The California Council for the Humanities connects Californians to ideas and one another in order to understand
our shared heritage and diverse cultures, inspire civic participation, and shape our future.
California Story Fund
California Story Fund projects funded 2003-2007:
Northern California
- Abled Artists:
In Their Own Words
Creative Growth Art Center
Oakland
- Aliens Among Us:
Japanese and Italian Americans
Under Siege During World War II
Northern Humboldt Union High School District
McKinleyville
What happened to Italian- and Japanese Americans in Humboldt County during World War II?
- Angel Island Oral History Project
The Regents of the University of California
Office of Research
San Diego
Collecting oral histories of Angel Island detainees
- ARTChiving Oral History Project
La Raza Galeria Posada
Sacramento
A center for art and culture collects stories about its history
- Assembly on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians:
Japanese Peruvian Oral History Project of the National Japanese American Historical Society
National Japanese American Historical Society
San Francisco
The testimony of Japanese Latin Americans and others interned by the U.S. government during World War II
- Back in the Day:
Rebirth and Renewal in San Francisco's Japantown
National Japanese American Historical Society
San Francisco
Capturing the history of post-war history of San Francisco's Japantown
- Bill Sorro: His Life and Activism
Manilatown Heritage Foundation
San Francisco
Honoring a Filipino community leader
- The Bridge Builders: The Latino Experience
Fund for Labor Culture and History
San Francisco Bay Area
Latinos who helped build California’s bridges
- California Afghan Artists Oral History Project
UC Regents,
Sponsored Projects Office
Berkeley
How Afghan artists are forging a new identity in California
- California Project on Sikh History and Life
Punjabi American Heritage Society
Yuba City
Capturing the Sikh experience in California
- California Stories Project at Lakeshore School
Lakeshore Parent Teacher Association
San Francisco
- Castroville Japanese School Oral History Project
Castroville Coalition
Castroville
Capturing the stories of Castroville’s former Japanese residents
- Che'Ya Traditions Alive in the New Millennium IV
Native American History Project, Inc.
Ukiah
- Chinatown is Burning!:
Hugh Liang, Eyewitness to the
1906 Earthquake and Fire
Chinese Historical Society of America
San Francisco
A Chinese American’s eyewitness account of the San Francisco earthquake
- City of Oakland
KTOP Cable Channel 10
Oakland
- Coastal Voices Project:
Latinos Encontrando Su Lugar en la Costa
Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz
- Common Ground: Mien Gardeners and African-American Youth at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park
Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park
Oakland
- Community Stories:
ArtsChange Central American Photo Narratives and Traveling Exhibition
Arts Change
Richmond
A health center documents one of the immigrant communities it serves
- Contando Nuestras Historias (Telling Our Stories):
The Women of the Latina Center
The Center for Digital Storytelling
Berkeley
Emerging Latina leaders tell their stories
- Crazy Quilts and Other Tales of Survival
ArtsChange
Richmond
Using stories and art to humanize mental illness
- Creating a Community Quilt and Anthology
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula
Menlo Park
Documenting the Belle Haven community in Menlo Park
- Dance Palace
The Dance Palace Community Center
Point Reyes Station
Chronicling the history of a dynamic community center in West Marin County
- Documenting Disability History
Freed Center for Independent Living
Grass Valley
The story of the disability rights movement in rural California
- An Ethnic Mosaic of a Minority-Majority City: Seaside Stories
City of Seaside
Seaside
Capturing the diverse voices of Seaside
- A Fine and Long Tradition
National Women’s History Project
Santa Rosa
Stories of the women and men in the women’s movement in Sonoma County
- First Person Urban/Spoken word Project
Youth Speaks
San Francisco
- FotoFolio
Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana
San Jose
Kids’ stories about a neighborhood in transition
- Fountain Fire Remembered
Acorn Community Enterprises
Montgomery Creek
Teens in rural Northern California gather stories about a devastating 1992 forest fire
- From the Bayou to the Bay
Brava! for Women in the Arts
San Francisco
Documenting the stories of Hurricane Katrina evacuees in the San Francisco Bay area
- Geographies of the Imagination
College
California College of the Arts
Oakland
Mapping the geographical landscapes of Chilean immigrants
- Grandparents Tales Project
Stagebridge
Oakland
- The Heart Drawn on a Notebook: Personal Essays and Photographs of College Students at San Quentin
Prison University Project
San Quentin
College students inside San Quentin share their lives
- The Hole in the Head Gang:
The Saving of Bodega Bay
The Sitting Room
Cotati
Stories from the group that saved Bodega Bay
- Hunters Point Heroes
Just Think
San Francisco
- In Our Own Voice:
The Making of a Korean Community
Oakland Museum of California
Oakland
- Invisible Men: Listening to Immigrant Day Laborers in San Francisco
California Audio Arts
Oakland
- Kashaya Oral History Project
The Cultural Conservancy
San Francisco
- Kid Serve Youth Murals
Every Child Can Learn Foundation
San Francisco
Students in San Francisco create a mural based on the history of the labor movement in the area.
- The Lavender Scrolls Project
Lavender Seniors of the East Bay
San Leandro
LGBT elders tell their stories
- The Legacy Continues: Youth Activism Today
Community Works
Berkeley
Ninth grade students in Oakland document the stories of young Bay Area activists
- Life Under the Radar: Undocumented Youth
La Raza Centro De Legal
San Francisco Bay Area
Lives of undocumented California youth
- Like Jack: Stories of Youth at Risk
Boys and Girls Club of Silicon Valley
Milpitas
- “Long Shadow “ (Ebaugh Project)
Foothill Theatre Company
Nevada City
Creating a play from 60-year-old incident
- Looking for Hope
Media Alliance
Oakland
An exploration of the public schools, immigration and growing up in inner-city Oakland.
- Los Veteranos
Latino Activists of the 1960s and 1970s
Bienvenidos to Accion Latina
San Francisco
- Making Connections: Career Waitresses of The San Francisco
Bay Area
Institute on Aging
San Francisco
Documenting the experiences of older career waitresses in The San Francisco Bay Area
- Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women
Cultural Odyssey
San Francisco
- Multiply by 6 Million
Mercy High School
San Francisco
Stories and photographs of Bay Area Holocaust survivors
- A New Image:
Youth-Led Community Mural and Video Project
Rural Action of Knights Landing
Young people create a mural about their town
- 1942: Luggage From Home to Camp
Japanese American Museum
San Jose
- Of All Places:
Community Stories of How and Why We Are Here
Ukiah Players Theatre
Ukiah
- Olive Drive
Davis Community Television (DCTV)
Davis
- Out Ranks: GLBT Military Service from World War II to the Iraq War
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Historical Society of San Francisco
The true story of gays in the military
- Overcoming Faceless Labor
The California-Mexico Health Initiative
Berkeley
Documenting the stories of Mexican immigrant farmworkers
- Pioneer Filipino Women in California
Mindanao Lilang-Lilang, San Francisco
Berkeley
An exhibit of photographs of pioneering Filipina immigrants
- Reclaimed Stories: Oakland Chinatown
Oakland Public Library
Oakland
Capturing the pre-World War II stories of Chinese Americans in Oakland
- Reflections and Remembrances: Iranian-American Stories
Persian Center
Berkeley
- The Rise of the I-Hotel
Manilatown Heritage Foundation
San Francisco
The role of San Francisco’s International Hotel in the struggle for affordable housing in San Francisco
- Rural Women's Truth Telling
Women's Mountain Passages
Quincy
Survivors of domestic violence in a rural area of California tell their stories
- Sam Fow Stories
Memories from Marysville’s Chinatown
Yuba Historical Society
Marysville
Stories from one of the last remaining Chinatowns in California
- Shaping California
Immigrant Dancers and Their Voices
Sankalpa Dance Foundation
Fremont
- Shifting Perceptions on the Urban Edge
City of Brentwood Arts Commission
Brentwood
Documenting farm families in a rapidly developing area
- Sierra Stories:
The Changing Face of Life in the Sierra Nevada Mountains
Calaveras Community Foundation
Angels Camp
- Solidarity! Stories of Richard Aoki
Freedom Bound Center
Sacramento
The role of a well-known Asian American activist in the struggle for social justice in the 1960s and 1970s.
- Sons, Young Filipino Men Speak
Kulingtang Arts Inc.
San Francisco
Discovering what it's like to be young, male and Filipino
- South Berkeley Senior Stories
Sharing Community Memories Public Art Project
Epic Arts
Berkeley
A mural is created from the stories of elders from a highly diverse section of Berkeley.
- Sowing the Seeds of Change: Stories of Urban Ecology
City College of San Francisco
San Francisco
- Spinning Tales: Camptonville's Web of Stories
Camptonville Community Partnership
Camptonville
- Sporting Life:
LGBT Athletics and Cultural Change from the1960s to today
Gay, lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Historical Society
San Francisco
The role of athletics in the LGBT community in the San Francisco Bay area
- Still Present Pasts:
Korean Americans and the Forgotten War
Pro Arts
Oakland
First-Generation Korean Americans tell of their experiences during the Korean War
- Stories Behind the Songs
Programs for People
San Francisco
San Francisco County Jail inmates hear the stories of performers who use music as a tool for social change
- Stories of Courage
Korean Women Survivors of Violence
Shimtuh, a project of Korean Community Center of the East Bay
Oakland
Immigrant Korean women break their silence
- Stories of Service
Mono County Office of Education
Mammoth Lakes
At-risk students in rural Mono County interview and videotape veterans about their experiences.
- Stories of Spiritual Traditions
Khmu National Federation
Richmond
The rich spiritual traditions of the Khmu
- Stories of the Valley:
Circle of Elders
Geneva Valley Development Corp.
San Francisco
- Telling and Listening
Reviving the Oral Tradition
Winters Friends of the Library
Winters
- Together We Speak:
Stories from the Central Valley
Golden State Museum
Sacramento
- Voices of the Valley Documentary Project
Anderson Valley Unified Schools
Boonville
- Waging Stories Documentary Theater Project
People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER)
San Francisco
Creating a play from the stories of low-wage workers
- What Works:
Stories by and of the Movers and Shakers of Bayview Hunter's Point
TEAMS: Transformation through Education and Mutual Support
Oakland
Central California
Southern California
- Al Norte de San Diego
National Latino Research Center
California State University, San Marcos
- (Auto)biographies of Survival:
Life Stories of the Holocaust and Beyond
Interdisciplinary Humanities Center
UC Santa Barbara
Holocaust Survivors in Santa Barbara tell their stories
- The Azusa Heritage Project
Friends of the Azusa City Library
Azusa
Chronicling the early history of Azusa
- Bilingual Literacy Project
Chicano Federation of San Diego County
San Diego
Latino youths and seniors learn how to tell their stories of family, tradition and social change
- Bimini Place Story Project
P.F. Bresee Foundation
Los Angeles
Using stories to create a sense of community pride in a one- block section of Los Angeles
- Black Flight
Watts Village Theater Company
Los Angeles
Creating a play about the relations between African Americans and Latinos in Watts, based on their stories
- Borderlands:
Idyllwild Arts Native American Arts Summer Program
Idyllwild Arts Foundation
Idyllwild
Contemporary stories of the Cahuilla
- Borrowed Voices: Sharing the Stories of Incarcerated Youth
Pitzer College—Center for California Cultural and Social Issues
Claremont
Incarcerated youth tell their stories
- Building a Home in Antelope Valley: What is home? Where is Home?
Contemporary Modern Art Projects
Los Angeles
Exploring the idea of home in Antelope Valley
- Building Community: The Ethiopians of Los Angeles
Center for Religion and Civic Culture
University of Southern California
Los Angeles
Stories of the Ethiopian community in Los Angeles
- California Stories
Sythaxis Theatre Company
North Hollywood
- California Stories for the Summer Solstice at Haramokngna
Ne'ayuh, a project of community Partners
- The Camp Dance
Asian Pacific Health Care Venture, Inc.
Los Angeles
Stories, vignettes, song and dance about the Japanese American internment experience
- Central Coast Filipino American Heritage Mural Project
Filipino American National Historical Society
San Diego
A community-based mural project in Lompoc tells of Filipino American contributions to California
- The Chinese Community in Ventura County
Ventura County Chinese American Association
Oxnard
- Coastal Chumash:
Stories of Contemporary Native Americans in California
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks
Chumash Indians talk about their culture and heritage
- Coming to America/Transformations
Theatre of Hope Inc.
Van Nuys
Reinventing lives in California
- Custom Mobile Commerce
Special Service for Groups
Los Angeles
Gathering the stories of East L.A.’s street vendors
- Distant Families
KAOS Network
Los Angeles
- A Divided Community
Japanese American National Museum
Los Angeles
A dramatic reading of the stories of World War II Japanese American draft resisters
- East Adams-San Pedro
Chinese Historical Society of Southern California
Los Angeles
- The Eastsiders
Eighth and Wall, Inc.
Rolling Hills Estates
Preserving the memories of a once-thriving African American neighborhood
- El Cajon Story Project
The AJA Project
San Diego
Refugee youths in San Diego document their lives and communities
- Environmental History of the South Central California Coast
Earth Alert Inc.
Oxnard
Preserving the stories of environmental activists on the South Central Coast
- Finding Shelter: The Search for Livable Spaces in L.A.
Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research
Los Angeles
Using stories to Examine the housing crisis in Los Angeles
- Film Festival for the Formerly Incarcerated
A New Way of Life Foundation
Los Angeles
The experiences of the formerly incarcerated in film
- From Dialogue to Drama:
The Japanese American Experience in the San Fernando Valley
Friends of Lopez Adobe
San Fernando
Capturing the internment experiences of Japanese Americans from the San Fernando Valley
- “From the Gulf Coast to the West Coast:
Katrina Before and After”
KPFK 90.7FM Pacifica Radio
North Hollywood
Katrina evacuees tell their stories in a two-hour radio series
- “From Nettled to Nested”
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles
- Gardens Telling Stories:
The Japanese Gardens and
Gardeners of West Los Angeles
California State University, Northridge,
College of Humanities
Northridge
The Japanese garden tradition in West Los Angeles
- Gathering at the River:
Oral History from the Los Angeles River
Friends of the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles
- The Glen Avon Stringfellow Commemorative Project
The Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice
Riverside
Documenting a community's struggle to overcome an environmental disaster
- “The Gun and Natasha,”
a fictionalized rendition of a true Los Angeles story
Synthaxis Theater Company
North Hollywood
Creating a play from a tragic death in Los Angeles
- Hmong Folk Stories:
Carrying the Meaning to California
Hmong Association of Long Beach, Inc.
Preserving Hmong folk stories for the next generation
- Homeboy Stories Project
Pen Center USA
Culver City
East L.A. youths gather stories from ex-gang members
- Hunab Ku
Stage of the Arts. Inc.
Los Angeles
Gathering stories of the Mayan community in Los Angeles
- The “I Can Tell the World” Project:
Los Angeles African Diaspora Musical Legacies
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Documenting the history of a renowned Los Angeles choir
- “I’ll Meet You at Drake Park”
Willmore City Heritage Association
Long Beach
Preserving the history of Long Beach’s oldest neighborhoods
- Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride:
Stories from the L.A. contingent
University of Southern California
Department of Sociology
Los Angeles
Immigrant rights advocates in Los Angeles tell their stories
- In Days of Old:
Chronicles of Preservation
Hamilton Museum and Ranch Foundation
Riverside
The stories of long-time residents of mountain communities in Riverside country
- In the Shadow of Petco Park
San Diego Public Library
San Diego
Neighbors talk about the impact of gentrification on their lives
- Invisible Trajectories:
Passing Through the Inland Empire
Wignall Museum/Gallery
Rancho Cucamonga
Insights gained from Traveling Through the Inland Empire
- Journey
The AjA Project
San Diego
- The Last Golden Links
Living Treasures of the Los Angeles Yiddish Culture Club
California Institute for Yiddish Culture and Language Enrichment
Marina del Ray
- Las Historias de Ladera
People’s Self-Help Housing Corporation
San Luis Obispo
Latino families at an affordable housing complex in San Luis Obispo tell their stories
- Local 909er
Newtown Pasadena
Altadena
Stories of development in the Inland Empire
- Many Voices, One Community:
Golden West
Golden West College Foundation
Huntington Beach
Golden West’s students, faculty, staff and community members tell of coming to California
- Men Versus Machines:
Workers Facing Mechanization on the Waterfront
The Harry Bridges Project
Los Angeles
Project Director: Ian Ruskin
How a groundbreaking agreement in 1961 changed the workplace for longshoremen forever
- Mexican American Baseball in Los Angeles:
From the Barrios to the Big Leagues
Baseball Reliquary Inc.
Monrovia
The role of baseball in Mexican American communities in Los Angeles
- Mission Inn Stories
Mission Inn Foundation
Riverside
- The Mexican OC:
Triumphs and Contributions of Orange County’s Mexican Communities
El Centro Cultural de Mexico
Santa Ana
Project Director: Sara Guerrero
Mexican Americans’ struggle for social justice in Orange County
- Mount Washington Voice:
Seeking Balance in the Face of Urban Encroachment
Mount Washington Homeowners’ Alliance
Los Angeles
How a Los Angeles community saved open space land for residents
- Natural Disaster: Los Angeles, New Orleans, the World
University Corporation
California State University, Northridge
Creating a play from the stories of disaster in Los Angeles
- Needles, California
Gateway to California
Friends of El Garces
Needles
A long-neglected community tells its story
- New Orphans of the Storm
KPCC-89.3 FM
Pasadena
A radio series on Katrina evacuees in California
- New Words, New Visions
California Living History
Pasadena/Altadena
At-risk students use photography, writing to express their views
- The Oliver Clubs: Sports and Community
in Japanese American Los Angeles
Little Tokyo Service Center
Los Angeles
Stories from Japanese American sports clubs
- Oral Histories from Los Angeles Elders
St. Barnabas Senior Services
Los Angeles
Hearing from Los Angeles seniors
- The Oral Histories Project of the Church of the Epiphany and the Chicano Movement
The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany
Los Angeles
Exploring the role of a church in Los Angeles in many historic events
- Our African American Elders:
Wisdom of the Ages
Eighth and Wall
Rolling Hills Estate
Documenting the life experiences of African American elders in Los Angeles
- Our Stories
Glendale Human Relations Coalition
Glendale
- Our Stories in Our Voices
American Chinese Culture Association
Arcadia
Chinese immigrants of the Cultural Revolution tell their stories
- Our Truths: Stories of Community Violence
Community Partners
Khmer Girls in Action and
Homeland Cultural Center
Long Beach
Creating a play about the culture of gangs from the stories of teens in Long Beach
- (Out)Law & Order:
The code of the West Meets the Code of the Street
Center For Civic Education
Calabasas
Middle school students create plays about how the myths of the West play out in their lives
- Packed Up, Squeezed Out:
The Citrus Industry in Placentia
California State University, Fullerton Foundation
Fullerton
A readers' theater piece tells the story of a now-defunct citrus industry in an Orange Country town
- Pacoima Voices
Youth Policy Institute
Los Angeles
Project Director: Pablo Garcia
Using home movies to unify different cultures
- Poetic Generations
Alex Theatre
Glendale
Project Director: Emily Lloyd
Glendale seniors and children learn English by writing poetry.
- Planting Dreams:
Growing the Madison Neighborhood Village
Living Histories
Sierra Madre
- Race and the Transformation of Long Beach
Californians for Justice
Los Angeles
Project Director: Jeremy Lahoud
High school students capture the history of racial justice activists
- Reading the Walls: Riverside Stories
Riverside Metropolitan Museum
Riverside
The experiences of three Japanese American families
- Reel Stories
Hope in the City
San Diego
High school kids capture their world on video and in film.
- Restless Spirits
San Diego Repertory Theatre
San Diego
Using community stories to create an original play
- The Rise and Fall of Irvine Meadows West
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena
Chronicling the history of a campus trailer park
- Sailors’ Tales: Stories of San Diego’s Navy Community
and the Naval Training Center
National University, La Jolla
Stories from the San Diego Naval Training Center
- San Diego Fire Stories:
History, Memory, Experience
City of San Diego
Commission for Arts and Culture San Diego
Discovering the role of fire in people's lives
- San Diego's Former Prisoners of War:
Memories of a Troubled Past in Service of a Bright Future
Veterans Memorial Center and Museum
San Diego
- The Search for Identity:
Vietnamese Diaspora Stories in California
Vietnamese American Arts & Letter Association
Westminster
Using photography and oral history to document two Vietnamese communities in California 30 years after the end of the Vietnam War.
- Southern California Cambodian Stories Project
National Conference for Community and Justice
Long Beach
Documenting the stories of Cambodian genocide survivors in Long Beach
- South Pasadena Oral History Video Project
South Pasadena Public Library
South Pasadena
- Stories of the Pomona Valley
Historical Society of Pomona Valley
Pomona
Collecting stories and photographs of Pomona’s ethnic history in the 20th century
- Story Trees
A Window Between Worlds
Venice
Domestic violence survivors use art to tell their stories
- Suspect Entertainment:
Hollywood Meets Real Life
California Audio Arts
Oakland
Project Director: Robin Urevich
The struggle of gangster-turned-actors to build a business in Hollywood
- Tales from the Canyon
City of Brea
Creating a play from the stories of a once-thriving oil town
- Talking Peace
The San Diego State University Production Center for Documentary and Drama
San Diego
Capturing conversations between Jewish- and Palestinian-Americans
A DVD of the documentary--"Talking Peace"--is now available
- 30 Years of Refuge: San Diego’s Refugees
International Rescue Committee
San Diego
Project Director: Sharon Darrough
Honoring San Diego’s ethnic diversity
- This Daunting Task -- Conflict, Consequence and Reconciliation
Villa Aurora Foundation for European-American Relations
Pacific Palisades
- 3/7/11
Cornerstone Theater Company
Los Angeles
Creating one act plays from the experiences of Lincoln Heights young people
- To All Relations: Sacred Moon Songs
Great Leap
Los Angeles
Stories of persecution, exile and deportation from three communities in Los Angeles
- Told From the Heart:
Stories of California Indian Women as Intergenerational Memory
National University
La Jolla
Project Director: Dr. Jana Rivers Norton
Eight California Indian women tell their stories
- Unchartered: Stories of the South Asian Diaspora
ArtWallah
2210 Lincoln Boulevard, Suite 5
Venice
The voices of South Asians in Los Angeles
- Voice of Diversity:
Pioneering Women of
Agricultural Orange County, 1870-1970
California State University, Fullerton Foundation
Fullerton
Chronicling Orange County’s agricultural history through the stories of the women who lived it
- Voices of Ballona Creek:
Stories of the Region’s Inhabitants
Friends of the Memorial Library
Los Angeles
The role of Ballona Creek in people’s lives
- Voices of Valley Veterans
Patrons Association of Los Angeles Valley College
Valley Glen
Capturing the stories of veterans in the San Fernando Valley
- Voices to Come Home To:
Poems by the Homeless
Tebot Bach
Huntington Beach
Voices of Orange County’s homeless
- “We Are Still Here"
The Story of Elder Katherine Siva Saubel and the Cahuilla Indians of Southern California
Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association
Borrego Springs
The story of Cahuilla elder Katherine Saubel
- West Fullerton:
Stories of Hope and Civic Renewal
California State University Fullerton Foundation
Fullerton
Project Director: Dr. Robert Emry,
Co-director, Center for Community Dialogue, Cal State Fullerton
Capturing stories of hope from new immigrants in West Fullerton
- Why We Gather: Building Community
Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture
Los Angeles
Capturing the traditions of Filipino Americans in Southern California
- Word Nektar: An Open Mic powered by J.U.I.C.E.
J.U.I.C.E.
Justice by Uniting in Creative Energy
Los Angeles
Young people involved in hip hop culture tell their stories in monthly open mic sessions
- World on a String:
The Filipino American Origins of the Yo-Yo
Visual Communications
Los Angeles
A community forum on the Filipino American roots of the Yo-Yo
- Work in Southern California: A Retrospective
Studio for Southern California History
Los Angeles
Understanding the experience of work in greater Los Angeles
