Since 2003, when David Isay founded StoryCorps, he has been on a mission of finding hope, even at the darkest times. Now, more than two decades later, StoryCorps has just launched One Small Step, a project meant to bridge the political divide.
The intent is to produce thousands, perhaps millions, of one-on-one conversations between political foes, finding areas of commonality that result in human understanding and human connection.
We spoke to Isay in advance of an appearance on Friday (July 26) at 5 p.m. at the United Theater in Westerly, sponsored by the Literacy Volunteers of Washington County. Tickets for the event are available on the United Theatre website, www.unitedtheatre.org.
Since its founding, StoryCorps has produced more than 700,000 interviews, “the largest collection of human voices ever gathered,” Isay said. He has won six Peabody Awards, a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, and the 2015 TED Prize for his work.
“We’re kind of collecting the wisdom of humanity,” he said. “So, it’s in these kind of crazy times in the country, it’s a very powerful reminder of the fundamental goodness of all of us, and we can always use that.”
With the launching of One Small Step, Isay and StoryCorps take on a daunting project of bridging the political divide at a time when Isay said half the country believes civil war is possible, and 90 percent are simply exhausted from the heightened tensions.
According to the organization More in Common, which was founded on the mission of bringing people together to tackle shared challenges, some 90 percent of Americans are part of an “exhausted majority” tired of political divisions and seeking a way forward, Isay said.
“We have a big problem with human connection in the country,” he said. “Democracy can’t survive in a swamp of mutual contempt. We’re not as different as we think we are, We are complex people with all kinds of views.”
People can connect with One Small Step through the website, takeonesmallstep.org or in some areas, kiosks will be set up for onsite interviews.
“When you just sit down with another human being and look them in the eyes, people come out of this friends… We have been testing, putting strangers across the political divide together, not to talk about politics, but just to get to know each other as human beings, because it’s hard to hate up close,” Isay said.
“The act of just asking people about their lives, who they care, who was kind to them, how they want to be remembered… I saw (as) important and sometimes transformative to people,” he said “And with StoryCorps, I wanted to give everybody the chance to be listened to in that way.
“Mother Teresa used to say, we’ve forgotten that we belong to one another,” Isay said. “And, you know, we have to be reminded that we do.”
Isay, before launching StoryCorps, spent years as a journalist, often producing documentaries aired over radio. He remains committed to journalism. “In terms of journalism I’ve always felt that journalism put to its highest use can be one of the greatest forces for good that the world has ever seen. Journalism, he said, can “foster understanding and positive change in society.”Asked how he has changed since launching StoryCorps, Isay said: “It’s made me much more hopeful. It’s made me love this country and its people and be willing to sacrifice everything and fight really with everything I’ve got to remind people of the fundamental goodness of the people who live around us.”
