Race & Equity

StoryCorps Charlotte

The StoryCorps Mobile Tour stopped in Charlotte in April and May 2024. These are some of the stories people shared. StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that records, preserves and shares the stories of everyday people. Since 2003, they have recorded over 80,000 interviews, amassing the largest collection of human voices in their archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

How a Charlotte church program saved a man's health — and life

WFAE | By Nick de la Canal

Published June 9, 2024 at 9:20 AM EDT

Arthur "AJ" Johns, left, and Bishop Wade Ferguson shared a conversation in the StoryCorps mobile recording booth in uptown Charlotte.

For years, Arthur "AJ" Johns struggled with his health and his weight, until he says his life was saved by a healthy living program at Fifteenth Street Church of God on East 15th Street.

His friend and minister, Bishop Wade Ferguson, introduced him to the program, called "Village HeartBEAT." They shared a conversation about the experience in the StoryCorps mobile recording booth.

The StoryCorps Mobile Tour is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Support for StoryCorps' Charlotte visit was provided by Johnson & Wales University.