I came across this website while watching an episode of StoryCorps is an organization that hosts a booth where two individuals can have a recorded interview. I think it’s a great initiative to preserve the stories of everyday Americans. During the Democracy Now! broadcast, clips were shown of an elderly couple dealing with the terminal cancer of the husband, a relative of a victim of 9/11, a survivor of 9/11, a couple present at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last speech (), and high school kids interviewing parents who lost their children to violence. So often we are innundated with news of celebrities, but I think everyday Americans, who aren’t millionnaires or famous, have more relatable and touching stories. The goal of StoryCorps is to integrate into society and to start a real movement to have more American voices heard and preserved. Here’s an excerpt from it’s “About Us” section:

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening. By recording the stories of our lives with the people we care about, we experience our history, hopes, and humanity. Since 2003, tens of thousands of everyday people have interviewed family and friends through StoryCorps. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to take home and share, and is archived for generations to come at the Library of Congress. Millions listen to our award-winning broadcasts on public radio and the Internet. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, creating a growing portrait of who we really are as Americans.