Thanks to a grant from AARP Community Challenge, John Brown Lives! (JBL!) is continuing to collect first person narratives which seek to bridge generational boundaries while collecting freedom and justice narratives, using the OurStoryBridge model, as part of their “Freedom Story Project.”
With the grant completed, JBL! will continue to collect stories locally at the Story Shed, at events, online and by appointment from anyone wishing to share their stories. Freedom Story Project, with support from the AARP Community Challenge grant, has already collected 57 personal narratives (81% collected from storytellers 50 and older).
Freedom Story Project collects and broadcasts three- to five-minute audio stories and related photographs online, centering around themes of freedom and justice, human and civil rights, activism and engagement at local, national and international levels.
One of its goals is to inspire younger generations to tell their stories and connect to their communities and these issues, including through powerful personal narratives by elders who share their experiences. Freedom Story Project uses the OurStoryBridge methodology, making stories easily accessible and shareable.
The public is invited to participate in the Freedom Story Project by visiting the project online; emailing freedomstoryproject@gmail.com to arrange to tell a story, visit the new Story Shed; listening to two new podcasts titled “Activism in Music” and “The Fight for Freedom,” featuring stories from Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, activists Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, the musical duo Magpie, and local Keene Central School 2022 valedictorian Cal Page-Bryant, among others; attending a JBL! event where stories are taken and presented; using the stories to teach lessons of freedom and justice; and listening to a new story each Tuesday on JBL!’s Facebook page.
Leave a Reply