This I Believe

Will Thomas had planned to give up on America and move to Haiti after putting up with decades of bigotry and injustice toward African Americans. Then he decided to give the country one more chance, moving his family to an all-white town in Vermont.

Elvia Bautista was devastated when her brother was killed in a gang shooting. Now, she believes in remembering all the victims of gang violence even when doing so may endanger her own safety.

When she was young, Lauren LeBlanc had grand dreams of living in New York and singing on Broadway. Instead, she became a mom and schoolteacher in suburbia. While it’s not the life she once imagined, LeBlanc now knows she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Although he makes his living with words, poet Fred D'Aguiar is enthralled by dance: from the physicality of the art, to its powers to inspire and heal. D’Aguiar believes dance can be a source for peace, if we all join in and move to the global groove.

High school student Amelia Baxter-Stoltzfus believes in the freedom offered by semi-permanent hair dye. As much as she likes trying a new look, Baxter-Stolzfus knows there are some things worth coming back to, no matter how much her life may change.

Jennifer Thompson-Cannino was certain that Ronald Cotton was the man who raped her in 1984. But she was wrong. After 11 years in jail, DNA evidence proved Cotton’s innocence. Now, the two have a friendship based on their belief in forgiveness.

As a hospice volunteer, Mary Cook shares in the grief of others. But it was her own loss that taught her how to heal. She believes that recovering from grief requires not a battle, but surrender.

What kind of world are we leaving younger generations? Manhattan teenager Josh Rittenberg says all parents worry about their children’s futures. But he believes he and his peers will see a better world.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says he was destined to help people with HIV-AIDS. His work at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is fueled by his belief in personal responsibility to humankind.

Carol Fixman's parents taught her the importance of taking action to find solutions to life's problems. And at the end of her mother's life, Ms. Fixman put this advice to work and found that she didn't have to change the world in order to make a big difference.

When Terri Maue's father was near his death, his family was at his side, asking what they could do for him. It was then that he uttered the words that have become a deep-seated belief for Ms. Maue.

Playing cards or board games has been an important part of Pamela Rothbard's life since she was a child who was allowed to stay up past bedtime and play with the adults. Now, as a parent, playing games with her own children gives her family an opportunity to do something together and share in each other's lives.

Lying in a hospital with shrapnel and burn wounds from a Vietnam War battle, Steve Banko wasn’t sure he wanted to live. But the sounds of Christmas music helped give him reason to believe otherwise.

Like many of us, Lisa Dunlap had always heard the adage that it's better to give than to receive. But having been on the receiving end of many acts of kindness, Ms. Dunlap has come to believe that while it is indeed good to give, it's also good to receive.

Bill Reinert has been in the position of both giving and receiving customer service. He now believes that making the effort to serve the people in our lives the best that we can is a rewarding practice, whether in business or at home.

There are many ways to look at any given situation in life. William Shutkin has thought a lot about these paradoxes in our lives and how we can either be paralyzed or energized by them.

With each pecan pie and batch of molasses cookies, Emily Echols hones the baking skills she learned from her elders. Ms. Echols believes baking is an expression of love for her family.

Jim Snitker knew in high school that he wanted to serve his country by joining the military. And, while he served for 20 years in the U.S. Army, he never saw active combat. But Mr. Snitker believes that he and other Cold War veterans who trained and waited also served their country.

No gift, dinner invitation, or gesture of friendship escapes Michelle Lee’s notice. As a dedicated thank-you-note writer, Lee believes expressing gratitude is more than a social grace. It helps her fully appreciate the love and support she receives daily.

Growing up, Anna Whites moved many times, living in exotic places all around the world, but she never quite felt that she belonged in any one place. Later, when she married a man from eastern Kentucky, she found a place—and a people—where she finally knew she was home.

When Jason Howard was young, he spent many afternoons listening to his father's record collection on an RCA turntable. That was the beginning of Howard's lifelong belief that music and art are connected to the divine.

Karin Round lives at the end of an interstate off-ramp in suburban Boston, and she often finds wayward travelers on her doorstep asking for assistance. In spite of the potential dangers, Round believes it’s important to open her door and help those in need.

Zac Broken Rope has German ancestors on his mother's side of the family and a Native American heritage on his father's. But he grew up feeling that he didn't belong to either culture—until a family member taught him a lesson about his identity.

Sena Jeter Naslund knew at an early age that she loved literature. But when making a career choice, she felt she should do something good for humanity, not simply indulge her passions. One moment in a college classroom changed her perspective, though, and she realized that literature does bring good into the world.

A childhood experience on a playground taught Tori Murden McClure a lesson about the importance of love and friendship that has stuck with her through the years and helped inspire her life's work.

Janet Jayne has been a "step-something" for most of her life—a step-daughter, a step-sister, a step-mother. And while she recognizes the struggles that are often a part of "blending" families, she also celebrates the love that brings new families together.

A favorite team makes the World Series while a marriage ends in divorce. Surviving life’s ups and downs led Steve Porter to believe that the good times and bad ultimately balance out.

As a child, Sherri Ellerman recalls her mother being worried about her age and living in fear of growing older. However, when her mother died at the age of 36, Ellerman realized that it isn't the number of days or months or years of life that matter. What matters is the one life we have to live.

On August 29, 2005, Dr. Patrick Cleveland's life changed forever when Hurricane Katrina came barreling through his home. But a so-called coincidence confirmed for him the knowledge that his life has a purpose.

As an attorney, William Holston made it a priority to volunteer his legal services to help refugees who were seeking religious and political asylum in the U.S. One particular client helped Holston see that service to others is a privilege—and a path to greatness.

It was a sad day when Jay Hasheider helped his son pack and get ready to move away to college. But one moment of joy amidst the sadness was a gift for both father and son.

If you think a Manhattan consulting job is stressful, try farming. Tim Stark has done both. He believes a reasonable amount of stress brings out his best qualities. It also produces tasty tomatoes.

Rebecca Haynes, a former park ranger, believes that her life is made better by being part of a local community and a local environment, whether in a small town, a big city, or the wilds of the Sonoran Desert.

For years, Quique Aviles was two people: one who was a successful poet, and one who was a crack addict. Now he believes his art and the connections it gives him to other people can help save his life.

Although born and raised in England, writer Andrew Sullivan turns to America’s Declaration of Independence to find his beliefs rooted in the principles of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Jody Williams believes extraordinary things can happen when ordinary people decide to take action. Her own activism led to a 1997 international treaty banning landmines and to a Nobel Peace Prize.

Restaurant critic Jason Sheehan has a passion for barbecue with all the homemade fixings on the side. He believes barbecue unites us, comforts us and is the only thing he can’t get enough of.

Although their biological dad has disappeared, Michele Weldon’s three sons have not been fatherless. Weldon believes the men who have stepped-in to act as substitute dads have generously embraced her sons with love and served as valuable role models.

For much of his life, Greg Chapman felt less than fully human. But when he stopped judging himself against other people’s beliefs, Chapman found a new acceptance of himself and a stronger bond with God.

When she was young, Mary Curran Hackett's father gave her and her siblings frequent speeches about the importance of perseverance. What surprised her as an adult was how much he lived his "never give up" message toward her when she needed him the most.

A chance encounter in a coffee shop introduced writer Rachel Richardson to a man who had many stories to tell. Ms. Richardson came to understand that everyone has a story, and our lives can be enriched by listening to the stories of others.

Kim O'Connell's mother is Vietnamese, and her father is American. But since she was born and raised in the U.S., her mother insisted that her daughter be "Americanized" and only speak English. Now, Ms. O'Connell believes that learning her mother's native tongue can help her connect to the other half of her heritage.

Several years ago, when a patient gave Chris Porter a long stare, he thought the man was judging him because of his race or his profession. In reality, the incident taught Porter himself an important lesson about prejudging people.

When Joel Boutin served in the Peace Corps in Tanzania, he enjoyed living a simple life. After returning to the United States and once again getting caught up in the cultural norms of daily living, he came to realize he would be happier and healthier living more simply in a very tiny house.

When he was a child, Howard White’s mother taught him the importance of greeting people. Now an executive at Nike, White believes everyone he meets deserves to have their presence and their humanity acknowledged. For him that begins with “hello.”

Jennie Kiffmeyer is a writer, a storyteller. But on the occasion of her father's death, she realized she didn't know enough of his life—his stories—to fill in the blanks. So Ms. Kiffmeyer believes in writing, both to understand and be understood.

As a father, David Westwood has found that life isn't so complicated when deciding on the very basics of life that need to be taught to our children. For Westwood, one of those basics is that we must learn self-respect before we can gain respect for others.

Poet Frank X Walker believes artists aren’t the only creative people. He says barbers, cooks, janitors, and kids enrich the world with their creativity as much as the painters, sculptors, and writers.

Madeleine Urbaszewski wasn't born in New Orleans, but she has called it home since moving there in the fourth grade. Because she has experienced warmth and friendliness from the people there, including perfect strangers, Ms. Urbaszewski has come to believe in treating everyone like family.

As Brenda Holliday approached the age of 50, she began to see another woman in the mirror—her mother. As she started to recognize her mother's physical features in her own face, she came to believe that in more ways than one, she is her mother's daughter.

Inspired by the generosity of his parents, University of Louisville sociology professor Charles H. Parrish believed in the importance of helping others and always looking for the good in people. By doing so, Parrish said we can catch a vision of God. From Edward R. Murrow's original 1950s This I Believe series.