Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, Charles Scott dreamed of becoming a police officer from the time he was a child growing up in California’s Central Valley. Years later, while serving with the Lompoc Police Department, Scott endured a devastating series of tragedies in just 16 months: two officer-involved shootings and the death of his teenage son Noah from leukemia. As grief and trauma pushed him into a dark emotional spiral, Scott began to question whether he could survive personally or professionally. With help from 911 At Ease International, he slowly found a path back to healing, family, faith, and police work.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, few figures in twentieth-century American politics stood farther apart than Shirley Chisholm and George Wallace. Chisholm broke barriers as a Black congresswoman and presidential candidate. Wallace became a national symbol of segregation and resistance to civil rights.

A tragic event brought them together, forging an unlikely connection. Special thanks to the Jack Miller Center for bringing this story to our attention.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, when My Sharona exploded onto radio stations in 1979, it became one of the biggest rock songs in America and turned The Knack into overnight stars. But behind the iconic guitar riff and unforgettable chorus was a real woman named Sharona Alperin. In this installment of our Story of a Song series, our own Greg Hengler shares how a chance meeting inspired one of rock music’s most recognizable hits, featuring reflections from Sharona herself and songwriter Doug Fieger.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Mary Sparks lived through heartbreak, secrecy, infidelity, and family scandal, but her Catholic faith shaped the way she responded to each one. First, as a young woman in Indiana, she refused to give up her daughter born out of wedlock. Decades later, after learning her husband had fathered a child during an affair, Mary made another extraordinary decision: she helped raise the boy as her own son. Mary’s son Sparky shares the remarkable story of faith, forgiveness, adoption, and family that held the Sparks family together through decades of hardship.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Kemmons Wilson Jr. grew up in one of America’s most successful business families after his father founded Holiday Inn. But after decades in business, mentorship, and Christian discipleship, Wilson says success belongs far lower on the priority list than most people think. In this installment of our Faith in Action series, the Memphis business leader reflects on friendship, faith, marriage, mentorship, and why “business comes sixth.”

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before the Bald Eagle became America’s national symbol, the rattlesnake represented the spirit of the American colonies. After all, it was a uniquely American and dangerous animal unfamiliar to most Europeans, and the design of its rattle lent itself perfectly to political symbolism. Benjamin Franklin used the snake in his famous “Join, or Die” political cartoon, and during the Revolutionary War, the image evolved into the iconic “Don’t Tread On Me” Gadsden Flag. Our American Stories regular contributor Ashley Hlebinsky shares the surprising backstory behind one of America’s most recognizable flags.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, it was initially hard for Joleen Lievaart to embrace her newborn nephew. After years of struggling with infertility, the trip to the hospital felt more like an obligation than a celebration. But over time, Joleen came to embrace her nephew both literally and figuratively, discovering what it truly meant to become a loving great-aunt. We'd like to thank our regular contributor, Leslie Leyland Fields, for suggesting this story.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, after Jason Rivera was killed responding to a domestic violence call in Harlem, New York, his wife Dominique stood before mourners at St. Patrick's Cathedral and shared the story of their young marriage. In this moving National Police Week eulogy, Dominique remembers the everyday routines, arguments, laughter, and love she shared with the 22-year-old NYPD detective whose life was cut short far too soon.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, more than 50 years after the United States outlawed the international slave trade, the schooner Clotilda illegally brought captive Africans to Mobile, Alabama in 1860. After emancipation, many of those survivors pooled their money, bought land, and founded Africatown. Nick Tabor, the author of Africatown, shares the remarkable story of the last slave ship to reach America, the people aboard it, and the resilient Alabama community they built from nothing.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, after Diego Moreno of the Kent Police Department was killed during a police pursuit in Kent, Washington, his wife and longtime patrol partner shared stories about the man behind the badge. For our National Police Week programming, they remember Moreno as a devoted father, energetic friend, relentless police officer, and larger-than-life personality who brought joy, humor, and intensity everywhere he went.

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