The Story from American Public Media - When Politics Get Personal

Finding Her Fight

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:00:00

FINDING HER FIGHT

Galena Segal

After Galena Segal escaped the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, she found work as a hotel cook in Los Angeles. Galena and her fellow workers routinely stayed after hours, but they were never paid overtime. So when Galena was fired after asking for a raise, she decided it was time to take action. Galena talks to host Dick Gordon about what it meant to have the right to fight.

The Right to Vote

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:09:39

The Right to Vote

Heather Sticka

Heather Sticka voted for the first time in the 1996 presidential election. Then she fell in with the wrong crowd and ended up taking part in a bank robbery. After her conviction, she lost the right to vote.

Heather hasn't cast a ballot in twelve years. But her home state of Nebraska now allows felons who have completed their sentences to vote. As she tells Dick, her dream of finally feeling that she's a citizen again is about to come true.

Her Last Vote

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:15:00

Her Last Vote

Suzanne McDaniel Hayes

Suzanne McDaniel Hayes has always been a committed voter, but this year she is more determined than ever to vote. Suzanne is terminally ill with cancer, but she's hoping to live long enough to cast her ballot for the last time in her life. As she tells Dick, she's trying to set an example for her three children. She intends to go to the poll with her son, who will be voting for the first time.

STORY UPDATE:

On Wednesday, October 8, Suzanne was able to cast her vote, even though she'd lost the ability to speak. Suzanne passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 11.

See photos of Suzanne with her children and casting her final vote with the help of her husband

Backroom Deal Breaker

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:55:00

Backroom Deal breaker

Kelly Hicks

Kelly Hicks left her real estate job to work on a campaign for a local politician - someone she thought would make her town a better place to live. She was shocked when she learned he was in the back pocket of developers. For years afterwards, she didn't vote. Kelly talks to Dick about the backroom meeting that crushed her political idealism, and how she later recovered her faith in politics.

You're Not Nixon

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:45:00

You're not Nixon!

George Akers - larger >>

At a time when many people are sorting out which candidate they identify with, George Akers remembers being regularly identified as a candidate by other people: he bears an uncanny resemblance to Richard Nixon. The resemblance was usually the stuff of harmless jokes. But in 1970, George was on a picnic with his university students in a park near Camp David. On a whim, the group drove to the gate at Camp David, and to their astonishment were let in. George tells Dick about his encounter there with Marines, Secret Service men, and black helicopters.

See a photo of George in front of a poster of Nixon

Meeting Charisma

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:00:00

Meeting Charisma

Carolyn Maki

Carolyn Maki remembers the day she came face-to-face with charisma in the political scene. It happened when she was a high school student. And the politician? Let's just say it was someone her dad was not fond of. Carolyn talks to Dick about meeting Hubert Humphrey.

Voting at Home

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:31:05

Voting AT HOME

For Sue Leroux, voting brings back fond childhood memories. She grew up in Lancaster, Ohio, in a neighborhood where there were no public buildings. So Sue's parents agreed to have the neighborhood polling place in their cinderblock basement. Before each election day, her parents transformed the normally unkempt basement into a festive space, where blue-haired ladies snacked on coffee cake. Sue grew up thinking of voting as a sacred rite - a feeling that has stayed with her all her life.

See a photo of Sue and her three brothers from 1955 standing in front of their house

The Ice Cream Line

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:00:00

THE ICE CREAM LINE

Bill Myers

Back in the 1950s, Bill Myers endured racism on a daily basis - he once stood in line for ice cream on a hot day, only to be turned away at the counter. He tells Dick Gordon about a similar indignity he faced at the polls.

Homeless No More

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:00:00

Homeless No More

David Pirtle

Many Americans experience their political awakening when they cast their first vote or become inspired by a rousing speech. David Pirtle found his when he was homeless, living on the streets of Washington, D.C. When the city announced plans to close down the shelter where he was living, he joined a group of other homeless men to fight City Hall.

David talks with Dick Gordon about how his new-found activism not only helped save the shelter but also helped change his life.

Awakening through Protest

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:00:00

Awakening Through Protest

Graymon Ward

Dick has asked listeners for moments in their lives when the political became personal. For Graymon Ward, that moment came when he took part in a protest against the School of the Americas. That protest earned him a month-long jail sentence in a county prison where he was brutally beaten by other inmates. Graymon insists he would risk arrest again, even if it meant another stint in prison and another attack.

Janet Goes to Washington

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:00:00

Janet goes to Washington

Janet Krueger

Janet Krueger's father worked for IBM. IBM paid for her college education. After graduating, Janet also took a job at IBM and thought she'd work there until retirement - at which point she expected that IBM would take care of her just as it had her father.

When she learned about drastic changes in IBM's pension plan, however, she lost faith in the company. She went to Washington to make her case and, to her surprise, developed a belief in the power of the American political system to help ordinary Americans. At the age of 49, Janet left IBM. She developed a friendship with Sen. Paul Wellstone, who once suggested she'd make a good lawyer. After he died in a 2002 plane crash, Janet went to law school.

A Change of Heart

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:00:00

A Change of Heart

Kristen Kaszynski, photo: Matt Moyer, National Geographic, larger >>

Kristen Kaszynski has always considered herself a patriot. She listens actively to political discussions, and her husband even worked for the Secret Service, occasionally guarding political figures. But when her husband was killed in Iraq, Kristen's views changed completely. She joins Dick to tell her story of political transformation.

Alonzetta and Alonzo

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:00:00

Alonzetta and Alonzo

Alonzetta Huey's dad Alonzo voted in any and all elections. As an African American born in Arkansas, Alonzo lived through harassments and threats on many a voting day. Alonzetta never quite "got" her dad's commitment to the political process until he told her one story from his own past. These days, Alonzetta herself never misses an election. It's a way to honor her father's memory and his political dedication.

Growing into Politics

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:00:00

Growing into Politics

Andy Shapero

Nobody can ignore the youth vote this year. Younger people now comprise a quarter of the electorate, and they're more engaged with politics than ever.

Andy Shapero had his political awakening when he was talking politics with his father after years of estrangement following his parents' divorce. Andy carried his new-found confidence to college, and used it to become a campus leader and self-confessed "Deaniac" during the 2004 campaign of Howard Dean.

Detasseling Politics

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 05:00:00

Detasseling Politics

Debra Kaufman

Debra Kaufman wrote in about the summer job she had growing up in Iowa—the hot, grueling work of detasseling corn. One day, she and her girlfriends noticed that some boys working on the farm had easier jobs yet were being paid more. That's when Debra and the other girls decided to take action. As she tells Dick, the lesson she learned about standing up for her rights is one she still carries with her.

Music heard in this story: "Vote" performed by Jerry McCain for the album Struttin' My Stuff