Racial Justice

Amplifying Indigenous Stories
What’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day? In 1992, the city of Berkeley, CA declared that the second Monday of October, also known as Columbus Day, would become a day of solidarity with Indigenous peoples around the globe. …


[VIDEO] How VOW Editor Jimmie Briggs is Helping the People of Ferguson Take Back Their Stories
PGlmcmFtZSBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnZpbWVvLmNvbS92aWRlby8yMTc1NDU2OTI/dGl0bGU9MCZieWxpbmU9MCZwb3J0cmFpdD0wIiB3aWR0aD0iNjQwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjM2MCIgZnJhbWVib3JkZXI9IjAiIHdlYmtpdGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbiBtb3phbGxvd2Z1bGxzY3JlZW4gYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuPjwvaWZyYW1lPg==Dear Friends, Like many Americans, I spent much of late 2014 engulfed by the story of Ferguson, a small town in Missouri that emerged into the national spotlight after a young African-American man named Michael …


Alia Malek at Green Apple Books on the Park
EVENT Alia Malek on The Home That Was Our Country Monday, May 8, 2017  |  7:30pm – 9:00pm Green Apple Books on the Park (View map) 1231 9th Avenue San Francisco, CA 94122 Free Alia …


Q&A: Alia Malek on Syria, Narrative Journalism, and the Power of Making It Personal
Photo: Peter van Agtmael/Magnum Photos In her new book The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria, journalist Alia Malek (editor of Patriot Acts: Narratives of Post-9/11 Injustice) recounts her journey to reclaim and restore her …


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 …


10 Must-Read Books for Black History Month
In honor of Black History Month, the Voice of Witness team has put together a list of 10 must-read books by Black authors. The list includes a mix of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction (including oral …


Podcast Feature: VOW on The Literary Life
Author Amy Hassinger (left) featured High Rise Stories on a recent episode of The Literary Life. Amy reads from the book’s introduction by VOW editor Audrey Petty (center). Voice of Witness hit the airwaves this month on …


Dispatch from the Field: The Latest on Current Projects
This summer, VOW’s editors have been making big strides on their oral history projects. (Thanks in no small part to everyone who supported the Seed the VOW Story Fund Campaign this past spring!) Here are the latest …