For a year and a half now we at the Boston Busing/Desegregation Project have been listening to stories – stories of the past, stories of he present, stories of pain and trauma, stories of succeeding and flourishing against odds, personal stories, and community stories. Through talking about Boston’s history, the busing/desegregation crisis, and issues of race and class segregation people have let us into their lives, which can be deeply personal but also highly illuminating. The BBDP works on the assumption that through listening to the stories and experiences of others we can both deepen our understanding of our history and connect our past struggles to today. Now, we are launching a project to formally record and share widely stories from Boston’s busing/desegregation crisis and its impacts from then until now. There are three components to this project – three ways you can participate.
1. The Story Archive – through one-on one interviews we will collect individual stories, which will be recorded and transcribed for a searchable online archive. We’d like to collect at least 200 interviews in the coming year and plan to launch our online archive in May 2013. Have a story to tell? Email Meghan Doran to set up an interview.
2. Story Circles – Stories are not just about individuals – they are about bringing people together and listening to each other. We aim to have story circles in communities across the city this year. Email us to set up a story circle in your neighborhood.
3. Story Workshop series and Slam – Participants will learn to craft a five minute story to tell in front of an audience. Want to develop your story of Boston’s busing/desegregation crisis? Join us for this workshop series in January led by the talented folks at Massmouth
We can’t do any of this without volunteers! We need facillitators, interviewers, and transcribers/ Even a few hours of your time would be extremely helpful. Contact us for more information about how you can help.
Truth, Learning, and Change 