Skip to content
Posted by Alice Wong DVP News and Events

Thanks for the memories, StoryCorps SF!!

Dear reader,

As I write this post I am humming the 90’s Boyz II Men classic, “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday.” Feeling sad yet grateful.

Như Tiên Lữ, Regional Manager, San Francisco StoryBooth, informed me that the entire staff at the San Francisco location will be laid-off. It’s official and their last day will be February 15, 2018. No more StoryCorps in SF.

If you are in the SF Bay Area and still interested in recording your oral history for the Disability Visibility Project, please make a reservation as soon as possible: https://storycorps.org/san-francisco/

Be sure to enter the Disability Visibility Project when the form asks “If you are making this appointment on behalf of a partner organization, please enter the organization name here.”

Check our page for other things to keep in mind before you make your reservation.

Folks can continue to record their stories with the StoryCorps app. at their Chicago and Atlanta story booths or various cities from their Mobile Tour.

Asian American woman wearing a green rain jacket in a wheelchair in front of a large cubical recording booth with the word 'StoryCorps' in front. A caption bubble reads, "Thank you!!"
Asian American woman wearing a green rain jacket in a wheelchair in front of a large cubical recording booth with the word ‘StoryCorps’ in front. A caption bubble reads, “Thank you!!”

I want to thank the StoryCorps San Francisco staff, interns, and volunteers for being so welcoming, accommodating, and enthusiastic. It’s been a delight getting to know all of you as I interviewed many of my friends throughout the years.

Our successful relationship was based on mutual respect and joy for storytelling. Here are some outcomes from our successful collaboration:

  • 114 oral histories recorded at StoryCorps SF (July 2014-October 2017)
  • One DVP story produced and broadcast on KALW featuring Jessie Lorenz and Herb Levine.
  • Yosmay del Mazo, Community Engagement Associate, created a video giving a tour of the story booth with a description of the process and accessibility.
  • Because of our work together, StoryCorps conducted their first ever Accessibility Survey in 2015 to learn how they can serve people with disabilities better.
  • With Yosmay and Geraldine Ah-Sue, a former facilitator at StoryCorps SF, we presented at the Allied Media Conference in 2017 in a session, “Ableism, Accessibility, and Oral Histories.“
Photo of of two images: on the left is a photo of a projected screen showing two windows open. One has a slide on the left side with a list of resources. On the right side is the Zoom videoconference platform featuring 2 smaller windows featuring Alice Wong, an Asian American woman wearing a BiPap mask over her face with a tube attached in the upper left corner. On the lower right corner is the image of Geraldine Ah-Sue, an Asian American woman with black-rimmed glasses. Both are participating in the presentation remotely. The second image on the right side is an outdoor photo of Yosmay del Mazo, a Latinx transgender person standing outside State Hall, on the Wayne State University campus with his hand in a thumbs-up gesture.
Photo of of two images: on the left is a photo of a projected screen showing two windows open. One has a slide on the left side with a list of resources. On the right side is the Zoom videoconference platform featuring 2 smaller windows featuring Alice Wong, an Asian American woman wearing a BiPap mask over her face with a tube attached in the upper left corner. On the lower right corner is the image of Geraldine Ah-Sue, an Asian American woman with black-rimmed glasses. Both are participating in the presentation remotely. The second image on the right side is an outdoor photo of Yosmay del Mazo, a Latinx transgender person standing outside State Hall, on the Wayne State University campus with his hand in a thumbs-up gesture.

As the DVP continues to grow and broaden its scope, I will never forget that it all started with the simple idea of having people with disabilities tell their stories with the option of archiving them at the Library of Congress. The DVP is just one of numerous community partnerships from the San Francisco Bay Area that will miss this invaluable resource.

I feel rather salty about the decision by the StoryCorps main office to close the San Francisco Story Booth. My mood resembles this cat photo:

Angry looking cat with a white underbelly and dark fur on top. The cat's mouth is open in mid-hiss as it sits in a grassy area.
Angry looking cat with a white underbelly and dark fur on top. The cat’s mouth is open in mid-hiss as it sits in a grassy area.

However, I will try to remember the good times and what we built together. I promise to take what I learned from the wonderful people at StoryCorps SF to whatever I do now and in the future. Hold up…..Too. Many. Feels.

 

With gratitude,

Alice Wong, Founder and Director, Disability Visibility Project®

A porg, a sea-dwelling bird from the Star Wars universe with large round dark eyes and a sad face. Unbearably cute. On the right, black text that reads: "Thanks for the memories, StoryCorps SF!!" Illustration of a red heart graphic underneath that quote and below the heart: "Disability Visibility Project®
A porg, a sea-dwelling bird from the Star Wars universe with large round dark eyes and a sad face. Unbearably cute. On the right, black text that reads: “Thanks for the memories, StoryCorps SF!!” Illustration of a red heart graphic underneath that quote and below the heart: “Disability Visibility Project®

Categories

DVP News and Events, Uncategorized

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Alice Wong View All

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Disability Visibility Project

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading