Voice of Witness

Join us in welcoming Fanny García to the VOW team! 📣🌟 As an oral historian and narrative change strategist, Fanny seeks to amplify diverse voices and shed light on silenced stories. She is interested in using personal narratives to bridge cultural divides, challenge preconceived notions, and contribute to a more comprehensive and equitable historical record. We're also saying goodbye to our departing Editorial Director, Dao X. Tran, who has been an invaluable member of our staff for the past seven years. She transformed the department into a dynamic program championing vital narrative projects with historically marginalized communities. Thank you so much, Dao! 💚 ✨ Read Dao's message and learn more about Fanny here: https://lnkd.in/ev2YubdG

Tune in on Monday, August 12th for our workshop on democracy, civic engagement, and storytelling in the classroom (with a special feature from KQED Education on their Youth Media Challenge)! This session will share tools for teaching about democracy and civic participation through the lens of first-person storytelling, community voices, belonging, and resistance. Register here and spread the word: https://bit.ly/3zVJziW

Thank you to the Urban Appalachian Community Coalition for this thoughtful review of our latest oral history book! "Anyone with an interest in contemporary Appalachia will find this book essential reading. It may be equally essential for people who are students of oral history and oral narrative. Ultimately, Beginning Again: Stories of Movement and Migration in Appalachia offers us a powerful view of contemporary migration amid the turmoil of our times." #OralHistory #Storytelling #Appalachia #Migration

Interested in learning more about oral history storytelling? Check out the virtual workshop series from our friends at Voice of Witness. Workshop 2 (AUG 14) provides an introduction to VOW’s interview practices, focusing on the role of respect, curiosity, trauma-informed approaches, insider/outsider power dynamics, consent, and more. Visit https://lnkd.in/giQan7Tw to register!

We're proud to receive a 2024 Creative Work Fund award to develop our new project, Setting the Table: Stories of Food and Belonging. In collaboration with partners, we'll create a unique "sonic tablecloth" that documents and amplifies oral histories from immigrant communities. This interactive experience, featuring audio vignettes activated by touch, will explore the deep connections between food, culture, and community. In a political climate of growing xenophobia and uncertainty, this project aims to: ➡ Support nuanced self-representation ➡ Celebrate immigrant communities and cultures ➡ Promote education, healing, and advocacy through storytelling Learn more about the project and reach out to get involved: https://lnkd.in/e7yR92BF

We're hosting a workshop on democracy, civic engagement, and storytelling in the classroom, with a special feature from KQED about their Youth Media Challenge! Geared toward middle and high school educators, this one-hour session will explore teaching about democracy and civic participation through the lens of first-person storytelling, community voices, belonging, and resistance. We’ll highlight our new thematic unit, which features four lesson plans and a larger oral history project. Educators will leave with tools and materials ready for the classroom 📝 ✔ Register here to join us on August 12th: https://lnkd.in/g3xnh98J Download our democracy lesson plans: https://lnkd.in/gZvdGrjG #Storytelling #OralHistory #StudentVoice #YouthMediaChallenge

Have you signed up for the Voice of Witness newsletter? Don't miss out on human rights storytelling and education, oral history resources, workshops, and more! Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/gQskjCbr

We're excited to announce our new thematic area: Navigating Democracy: Resistance and Belonging through Storytelling! At Voice of Witness, we are focused on building a healthy, equitable democracy by: ➡ Facilitating community-based storytelling and oral histories of resistance ➡ Supporting civic engagement and belonging ➡ Transforming harmful narratives to support movements for justice Learn about VOW's approach and upcoming events, resources, and programming: https://lnkd.in/eJxXUrXq Interested in partnering? Reach out to: press@voiceofwitness.org

"Talking to a parent about their personal history can be tough – especially if they have painful, shameful or traumatic memories, or if you’ve had a strained relationship. That said, so many of us want to deepen our connection with loved ones." In this article, family memoir writers share insightful advice on interviewing parents:

Interested in learning more about oral history storytelling? Check out the virtual workshop series from our friends at Voice of Witness. Workshop 1 (JULY 31) provides an introduction to an ethics-driven, empathy-based approach to oral history storytelling, with a focus on trauma-informed practices and centering the voices and experiences of narrators throughout the project. Visit https://lnkd.in/giQan7Tw to register!