Arts

Art and Activism at the El Paso Border
by Ela Banerjee “Thank you for joining us on this glorious day for America!” Hearing these words from our pilot, Solito, Solita narrator Gabriel Mendez and I both stiffened and shared an uncomfortable glance. It’s true that …


RadGram: Weaving the Story of the Powerful Grandma
 By Zoe Swartz and Praveena Fernes Our story begins with a radical grandma, Ranong Kongsean, who had a vision for uniting her friends through weaving in order to support her community’s fight for environmental justice. …


Oral History as Social Justice
2019 marks an exciting milestone for Voice of Witness, as we celebrate our ten-year anniversary as a nonprofit, and of our education program. We’re proud to have grown our education program into a mighty team of oral history champions, who …


Oral History at San Quentin Prison
by Cliff Mayotte (former Education Program Director at VOW) The Voice of Witness education team is always looking for opportunities to create deeper engagement and partnership with the communities represented in our book series, so …


Oral History Projects from our 2017-18 Germanacos Fellows
Since 2015, the VOW Education Program’s Sharing History Initiative has supported passionate and underfunded teachers, storytellers, and community leaders in bringing social justice-based storytelling into their communities. In summer of 2016, the VOW Education Program …


Summer Reading List from VOW
The Voice of Witness team has put together a short summer reading list, featuring a few personal recommendations from our staff. What do you plan to read this summer? Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing …


The Art of Oral History
Students from Oakland Technical High School performing a theatrical adaptation of Voices from the Storm in November of 2015. At the core of our mission, we believe in the power of the story to change …


A Story of Racial Injustice Inspired This Moving Poem from a Middle Schooler
We’re about midway through the 2016-17 Sharing History Initiative, and we’re witnessing a lot of exciting work from participating teachers and students. Jennifer Dean is an 8th grade English teacher at Leander Middle School, a Title I school …