On Thursday, October 24, StoryCorps’ Board, leadership, and supporters gathered at Capitale in New York City to reflect on the past “Year in Stories” — a year of recording, honoring, and sharing the voices of humanity — and to look together toward StoryCorps’ future and impact.
The evening’s honorees — Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO of AARP, and Vanita Gupta, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights — shared their stories of what StoryCorps means to them. The tributes to their leadership and civic contributions were framed first by the meaningful introductions made by their award presenters: actress, activist, and author Marlo Thomas to Jo Ann and ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero to Vanita. Their thoughtful remarks and reflections reminded us that listening, an act of love, is today more essential than ever. Scott Simon, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition, brought his intelligent voice and charm as the evening’s host. View more photos of the event here.
StoryCorps participants captivated all in attendance with their powerful stories of courage, loss, and love. Their voices have been featured in broadcasts and captured in animations that have been shared across platforms like Morning Edition, the PBS NewsHour and StoryCorps’ social media channels.
Through the outstanding leadership and generosity of our supporters, the event raised critical funds for the mission at the heart of StoryCorps – to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.
As we look toward the future service of StoryCorps to our community, we’d like to say thanks: for the opportunity to record, honor, and share your stories, and for the support you’ve given that has allowed StoryCorps to work to build a culture of listening, and to remind ourselves and our nation that every voice matters. We’re just getting started.