Dave Isay has spent decades reminding us that every person has a story worth hearing. As the founder and president of StoryCorps, he's helped preserve hundreds of thousands of conversations and created one of the most important storytelling institutions in America.
Will Davis of the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO has worked with StoryCorps on several occasions throughout his career and considers those collaborations among the most meaningful and enjoyable of his professional life.
If you'd like to join others in creating a living time capsule for America's 250th birthday by sharing a meaningful conversation, register now at Connect250.org.
So, when he heard about a new StoryCorps initiative called Connect 250, he reached out to Isay. He wanted to learn more about the project and how he could help support its success.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Isay: So, what we're doing is matching strangers. It's a little bit like a dating app, but nothing to be afraid of. And as you know, when you come out the other side of these interviews, they're often the most meaningful conversation that you have all year, or one of the most meaningful conversations that you have. My colleagues and I were feeling a little bit underwhelmed by what was going on for the 250th anniversary of the country and had this kind of crazy idea to try to create a time capsule of who we are as Americans at the country's 250th anniversary.
So we are, as we speak, building a platform that makes it possible for Americans to meet Americans, sort of like a "Hey, America, meet America" effort that is a little out there, but I think will be a beautiful thing if we get enough people to come and participate. And so far, we've seen many thousands of people sign up to be a part of this.
Davis: We were fortunate to be one of the stations selected to participate in the One Small Step project. Is Connect 250 an evolution of that project or something different?
Isay: So, the difference between this and One Small Step is that One Small Step is about pairing, as you know, people across political divides with the idea that it's hard to hate up close, just having conversations with someone you might never otherwise have a conversation with. This is also having conversations with someone you might never otherwise have a conversation with.
But it's not about political divides. This is just about people talking to people. You're not talking about politics.
You're talking about your lives. You're leaving a StoryCorps-like record that immediately goes to the Library of Congress after you hit stop at the end of the interview.
Davis: I imagine One Small Step taught you a great deal that helped with this project.
Isay: It had a massive impact. We never would have done Connect 250 without One Small Step, which is, by the way, not finished. I mean, we're going to keep plugging away with One Small Step.
Davis: What impact has the closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting had on StoryCorps?
Isay: So, we lost a lot of funding when CPB was decommissioned. But we are, you know, this work of, you know, trying to grow into America's empathy machine is more important than it's ever been. So, we're fighting our way back.
Unfortunately, we had to take our mobile tour off the road for the first time in 20 years. And there were other, you know, staff cuts and all sorts of kind of awful things that happened. But we're not giving up.
We're going to build back better and continue serving the country, just like all the public radio stations that inspire us, who also took a major hit.
Davis: I've struggled with a lot of what's happening in public media, but StoryCorps is one organization I've worried about in particular. Because here at WYSO, we think the work that you and your colleagues are doing is exactly the kind of work that we need more of right now.
Isay: Well, first of all, that's so absolutely lovely of you to say. I just have to say, WYSO is just a legendary station. I was telling a colleague that I don't know what it is about the station, but it's magic.
And I hope you will, like, promise me that you'll try Connect250.org. I want to hear what you think. I mean, you're a StoryCorps veteran. You're showing us the path through all of these different kinds of conversations. And if you do a Connect 250 conversation, it would mean a lot to me personally.
