a diverse range of voices within the evolving American workforce.
- Each 5-minute episode includes worker narratives that add to the rich tapestry of American society.
- The first episode is available now on Apple Podcasts and at loc.gov/podcasts. Subsequent episodes will be released each Thursday through March 28.
Library of Congress Releases Fifth Season of “America Works” Podcast
Season Features Stories from Contemporary American Workers, Including an Instrument Maker, Funeral Home Director, Blueberry Farmer, Architect and More
The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress today launched its fifth season of “America Works,” an innovative podcast series celebrating the wisdom, wit, resilience and dedication of American workers in a changing economic environment. The new season features stories from a string instrument maker in North Carolina, a funeral home director in Georgia and a blueberry farmer in Michigan, among others.
The eight-episode series, part of the American Folklife Center’s ongoing Occupational Folklife Project, introduces audiences to a diverse range of voices within the evolving American workforce. Each 5-minute episode includes worker narratives that add to the rich tapestry of American society. The first episode is available now on Apple Podcasts and at loc.gov/podcasts. Subsequent episodes will be released each Thursday through March 28.
“The fifth season of ‘America Works’ features uplifting stories from African American and female professionals and entrepreneurs, as the Library turns its lens to Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March,” said Nancy Groce, host of “America Works” and senior folklife specialist at the American Folklife Center. “We are excited to feature such a diversity of voices this season, from instrument makers and cave guides to mail carriers and architects.”
The fifth season of “America Works” includes:
Episode 1 –Damon Walker, one of the few African American “luthiers” or string instrument makers in the country. Working in Durham, North Carolina, “Dr. Bass,” as he’s known in the business, explains how his early passion for wood, music and building led him down a winding path to a beloved career that combines all three.
Episode 2 – Marcus Wimby, director of Haugabrooks Funeral Home in Atlanta, Georgia, talks about his pride in carrying on the legacy of a multi-generational business founded by his grandfather’s aunt in 1929 and a mainstay of Atlanta’s African American community ever since.
Episode 3 – Jerry Bransford, a seasonal tour guide at Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park, shares stories from multiple generations of Bransfords working as cave guides beginning in the 1830s, some becoming celebrities despite being enslaved. Bransford wants park visitors to learn about the contributions of his ancestors and other African American cave workers.
Episode 4 – Leah Chase, chef and owner of award-winning Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in New Orleans, talks about her work running the business since 1946, how it became an important meeting site for leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and continues to attract celebrities, politicians and regular Louisianans.
Episode 5 – Barbara Norman, a fourth-generation Black farmer from Couvert, Michigan, talks about her experiences growing up and working on a farm, learning to love farm life, and the outsized influence her great-grandfather and grandfather had on the family business.
Episode 6 – 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 create a popular website that documents more than 700 structures built by enslaved African Americans. Hill spearheads a project committed to preserving and teaching the history of enslaved people.
Episode 7 –Shanda Dunn, a substance abuse counselor in Lexington, Kentucky, explains how she overcame her struggles with substance abuse as a young mother and cleaned up the “wreckage” of her past to now help others recover from debilitating substance abuse disorders.
Episode 8 –Jeremy Presar, a mail carrier in French Creek, West Virginia, talks about his 70-mile route and delivery to 600 homes, the challenges of being bi-racial in a predominantly White area, and his pride in working for a “vital lifeline of America.”
Each “America Works” episode is drawn from a longer interview from the American Folklife Center’s Occupational Folklife Project, a multi-year initiative created to document workforce culture. Since 2010, fieldworkers from the American Folklife Center have interviewed more than 1,800 workers, documenting their experiences in more than 100 professions. More than 600 of these full-length interviews are now available online.
The first four seasons of “America Works,” launched in August 2020, April 2021, January 2022, and March 2023, respectively, are available on Apple Podcasts and at loc.gov/podcasts. Listen to a trailer for “America Works” and subscribe here: https://loc.gov/podcasts/america-works/.
About the American Folklife Center
The American Folklife Center was created by Congress in 1976 and placed at the Library of Congress to “preserve and present American folklife” through programs of research, documentation, archival presentation, reference service, live performance, exhibition, public programs and training. The Center includes the Archive of Folk Culture, which was established in 1928 and is now one of the largest collections of ethnographic material from the United States and around the world.
About the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
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Media Contact: María Peña, mpena@loc.gov
PR 24-007
02/08/24
ISSN 0731-3527