Joia Putnoi

Sisters Mai Lo Lee and Beth Lo grew up in a large Hmong family on a ginseng farm in Wisconsin. But their story dates back to the American War in Vietnam.

Originally from Laos, the Lo family fled persecution after the country fell to communist forces in the mid 1970s. The new regime declared the Hmong people enemies of the state, as they’d fought alongside the U.S. against the communist government.

The Lo family in the Ban Vinai Holding Center, Thailand, in 1980. Photo courtesy of Mai Lo Lee.

In 1959, Albert t José Jones founded the first Black Scuba Diving Club in the U.S. as a senior in college.

Since then the club has grown to over 3,000 members and traveled all over the world training Black divers and coming face to face with history.

At StoryCorps Albert shared memories of 65 years of underwater exploring with his colleague Jay Hailger.

Albert Jones in diving gear in Key West, Florida in 2000. Courtesy of Albert Jones.

Top Photo: Albert Jones scuba diving in the Great Barrie

Segment starts at 23:00

We continue our favorite summer tradition. We’re now in our sixth consecutive year investigating the origins of unusual Vermont road names submitted and voted on by you, our listeners. Our state turns out to be a hotbed for road name creativity!

Brave Little State is Vermont Public's listener-powered journalism show. We answer questions about Vermont that have been asked and voted on by you, our audience, because we want our journalism to be more inclusive, more transparent and more fun.

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When it comes to givin