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Yellow background. "TRUTH" in maroon text, underneath is "BE" in light green text, and "TOLD" in orange text with a dark green half speech bubble underneath. BTPM NPR logo in the top left
Truth Be Told

Legacy & Generational Impact: Storytelling, Culture & Community

Published December 12, 2025 at 10:43 AM EST
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Yellow background. "TRUTH" in maroon text, underneath is "BE" in light green text, and "TOLD" in orange text with a dark green half speech bubble underneath. Under that is LEGACY in green text. BTPM NPR logo in the top left.

Legacy isn’t just what we leave behind — it ’ s what we build every day.

In this final episode, Kenneth and Sharon Holley, owners of Zawadi Books, share how literacy, oral tradition and Black entrepreneurship shaped their lives and their community. From childhood comic - book libraries to decades of cultural stewardship, their story shows how family history becomes community history and how stories keep us rooted.

A moving close to the series and a celebration of the people who preserve culture for future generations.

Truth Be Told Season 1
Latest Episodes
  • Yellow background. "TRUTH" in maroon text, underneath is "BE" in light green text, and "TOLD" in orange text with a dark green half speech bubble underneath. Under that is END OF LIFE in green text. BTPM NPR logo in the top left.
    End of Life & Generational Joy: Caregiving, Loss & Love
    In this episode, Rene Petties - Jones shares her experience navigating dementia, hospice and the emotional weight of becoming a caregiver for her mother. Her story shines a light on the inequities Black families face at the end of life and the cultural traditions that bring joy and dignity even in grief.
  • Yellow background. "TRUTH" in maroon text, underneath is "BE" in light green text, and "TOLD" in orange text with a dark green half speech bubble underneath. Under that is RETIREMENT in green text. BTPM NPR logo in the top left.
    Retirement: Aging, Inequity & the Weight of a Lifetime
    How does a lifetime of racial inequity shape life in our later years? In this episode, activist, educator and community leader Dr. Barbara Nevergold reflects on coming to Buffalo as part of the Great Migration.
  • Yellow background. "TRUTH" in maroon text, underneath is "BE" in light green text, and "TOLD" in orange text with a dark green half speech bubble underneath. Under that is FATHERHOOD in green text. BTPM NPR logo in the top left.
    Fatherhood: Breaking Cycles & Rewriting the Narrative
    The stereotype of the “absent Black father” is powerful and deeply misleading. In this episode, Al Smith shares his journey from a childhood shaped by addiction, the crack epidemic and disrupted family systems to becoming a devoted single father and police officer.
  • Yellow background. "TRUTH" in maroon text, underneath is "BE" in light green text, and "TOLD" in orange text with a dark green half speech bubble underneath. Under that is HOMEOWNERSHIP in green text. BTPM NPR logo in the top left.
    Homeownership: Race, Wealth & the Fight for Belonging
    Homeownership is supposed to offer stability. But for many Black families, it still comes with barriers that have nothing to do with income and everything to do with history. Wylie and Njeri Hughes share their journey across continents and into Western New York.
  • Yellow background. "TRUTH" in maroon text, underneath is "BE" in light green text, and "TOLD" in orange text with a dark green half speech bubble underneath. Under that is YOUNG ADULTHOOD in green text. BTPM NPR logo in the top left.
    Young Adulthood: Work, Opportunity & the Barriers to Economic Mobility
    What happens when the path to a good job is filled with obstacles you never created? In this episode, we follow Vanessa Hall, who grew up in public housing in Lackawanna and spent years juggling low - wage work, long bus rides, caregiving and limited opportunities.
  • Yellow background. "TRUTH" in maroon text, underneath is "BE" in light green text, and "TOLD" in orange text with a dark green half speech bubble underneath. Under that is FLYING THE NEST in green text. BTPM NPR logo in the top left.
    Flying the Nest: Higher Education and the Fight for Opportunity
    What does the road to college really look like for first-generation students of color? In this episode, Sherman Webb-Middlebrooks reflects on growing up in Buffalo, discovering the HEOP program by chance and navigating hunger, culture shock and isolation on a campus where few people looked like him.
  • Yellow background. "TRUTH" in maroon text, underneath is "BE" in light green text, and "TOLD" in orange text with a dark green half speech bubble underneath. Under that is ADOLECENCE in green text. BTPM NPR logo in the top left.
    Adolescence: Confronting the School-to-Prison Pipeline
    When does school stop being a safe place and start pushing kids out? In this episode, Kenneth Simmons shares his journey from a promising student in the South to navigating poverty, instability and a school system that punished instead of supported.
  • Yellow background. "TRUTH" in maroon text, underneath is "BE" in light green text, and "TOLD" in orange text with a dark green half speech bubble underneath. Under that is PRE-ADOLECENCE in green text. BTPM NPR logo in the top left.
    Pre-Adolescence: Navigating Racial Bias in Educational Systems
    What happens when schools stop seeing Black children as children? In this episode of Truth Be Told, Chelest Ponzo shares her family’s story navigating bias, discipline and advocacy inside America’s education system. We examine how racial bias and ableism shape educational experiences from elementary school onward.
  • Yellow background. "TRUTH" in maroon text, underneath is "BE" in light green text, and "TOLD" in orange text with a dark green half speech bubble underneath. Under that is CHILDHOOD in green text. BTPM NPR logo in the top left.
    Childhood: Education, Identity and Growth
    How does identity form in childhood? And who helps shape it? Every child deserves to see themselves reflected in the world around them. In this episode of Truth Be Told, parents and educators Akil and Mariyama Ajamu share their story of raising and teaching Black children with pride, purpose and power.
  • Yellow background. "TRUTH" in maroon text, underneath is "BE" in light green text, and "TOLD" in orange text with a dark green half speech bubble underneath. Under that is INFANCY & EARLY CHILDHOOD in green text. BTPM NPR logo in the top left.
    Infancy and Early Childhood: Foundations for Health and Joy
    What does it take to build a healthy start for a child when the odds are stacked against you? In this episode of Truth Be Told, we follow Faye Gomez, a mother of three under 3, as she works to provide health and joy for her children amid food deserts, housing challenges, and limited child care.