Cozy up to any Charleston coffee or cocktail counter, and you’ll quickly learn that everyone has a story.
From beenya to comeya or somewhere in between, we are a region of raconteurs. And the city teems with tales rooted here for centuries.
Now, the celebrated national StoryCorps organization has rolled into town in a Sprinter van to coax out these tales, record them for eternity and share them widely via weekly broadcasts, a podcast, animated shorts, digital platforms and best-selling books.
For the uninitiated, StoryCorps is the national nonprofit organization that since 2003 has furthered the notion that everyone has an important story to tell and that each story matters. The aim is nothing short of shoring up humanity, while also illuminating the possibility of each individual, one poignant passage at a time.
The recordings of those narratives are collected in the U.S. Library of Congress, and live also on an online archive that today is the largest single collection of human voices ever compiled–to date, more than 750,000 representing 50 states.
Going mobile
The Charleston visit from July 30 to Aug. 10 culminates a six-city Southeast tour that also included stops in Atlanta, Ga., Columbus, Ga., Tuskegee, Ala., Birmingham, Ala. and Nashville, Tenn.
While StoryCorps has motored to town in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, its Charleston recordings take place indoors at Trident United Way, to ensure that air conditioning is ample during sweltering summer days.
On the mobile tour, participants choose from three initiatives:
- Brightness in Black: celebrating the depth, resilience and lived experiences of Black communities;
- One Small Step: bridging political differences aimed at getting to know each other as people rather than engaging in debate; and
- Military Voices Initiative: honoring
the stories of service members, veterans and their families.
Letojia Dawkins, director of Interview Collection at StoryCorp who leads the organization’s interview collection strategy, has been along for the ride.
“So far on this tour, we’ve captured a lot of historical recordings. Friends have come in to share lifelong memories, and communities have been intentional about preserving stories they don’t want to see lost,” she told Charleston City Paper.
The Charleston stop itself has been going great, which Dawkins said she saw as a no-brainer.
“The culture, the food, the history … why wouldn’t Charleston be on anyone’s list?”
The staffer even cops that earmarking the city for the tour was a bit of a selfish choice, although the team readily agreed with it.
“I have family here, and there was cultural history I wanted to explore. You have the Gullah Geechee community, the Bajan community, the military community. Charleston is so rich in history, and we wanted to capture, preserve, and honor that legacy.”
How it started, where it’s going
Dawkins came to StoryCorps on the strength of a story, which was the same reason that its founder, Dave Isay, founded the organization.
“I wanted to capture my grandfather’s story before it was too late. My grandfather was the first Black DJ in my hometown, and another gentleman was trying to make that claim. I wanted my grandfather to tell his story in his own words so we would have it on record. Unfortunately, he passed away before I could get him to the Atlanta StoryBooth.”
The organization has continued to evolve with the times. While it no longer hosts listening events in person, it continues to bring communities back together through virtual events so they can hear some of the stories collected during the tour.The shift to specific initiatives is recent, too.
“While we’re still collecting every story, highlighting initiatives has helped participants connect with the kinds of stories they’d like to share,” Dawkins said.
Not every conversation is easy, Dawkins said, adding she even witnessed an intervention inside the booth, which was a different experience, but one done in love.
“To see individuals connect, and even connect with us as we facilitate those conversations, while recognizing how connected we all are is incredibly touching,” she said. “Hearing stories that may be similar to your own, or different enough to make you more empathetic to someone else’s experiences, is one of life’s greatest gifts.”
For more information on StoryCorps, visit storycorps.org.
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