Vashitta Johnson's Story

WeRISE launch team member Vashitta Johnson shares her journey through advocacy work, her commitment to racial justice, and her hopes for an equitable future. This interview is part of Westerville Public Library's Westerville Voices project.

Covid-19: Lila Chapman

Jackie Neale talks with her student, Lila Chapman about how she is feeling in the time of the Coronavirus global pandemic. Lila is Jackie's ungrad photography student at the New York Film Academy and upon being given the stay-at-home mandate...

In Your Own Words with Nicole Curvin

As a celebration of Black History Month, February 2018, Middlebury College's Davis Family Library has initiated a series of oral interviews, "In Your Own Words." In them, Literatures & Cultures Librarian Katrina Spencer engages members of the community who trace...

JOURNALISM ALLOWS ME & PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF TO SPEAK BOLDLY

Reverend Debra J. Hopkins, LGBTQI rights activist and interfaith organizer in North Carolina, shares her views on the importance of press freedom in the U.S. with Eline Marx, from PEN America.

McKenna and Christopher talk about the election of 2008.

I discuss the election of 2008 to my father, a Caucasian male at the age of 52. He shares with me his hopes that he held for Obama and whether or not he found Obama to be a promising candidate....

Leena Fraihat and Diana Razumova

[Recorded: Tuesday, March 14th, 2023] Leena (20) and Diana (16) participated in the Karsh Institute of Democracy's first international One Small Step conversation. Leena is a second-year undergraduate student at UVA, and Diana is a high school student from currently...

Equality Through Education

Phyllis Wimberly ( My Grandmom ) spent her 40 year career as a Washington DC public school teacher integrating her AP English classes. As an activist and teacher her goal was to send kids to college that wouldn’t have otherwise...

Channon Wilson and her mother Lakeshia Taylor talk about life lessons learned in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In this interview, conducted in November 2021 in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, Channon Wilson(16) interviews her mother(46) about her life and the lessons she learned in the city she grew up in. Ms. Taylor shares stories about her happiest...

In Your Own Words with Kyle Dudley

Originally a celebration of Black History Month, February 2018, Middlebury College's Davis Family Library initiated a series of oral interviews, "In Your Own Words." In them, Literatures & Cultures Librarian Katrina Spencer engages members of the community who trace their...

David Larbi and Judy "Chess" Cheserek

[Recorded Monday, July 17, 2023] David (26) and Chess (34) have a One Small Step Conversation in Charlottesville. David is from Ghana and is a human rights activist advocating for youth empowerment and LGBTQIA+ rights across the African continent. Chess...

Sauleiha Akangbe & Safia Alakbar

Sauleiha manages the Just Birth program for Swedish in Tacoma. She spoke with her sister, Safia about the importance for this work and how it benefits the Black, Indigenous and Asian Pacific populations of her community. She also talked about...

Coleman Wilson Family Interview Vol. I

Community elders, Calvin Coleman and his sister, Betty Ann Wilson discuss growing up in the Historically African American Section of Swarthmore.

Monique Emond and Isabel Lafrance-Melendez

[Recorded: Friday, July 21, 2023] This One Small Step conversation was recorded in Charlottesville, Virginia as part of the Sorensen Institute’s summer High School Leaders Program in 2023. Monique Emond (17) is from Warrenton and Isabel Lafrance-Melendez is from Henrico....

We Need More Teachers Like Her!

My name is Ozan Kara and I am a 17 years old cultural exchange student from Turkey. As an high school student in Bloomington, Indiana, I have had the chance to know a wonderful person, Vanessa Domizlaff, my German teacher...

Elizabeth Walther-Grant and Alex Wu

Creating Community Through Sharing Stories: Elizabeth Walther-Grant, adopted from the Bahamas and raised by an Andover family, talks about growing up in Andover, the racism she faced, and what inspired her to found Merrimack Valley Black and Brown Voices. She...

“And at that moment I thought, it was real.”

A conversation between Emma Gonzalez & Pedro Damasceno recorded during a rally in favor of gun control laws— held in response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Highschool. Emma had just delivered a speech addressing her experience during the...

Moscow Food Co-op with Melinda Schab.

Established in 1974, the Moscow Food Co-op is a cooperatively-owned grocery store whose staff and owners are working together to nourish and nurture their community. As an advocate for Palouse producers and families affected by food insecurity, the Moscow Food...

In Your Own Words with Sarady Merghani

As a celebration of Black History Month, February 2018, Middlebury College's Davis Family Library has initiated a series of oral interviews, "In Your Own Words." In them, Literatures & Cultures Librarian Katrina Spencer engages members of the community who trace...

“I have the power to reframe my own thinking when it comes to the things that society likes to throw at me.”

Saffron Grace (16) interviews Amari Gaiter (20) about her experiences as a Black student, her commitment to social justice, and how they impact her life.