Linda Grace Morris: Baltimore Boomer Tales from the Hood
Baltimore was the place to be in the 1950s and 1960s, bustling with all the industry and social change about to come. For African Americans, it was a jobs magnet with all the major manufacturers. Those living in Turner Station and Sparrows Point, the company town built to host the Bethlehem Steel Company, had the highest per capita income for African Americans in the nation. Cherry Hill, the only planned community built for African Americans by the Federal Government, lifted many Baltimore Boomers into the middle class. This podcast walks down memory lane through the neighborhoods and good times--despite segregation--that those growing up there can never forget.
Episodes
When the United States Marine Corps promoted the recruiting slogan, "The Few. The Proud. The Marines." in 1977, they had no idea it would attract a young, indecisive, African American male in 1981 who would commit his post-retirement life to the Corps. Fast-forward 45 years, and anyone can see that Retired Sgt. Major O'Neal Johnson, Jr., Baltimore Chapter President of the National Montford Point Marine Association, ...
As you should know by now, I am trying to find my family in Barbados. I went to Barbados for the first time in September 2023 and made an appointment to go to their Archives. There, I met a young man who unlocked the next generation of my ancestry. I knew my grandfather immigrated here from Barbados in 1906. I got his immigration record from our National Archives in the early 2000s or before. And I've been searching...
This episode is near and dear to my heart because I never planned for retirement. I just thought I would work forever. Also, I had a "good government retirement" and Social Security. What more did I need? Silly me!
Jim Capuano, author of The Great American Retirement Myth, is sounding a wakeup call for those of you still planning for retirement, and I urge you to listen. Take it from me, your work years go by q...
Brenda is 80 years old and planning the next chapter of her life. She is a breast cancer survivor who fought through a major bout with depression when she was subsequently confined to a wheelchair due to degenerative arthritis. She uprooted herself from Baltimore and moved to Charlotte, NC, in the midst of her trials and tribulations. Then, when she got there, she became an entrepreneur at the age of 72 with her bus...
I first met Reverend Chester Morris, his lovely wife, Deborah, and his young daughter, Theresa, in about 1977 when I drove my Mother back home to the Eastern Shore of Virginia for the first time after she left as a child in 1931 as part of the Great Migration. Up until then, I had heard my Mom, and her eight siblings talk about their happy lives growing up in Nassawadox, Virginia. As I got older and learned more abo...
Mrs. Lelia Elaine Moody Harrison lives in Cherry Hill and has lived in the same house, the house her father purchased back in 1948, while living there. She has seen a lot in her 99 years and shares with us what she has done over time. Miss Lelia, as I call her, is such a delight. Listen as she shares her story.
Make every moment count! E-mail me at Lindagracemorris@gmail.com and tell me in 25 words or less why I shou...
I first heard of Warren Howze when he was the Big Man on Campus at Morgan State College in the mid-1960s. Although I did not attend Morgan, I heard my girlfriends talking about him being President of the Student Government Association. I recently met him and was interested in where life had taken him. I was captivated by his story because it shows the difference a life dedicated to public service can make. His story...
It was my honor and pleasure to interview my high school classmate and friend, Dobie Gillis. I did not know him in high school, but I am glad to have gotten to know him now. His story is the story of so many young men in the Boomer generation--particularly his service in Vietnam. I hope you will listen and learn.
Make every moment count! E-mail me at Lindagracemorris@gmail.com and tell me in 25 words or less why I sh...
Dr. William Wade, the subject of Season 2, Episode 2, invited me to attend the Luck Family Reunion that was held in Baltimore this year. Of course, being the #1 fan of Cherry Hill's Dr. Jerry Luck, I jumped at the opportunity. That is where I met Ted and Alyce Luck, both retired educators--but not really. If you listen to this episode, you will learn a lot. This family intrigues me because they are descended from en...
I was introduced to the Montford Point Marines three years ago around Veteran's Day when I attended one of their awards ceremonies at the War Memorial in Baltimore. I didn't know their story before going. Fast forward to February of this year when one of my high school classmates, Eugene (Dobie) Gillis, a retired Marine who lives in California, forwarded me an email in February about the Montford Point Marines Assoc...
Reverend Hunter's calling is to saving souls. His life of activism reminds us that we are our brother's keeper. Even in retirement from his Presiding Elder capacity, he continues to work to bring the next generation to God and to remind them of their anointing.
Make every moment count! E-mail me at Lindagracemorris@gmail.com and tell me in 25 words or less why I should interview you.
Nobody believes me when I tell them how wonderful life was in Cherry Hill except others of my generation who grew up in this brand new, state of the art, first planned community built for African Americans by the Federal Government. We were more or less an experiment and boy did we succeed. There are enough witnesses on this podcast from Cherry Hill for you to know that this is our story, and we are sticking to it. ...
Yes! There really is a club of Lindas, and you are getting ready to meet the club President. This Linda was born and raised in Chicago--a few blocks from the slaughter yards. She is a very positive person, and of course as a Linda, she has to be personable. If you are feeling a little down, this episode will pick you up and change the course of your day. Listen as Linda shares her positivity.
Make every moment count!...
If that doesn't describe Dr. JakyB, I don't know what else will. A child of Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore, she has always been a force of nature. At a young age, she made it her mission to meet her parents' expectations of her, and she took off on her quest for education. That quest has taken her on a lot of twists and turns and made her the first in many areas of her life. After you listen to her story, check out ...
Jamaal Moses was born in what was then, Baltimore City Hospitals--now Johns Hopkins Bayview Campus, and lived a few blocks from what is now called the Inner Harbor until he was about 10 years old. Then he and his family moved to Cherry Hill and experienced the unique sense of community offered there. Jamaal has an outstanding record of service as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Baltimore City and Baltimore Coun...
Growing up, Aaron Condon wanted to be an archeologist just like Indian Jones. However, instead of finding buried treasure, he is mining the nuggets of history made at the National Institutes of Health for evidence of the contributions of minorities and women. For every Nobel Laureate, there are dozens of NIHers contributing to the research--ranging from the animal caretakers and glassware washers to the laboratory w...
Selena and I became acquainted through a direct sales opportunity doing jewelry parties. It was a fun way to test our entrepreneurial spirit and meet like-minded women and men. That was 20 years ago, and we have remained friends. Selena is 20 years younger than I, and she has a joy for life and bringing people together. Most recently, she has established a women's network, and I wanted her to speak about her leaders...
Mattie Butler gives us a glimpse of what life was like in early Cherry Hill. She was 14 when she and her mother, Ms. Frances Jones, moved from Vine Street near Fremont Avenue to Cherry Hill. Cherry Hill was a dream come true for her and the other families fortunate enough to be accepted into the community. Listen to how her life unfolded.
Make every moment count! E-mail me at Lindagracemorris@gmail.com and tell me in...
Those of you with subscriptions to Ancestry.com know that from time to time you might receive a message suggesting family members who share portions of your DNA. So far, I have found four cousins this way. The other three are related on my mother's side from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. So I assumed that Mark was too. No matter how hard we have tried, we have not confirmed a common ancestor there, but we both have...
You will remember Michael burnside as the subject of Season 1, Episodes 31 and 32. He grew up in East Baltimore and Cherry Hill and later went into the service. However, his is an unconventional journey that ultimately led him to his purpose. You can just listen to this episode and extract some nuggets of Michael's folksy wisdom. However, if you have not listened to Michael's story shared in the prior episodes...
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