Narrators

The stories of those who have lived a century or more remind us that home is a complex and wondrous concept: where we experience security and insecurity, where we make and remake our identities, and that home changes and contradicts while also offering stability, empowerment, hope, and grace.

Meet the narrators from Home is Everything:

A Place Where You're Accepted: At 100 years old, Ms. B.S. defines homes as more than a structure. Home is belonging and memory

image of forest similar to the terrain Ms. AM.BS grew up in

This Belongs to Pauline: Learn about Ms. W., a 102 year old who remembers her family's fight for a home built on freedom.

Bringing Freedom Home: 102-year-old Mr. B. reflects on his time as a drafted solder in World War II and his legacy as a life-long Richmonder.

The liberation of France in the Second World War

Built by Hand, Held by Love: The meaning of home runs deep for Ms. B. Learn about the beloved family matriarch who has lived all over the U.S., who now finds herself right where she belongs.

close up of a man doing carpentry by hand

Home is Everything: Ms. S. shares her story of resilience, loss, joy, and care. It's a story that includes everything, because home is everything.

Keeping Close, Staying Safe: Learn more about Mr. LaCourse’s childhood in a diverse immigrant tenement community, where his brother protected him from gang violence. His journey led him to be an impactful school principal in Richmond, loving brother, father and grandfather.

Image of tenements where he grew up, with an orange and teal overlay

We invite you to check back here as new narrators will continue to be added, plus additional audio links and transcripts. Questions? Contact Catherine at macdonaldcs@vcu.edu.