Audio Interviews with U.S. Workers

      In this article in Social Education, Andrew Decker provides links to a series of Library of Congress audio interviews with Americans in a wide variety of jobs, among them:

- Luann Miller, grocery story cashier in Seattle, Washington

- Barbara Miller Byrd, circus owner, Hugo, Oklahoma

- Roberta Washington, architect, New York City

- Henrietta Ivey, home health care provider, Detroit, Michigan

- Dolores Fortuna, professional potter, Galena, Illinois 

- Thomas Sink, circus clown, Mead, Oklahoma 

These interviews, 6-9 minutes long, are excerpts from longer talks about why each person got into this job and what it was like on a day-to-day basis. “Using the America Works Podcast and Occupational Folklife Project to Personalize Economics in the Classroom” by Andrea Decker in Social Education, March/April 2026 (Vol. 90, #2, pp. 67-71)

Please Note: This summary is reprinted with permission from issue #1132 of The Marshall Memo, an excellent resource for educators.