oral history

“Happiness.” Student Stories from Impact Academy
By Stephanie He | Based on an interview conducted with Caroline Le Stephanie He is a student at Impact Academy of Art and Technology in Hayward, CA. This story was written as part of a …


Creating a Brave and Safe Space for Storytelling
We at Voice of Witness know well that the process of story sharing can be transformational and life-changing for both audience and storyteller. But behind the simple act of asking others to share their stories, there …


Meet Our Summer Interns Margaret and Eliana
This summer, we have been fortunate to have four wonderful interns join us to support our work. In this post, two of our interns Margaret O’Hare from Haverford College and Eliana Swerdlow from Yale reflect on their summer at …


Meet Our Summer Interns Molly and Ari
This summer, we have been fortunate to have four wonderful interns join us to support our work. In this post, two of our interns Molly Hawkins and Ari Kim from Haverford College reflect on their summer …


Reader to Witness: Stories of Undocumented Lives
by Eliana SwerdlowThe human rights crisis at the United States and Mexican border sits at the forefront of my consciousness. As I go about my daily life, I think of the stories of many individuals …


Oral History Projects from our 2018-19 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 …


From the Archives: Irma’s Story in Inside this Place, Not of It
2019 marks 10 years for Voice of Witness as a nonprofit, and in celebration of this exciting milestone, we’re resurfacing powerful stories from every oral history book in our series. Though time has passed since these …


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 …