Weekly News Digest

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OurStoryBridge Listens Provides First-Year Update

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

PRESS CONTACT: Jery Huntley (410) 353-6372 createyourstoryproject@gmail.com

150+ Stories. 23 States. One Year.

OurStoryBridge Listens Documents Americans’ Experiences in Real Time. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 19, 2026)—In its first year, OurStoryBridge Listens: Present in the Moment at http://www.ourstorybridgelistens.org has recorded more than 150 oral histories from residents of 23 states and the District of Columbia. Organizers believe it is the nation’s only digital short-form oral history project dedicated to preserving personal perspectives during the current period of rapid social, political and economic change.

Unlike traditional oral history projects that document events years or decades later, OurStoryBridge Listens captures three- to five-minute digital stories in real time, revealing Americans’ experiences as they unfold. 

“We are providing a listening post to those who need it most,” said Jery Huntley, founder and president of OurStoryBridge, Inc. “As an oral historian, I felt an urgency to document this period before these experiences were lost. These brief stories meet people where they are today while creating an online record that future historians, researchers and communities can learn from.” 

The nonpartisan project invites people to share firsthand accounts of how current events are affecting their lives, families and communities. Participants may record their stories virtually or in person and may choose to be identified or remain anonymous.

The growing collection highlights a wide range of experiences, including: 

• Democracy and the arts: A partnership with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation explores First Amendment concerns and the role of the arts in sustaining inclusive communities. One playwright describes feeling unable to express himself freely through his work.
• Former federal employees: Current and former federal workers discuss the effects of staffing and program reductions on public services in the United States and abroad.
• Food insecurity: Stories from a rural New York food hub and one of its clients illustrate the realities of living in a food desert and how partnerships with local farmers help address food access.
• Affordability: Volunteers operating a diaper bank describe growing demand as families struggle with the rising cost of basic necessities.
• Immigration: A community organizer recounts mobilizing neighbors after a local mother and her kindergarten-aged son were detained and threatened with deportation.

“The storytellers share their experiences and, in doing so, exercise their right to freedom of expression,” said Joni Doherty, senior program officer for Democracy and the Arts at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. “Hearing about the challenges they face reminds us of the insidious ways that censorship undermines this basic right.”

Listen or Participate

The collection is available at http://www.ourstorybridgelistens.org.

Individuals interested in sharing their own stories may participate virtually or in person by contacting listen@ourstorybridge.org

About OurStoryBridge Inc.

OurStoryBridge, Inc. at http://www.ourstorybridge.org is the national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps communities preserve local history through digital short-form oral histories. Founded in 2020 after its first project in the Town of Keene, New York, the organization has supported 50 partner projects in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Each story combines a three- to five-minute audio narrative with photographs and is freely available online. 

About OurStoryBridge Listens: Present in the Moment

OurStoryBridge Listens: Present in the Moment is a nonpartisan national initiative that documents how current events are affecting individuals and communities across the United States. Using the OurStoryBridge digital storytelling methodology, the project preserves firsthand accounts in real time, provides a platform for voices that might otherwise go unheard, and creates a public archive for educators, researchers, journalists and future historians.

Short-form oral histories, photographs and interview opportunities are available upon request.

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