Project to Collect & Amplify Stories Celebrating the Richness, Diversity & Complexity of the Black Experience

(Black PR Wire) Brooklyn, NY— StoryCorps, the renowned nonprofit dedicated to fostering belief in each other by highlighting our shared humanity, announces the launch of a major new initiative, Brightness in Black. The three-year initiative – with support from Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand’s Black Community Commitment – will collect and amplify stories that showcase the nuance, complexity, and richness of the Black experience, challenging the pervasive narratives of Black life in America that are often limited and deficit-framed.

Each year, Brightness in Black will work intensively in two different Anchor Communities, collaborating with local media and community organizations to capture asset-framed stories of the Black community, working with partners on content co-creation and distribution, and hosting local events. The goal of the regional effort is to build capacity to sustain narrative change work in these communities long-term. This year’s Anchor Communities are Philadelphia and Atlanta, with the remaining four locations to be announced. Stories also will be collected at pop-up events across the country. In addition, Brightness in Black will launch a national content distribution effort, in collaboration with Black media outlets, inviting Black Americans across the country to record their stories, virtually and in-person.

StoryCorps CEO Sandra Clark said, “We are honored to launch this important initiative with support from Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand’s Black Community Commitment. For too long, Black stories have largely been depicted as one-dimensional and over-simplified. Brightness in Black encourages the Black community nationwide to challenge and reclaim this narrative by sharing their personal stories of triumph, challenges, resilience, and gratitude. StoryCorps has developed a tried and trusted method for preserving the voices of everyday people and is uniquely positioned to develop this initiative.”

Brightness in Black Launch

The initiative will officially kick off in the Brightness in Black Anchor Community of Philadelphia, with a launch event on September 14, 2024, at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts from noon-5pm. The family friendly event is free and open to the public and will feature a recitation of an original poem for the occasion by Kai Davis, Philadelphia's Poet Laureate. Additional activities will include community activations; the opportunity for attendees to record an interview in the StoryCorps airstream mobile booth; a host of live performances by artists including Seraiah Nicole; a panel discussion; multimedia displays; and more. RSVP here.

“The Jordan Brand's commitment to the Black community is infinite—central to who we are as a brand,” said Sarah Mensah, Jordan Brand President. “We are incredibly proud to be a part of the work StoryCorps is driving with Brightness in Black, ensuring that the voices and stories of the Black community remain a part of our collective history.”

Brightness in Black HBCU Fellowship Program

The year-long Fellowship Program is non-residential and designed for rising junior and senior students attending HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) or community colleges within the program’s Anchor Community regions. As part of the fellowship, six students in each cohort will receive personal and professional development, specialized facilitator training and a supportive learning community guided by StoryCorps staff, community partners, local content creators, and their fellow cohort members. Throughout the program, fellows will facilitate, record, and help archive interviews, while working on personal Brightness in Black recording projects of their own choosing. More information here.

Record with Brightness in Black

There are a number of ways to participate in a Brightness in Black recording, either virtually or in person. Participants can record with a partner of their choice for a standard 50-minute conversation or alone for a shorter, twenty-minute recording. To record virtually, participants can use StoryCorps’ free recording tools such as the StoryCorps App and StoryCorps Connect, or record in person at a StoryCorps event or at one of StoryCorps’ Mobile Tour stops (schedule below). Participants will have the option to share their stories with others by adding it to StoryCorps’ archive in the Library of Congress American Folklife Center, contributing to a more authentic and dynamic portrayal of Black life today.

2024 StoryCorps Mobile Tour Schedule

• 8/8-9/6: Philadelphia, PA – WHYY
• 9/14: Philadelphia, PA – Kimmel Center for Performing Arts
• 9/12-10/4: Huntington, WV – WVPB
• 10/10-11/8: Knoxville, TN – WUOT
• 11/11-12/13: New Orleans, LA – WWNO

About Brightness in Black

For more information on the Brightness in Black initiative and programming, visit storycorps.org/bib.

About StoryCorps

Founded in 2003, StoryCorps is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping us believe in each other by illuminating the humanity and possibility in us all, one story at a time. Nearly 700,000 people, in all 50 states, have recorded interviews about their lives through StoryCorps. The award-winning organization preserves the recordings in its archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, and shares select stories with the public through StoryCorps’ podcast, radio broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful human stories reflect the vast range of American experiences, engender empathy and connection, and remind us how much more we have in common than what divides us. StoryCorps is especially committed to capturing and amplifying voices least heard in the media. The StoryCorps MobileBooth, an Airstream trailer that has been transformed into a traveling recording booth, crosses the country year-round gathering the stories of people nationwide. 2023 marked the 20th anniversary of StoryCorps. Learn more at storycorps.org.

About the Jordan Black Community Commitment

Created in 2020, the Jordan Black Community Commitment — a joint and equal 10-year, $100 million initiative of Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand — is focused on leading sustainable change to impact the fight against systemic racism and create more equitable futures for Black Americans. For more information on the Jordan Black Community Commitment, please visit: https://www.nike.com/jordan/purpose

Community Partners

Our partners include Love Now Media, Lil’ Filmmakers, Free Library of Philadelphia, WHYY-FM, WURD-AM, Black Star Film Festival, WCLK-FM, Black Art in America, the Center for Black Agency and Resilience, and Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

Funder Credits

Brightness in Black is made possible by lead support from Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand’s Black Community Commitment, and by the generous support of The Hearthland Foundation.

Source: StoryCorps