The mission of StoryCorps is in the preservation of connections forged through stories shared between people (Stephens, 2019, p. 93). As an avid listener of NPR and its affiliates, I have been fortunate to listen in on some of the stories shared over the airways. One very bad year for my family was punctuated by two broadcasts of StoryCorps. I cannot remember the stories, but I remember the feelings that tore my heart open as I mourned the loss of my father, my brother and grandmother. The broadcasts also mended it in methods of remembrance: stories. What friends, coworkers and even support groups failed to do the program helped expand compassion inwards and then outwards to my community. The complexities of grief make us fear the loss of memory. StoryCorps offered the foundation to ask what memory do you hold dear, what did the person love to read or any other fine details of their life.
On a less maudlin note, stories are integral to cultural transmission and transformation. When investigating family histories, more than one conversation with a grandparent or distant relative was halted by phrases and tones indicating “we do not speak about these things”. As a result family history is lost and cultures that once were sources of pride. Families striving to “blend” in with American culture and erase their own engage in soft censorship. Respectability over authenticity, truth over fact created false narratives that left the newest generation with guilt for bringing shame on our families or ancestors.
Initiatives like the Human Library, challenge respectability in favor of authenticity. Authenticity like unearthing unconscious bias demands self-reflection by the individual. Authentic inclusion requires conscious action (Aarne-Skidmore, 2021) rather than passive acceptance of a message. As we have witnessed, messages can be ignored or “buried”. Stories shared around ancient fires or in library community spaces, unite us unlike any other cultural practice.
References
Aarne-Skidmore, E. (2021, April 8). New Study on the Impact of the Human Library. Human Library. https://humanlibrary.org/new-study-on-the-impact-of-the-human-library/
Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted Librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration and balance. ALA Editions.