2008 Woodie Awards
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Newark shares its stories
Inga Korsgaard
Issue date: 4/3/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
There's a new twist in the campfire tradition of gathering 'round to share stories.
The StoryCorps Griot project is teaming up with Newark's public radio station, WBGO, to collect stories of African Americans in Newark for an oral history recording archive.
Mayor Cory Booker and Rutgers-Newark history professor Clement Price welcomed the StoryCorps Griot on March 29, and the project runs through May 5. Those wishing to share their stories can make reservations online, by telephone, or in person at the silver Story Corps Griot vehicle in Military Park.
"Newarkers continue to make this city a culturally interesting place," Price said.
July marks the 40-year anniversary of what Price calls, "the 1967 summer of discontent." Price said that Newark plans to remind the world that "life goes on here."
By definition, a griot is a keeper of local oral tradition, which can include poets, musicians and anyone who conveys the local stories through their art. This status is oftentimes discerned by bloodline in West African societies.
Price and his wife were the first griots recording in Newark. Their recording focused on Price's childhood in Washington, D.C. on the cusp of the Civil Rights movement, his recollection of the killing of Emmett Till in 1955, and his experiences living and working in Newark since 1968.
"Newark is a city that is challenged by its past and it is turning towards a brighter future," Price said. "There is a lot of work to do here."
Dave Isay, the founder of the StoryCorps Griot, said that he was inspired to start this project when he heard recordings from the 1930s of former African American slaves. Isay, who had worked for 20 years as a radio broadcast producer with a focus on broadcast documentary, said he realized the importance of listening to one another's stories and brought the Griot project to life.
Isay said he believes that if we start listening more to one another, "we can become a more thoughtful and compassionate peoples."
For more information, call 800-850-4406 or visit http://www.storycorps.net/griot/.
The StoryCorps Griot project is teaming up with Newark's public radio station, WBGO, to collect stories of African Americans in Newark for an oral history recording archive.
Mayor Cory Booker and Rutgers-Newark history professor Clement Price welcomed the StoryCorps Griot on March 29, and the project runs through May 5. Those wishing to share their stories can make reservations online, by telephone, or in person at the silver Story Corps Griot vehicle in Military Park.
"Newarkers continue to make this city a culturally interesting place," Price said.
July marks the 40-year anniversary of what Price calls, "the 1967 summer of discontent." Price said that Newark plans to remind the world that "life goes on here."
By definition, a griot is a keeper of local oral tradition, which can include poets, musicians and anyone who conveys the local stories through their art. This status is oftentimes discerned by bloodline in West African societies.
Price and his wife were the first griots recording in Newark. Their recording focused on Price's childhood in Washington, D.C. on the cusp of the Civil Rights movement, his recollection of the killing of Emmett Till in 1955, and his experiences living and working in Newark since 1968.
"Newark is a city that is challenged by its past and it is turning towards a brighter future," Price said. "There is a lot of work to do here."
Dave Isay, the founder of the StoryCorps Griot, said that he was inspired to start this project when he heard recordings from the 1930s of former African American slaves. Isay, who had worked for 20 years as a radio broadcast producer with a focus on broadcast documentary, said he realized the importance of listening to one another's stories and brought the Griot project to life.
Isay said he believes that if we start listening more to one another, "we can become a more thoughtful and compassionate peoples."
For more information, call 800-850-4406 or visit http://www.storycorps.net/griot/.
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