89.3 KPCC HOSTS STORYCORPS HISTORIAS,
THE NATIONAL LATINO ORAL HISTORY PROJECT, IN LOS ANGELES
89.3 KPCC HOSTS STORYCORPS HISTORIAS DURING ITS 6-WEEK STAY AT EAST LOS ANGELES LIBRARY AS IT TOURS THE COUNTRY TO CREATE ONE OF THE LARGEST COLLECTIONS OF LATINO STORIES EVER RECORDED – MADE POSSIBLE BY LOCAL SPONSOR FARMERS INSURANCE GROUP
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 (Los Angeles) – StoryCorps, a national initiative to document the unique stories of Americans, will arrive February 11, 2009 in East Los Angeles to collect the stories of Southern California’s Latino residents as part of its Historias Initiative. Historias, which means ‘story’ in Spanish, is an ongoing initiative to capture and celebrate the diversity of Latinos culture.
The StoryCorps MobileBooth – an Airstream trailer outfitted with a recording studio – will be parked at East Los Angeles Library for 6 weeks. Reservations open January 28, 2010 at 10:00 AM and can be made through StoryCorps’ 24-hour reservation line, 1-800-850-4406, or at StoryCorps.org. StoryCorps Historias plans to collect 180 interviews during its stay in East Los Angeles.
StoryCorps was created by award-winning documentary producer and MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient Dave Isay. This unprecedented project has traveled to every corner of America, instructing and inspiring individuals to record their stories in sound. StoryCorps is the largest professionally-collected archive of American voices ever gathered. Since its launch in October 2003, StoryCorps has collected interviews with more than 50,000 participants in all 50 states.
At the MobileBooth, interviews are conducted between two people who know and care about each other. A trained facilitator guides the participants through the interview process and handles the technical aspects of the recording. At the end of each 40-minute session, participants walk away with a free CD copy of their interview. With their permission, a second copy becomes part of an archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for future generations to hear.
During the first year of Historias, StoryCorps will visit cities across the nation, partnering with local radio stations, cultural institutions and community-based organizations to collect nearly 1,000 stories throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. In Los Angeles, StoryCorps is partnering with 89.3-FM KPCC (an NPR station), Southern California’s most listened to public radio news service, which will air a selection of the local stories. Selected interviews will also air on Latino USA, an English-language news program broadcast in 31 states and NPR’s Morning Edition.
“StoryCorps reminds us of our shared humanity – by listening to our stories, we walk in the shoes of others and recognize how much we have in common,” says StoryCorps Founder and President Dave Isay. “We are proud to work with 89.3 KPCC, Southern California Public Radio to help create a growing portrait of our nation’s fastest-growing minority group by preserving the stories of Latinos throughout the country.”
StoryCorps’ Historias initiative launched September 24th in Washington, D.C. on the U.S. Capitol lawn. The launch was attended by leaders in the political, creative, and advocacy communities, including Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, representing Southern California’s 34th Congressional District.
“I commend the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and StoryCorps for making Historias a reality and for bringing this innovative effort to celebrate and preserve Latino culture to East Los Angeles,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said. “In East Los Angeles and throughout the country, Latino families have thousands of stories waiting to be shared. I urge area Latinos of all ages to participate in StoryCorps Historias during its six-week stop in East Los Angeles to make sure the unique stories and experiences of our Latino community are preserved for future generations.”
89.3 KPCC’s partnership with StoryCorps Historias is a manifestation of Southern California Public Radio’s mission, strengthening the civic and cultural bonds that unite Southern California’s diverse communities through the sharing of our stories. “Southern California’s entire economy is built upon telling stories,” said Bill Davis, President of Southern California Public Radio. “Many of the most interesting and compelling stories come from East Los Angeles, the place where the most recent wave of immigrants settle. Unfortunately, most of these stories are told only in their native tongue and are only shared with family and friends. Working with StoryCorps Historias, we’ll be able to share these with a much wider audience.”
StoryCorps Historias’ six-week stay in East Los Angeles is supported locally by Farmers Insurance Group, making it possible for StoryCorps staff to collaborate with and record the stories of Southern California’s Latino communities. “Farmers is committed to preserving and celebrating living history lessons,” said Kevin Kelso, Chief Marketing Officer of Farmers Insurance Group Inc. ‘We are honored to support such an important project.”
In addition to Historias, StoryCorps currently has three other initiatives: StoryCorps Griot preserves the voices, experiences, and life stories of African Americans; StoryCorps’ Memory Loss Initiative reaches out to people affected by memory loss; StoryCorps’ 9/11 Initiative honors and remembers the stories of survivors, rescue workers, and others most personally affected by September 11.
StoryCorps Historias is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Community partners involved in this national initiative include the Latino Public Radio Consortium, Latino USA and the U.S. Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project. StoryCorps also wishes to thank Bill Lynch Associates, LLC, for their assistance with StoryCorps Historias.
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