Tuesday, April 12, 2005
By Don Speich, IJ reporter
It’s called California Stories Uncovered and it stretches from the Mexican border north to Marin and beyond, reaching out to children and adults, rich and poor, urbanites and suburbanites and those in rural areas, to tell their stories.
Nothing is too finite or too grand. History is like that and that is what this is: a collection of personal histories from the mouths of those quietly going about their daily lives making it.
Sponsored by the California Council for the Humanities, it is staggering in its broad sweep and bold ambition, in part motivated, according to council officials, to get individuals to discuss the sociological, economic and political issues that have molded their past and are shaping their future. The hope is that people will become part of the process of defining problems and finding solutions in their communities.
In 350 separate events occuring simultaneously across the state on successive days in April, children will gather in libraries to recite stories of their lives. Photos from amateur and professional photographers will be exhibited depicting the state’s staggering diversity. Authors will give readings from their works, capturing the highs and lows of living in the Golden State.
Other events will find migrant workers and executives, students and teachers, blue collars and white collars, talking of their experiences — personal oral histories subsequently transcribed and published.
In Marin alone, there are 24 events this month, many at the Belvedere-Tiburon Library.
It kicked off on April 1 and will conclude April 28. Programs include photographs and memorabilia highlighting histories of Belvedere and Tiburon; “Corazon Latino,” an older adult discussion group to be held in Spanish at Whistlestop in San Rafael; “No Place Like Home,” a two-part writing workshop for teens and adults aimed at giving help in writing stories based on personal experiences; and an English Conversation Group to discuss “your California story and others,” to name but a few.
An offshoot of the council’s program is an oral history that has been collected under the direction of the Marin Arts Council. The project, funded jointly by the humanities council and the Marin Community Foundation, is focusing on affordable housing as seen through the eyes of a broad cross-section of the county’s residents, said Jeanne Bogardus, the arts council director.
Ralph Lewin, the humanities council’s associate executive director, said a key part of many of this month’s Marin events are readings from an anthology filled with observations and experiences from people involved in other sessions during an earlier version of the project that kicked off in 2001.
“In Marin, we have some discussion groups and also have teens working on their own poetry and writing short stories and presenting it,” he said. Not only will there be “acclaimed authors inspiring us to think about stories but also people in their own community inspiring” others to tell of their experiences, “all taking place at the same time.
“Imagine all the types of places where the discussions are happening. Next week, I will be going to Yuba City, which is completely different than San Francisco.”
James Quay, the council’s executive director, says on the council’s Web site that the project is designed to bring “together thousands of people to share stories and find common ground for addressing communitywide issues.”
He adds, “What we have found is that when people tell their stories and others listen, a trust develops that can change community dynamics.
“In fact, story-sharing is often the spark that prompts people to work together to find solutions to some of today’s most pressing concerns.”
As outlined by council officials, the month of April will be a period of statewide reflection and discourse aimed at forging a brighter future by dissecting and understanding the past.
“The stories tell us many things,” Quay said. “We are learning about the plight of day laborers in San Francisco, the experiences of three generations of Mexican-American women in San Diego, what it’s like to be a teenager growing up in California, the hardships of migrant life in the Central Valley and how former female prison inmates are adjusting to life outside the walls.”
The yield, says the council Web site, has been rich in possibility.
The oral histories “are changing our view of California and giving us a sense that, despite our difference, we have much in common and have much to gain by acting with others to make California flourish.”
Contact Don Speich via e-mail at dspeich@marinij.com
FOR INFORMATION
Information about California Council of the Humanities events in Marin can be obtained via the Web site at www.californiastories.org.
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