Griots travel from Oakland, CA to Mississippi

Being a StoryCorps facilitator has its perks. On the dusty roads from Oakland, California to new horizons in Ole’ Mississippi, Griots Steven Thrasher and Brianna Hyneman took a detour to fulfill their dream of seeing the Grand Canyon. Enjoy the slideshow.

StoryCorps Griot across America

The Griot D2D team took a side trip off Route 66 to check out the Grand Canyon.

The stop was Clark Griswold-ish in length, but it was well worth taking a moment from the 2,000+ mile trip from Oakland, CA to Vicksburg, MS.

Pulling double duty at Eastmont Computing Center

Committed to adult and family education, the Eastmont Computing Center provides computer classes and Internet access to Oakland’s senior community, as well as after-school programs for kids. Two days of field recording at the ECC made for an excellent halfway mark in StoryCorps Griot’s Oakland tour stop.

A local institution herself, Unav Wade served as Oakland’s NAACP Chapter President for fifteen years. Driven by love for her own family’s well-being, Unav worked to achieve equality for Blacks in the workplace and for their children’s opportunities for success in the classroom.

Some fine days for storytelling

This past week in Oakland has seen some especially nice weather, filled with sunshine and heart-warming stories at the Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park and at Harrison Street’s Stagebridge offices.

(more…)

Superstar at South Berkeley Senior Center

Our first Door to Door with Stagebridge, a senior theater company, was held at the South Berkeley Senior Center. We had the pleasure of working with Marijo, a premiere storyteller, teacher and performer in the Oakland community. She is a true StoryCorps Griot Superstar, interviewing 5 participants in one day! Talk about dedication… she even made her own StoryCorps Griot button (pictured above). Thanks Marijo!

Oakland chimes in on Griot’s first Door-to-Door

Our first Door-to-Door in Oakland was hosted by the Chapel of the Chimes, a crematory and columbarium nearly 100 years old. In addition to providing cremation services and bereavement programs to the Bay Area, Chapel of the Chimes is also a prime venue for theater and musical performances.

Harold Logwood, StoryCorps Griot’s first Oakland D2D storyteller, is a former attorney and Oakland resident. This week Harold shared his trials of becoming a lawyer in the 1970s and his memories of Oakland’s historic McClymonds High School.

Opening day in Oakland, CA

Pictures courtesy Melvin Reeves

Let’s play catch-up

We know it’s been a while since our last Griot Update, so lets play catch-up, shall we?

On Tuesday, July 31st we began our cross-country driving trip from Chicago to Oakland, CA. The booth, driven by a professional driver, made a pit stop for repairs and cleaning before meeting us in Oakland on August 6th.

(more…)