Back in March, as the pandemic hit, many people across the country found themselves without a safety net. Naida Lavon was one of them. Naida is 67 and for the past few months, she’s been living in her car on the streets of Portland, Oregon. As part of our Hunker Down Diaries series, we bring you her story.
Music this week from Blue Dot Sessions and featuring “Home Again” by Michael Kiwanuka.
The story has support from Humanities New York and National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this production do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. We also have support from Radio Diaries listeners, find our more and donate.
Brother Claude Ely
This is the story of a song, “Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down.” It was written by a 12-year-old boy on what was supposed to be his deathbed. But the boy didn’t die. Instead, he became a Pentecostal preacher and later helped inspire the birth of Rock & Roll.
The boy’s name was Brother Claude Ely, and he was known as The Gospel Ranger.
Also in this episode, we remember Joe Newman from our Hunker Down Diaries series, who passed away this week at 108 years old.