Say It Forward

Cliff Mayotte is the education program director with Voice of Witness. He previously edited The Power of the Story: The Voice of Witness Teachers Guide to Oral History.Claire Kiefer is the author of Bear Witness. She was a Voice of Witness curriculum specialist and currently works at the Georgia Capital Defender.

• Introduction: Making the Invisible Visible Section One: Conducting Community Oral Histories: Approaches, Methodologies, and Ethics History on a Human Scale Types of Oral Histories Historical or Cultural Memory TransferCommunity or Neighborhood HistoryAddressing Injustice or Seeking Change through Oral HistoryOral History in Educational SettingsEssential Questions and Ethics Oral History: An “Experiment in Equality”Why Should I Share My Story with You? Ownership, Identity, and Storytelling How Do I Find Narrators for my Oral History Project?Creating Safe/Brave Spaces for Sharing StoriesProtecting Narrator SafetyPower, Privilege, and Representation in Oral History Outsider/Insider Dynamics Changing Directions in Oral History Projects Editing Oral History Transcripts: Honoring Your Narrator’s Voice Self Care, Compassion Fatigue, and Developing a Capacity to Listen to Difficult StoriesSection Two: Community Oral History Case StudiesA Note on the Case Studies Behind the Wire: Mandatory Detention in Australia by Andre Dao and Sienna Merope OG Told Me by Pendarvis Harshaw After the Disaster: Rebuilding Lives and Communities in Fukushima by Jon Funabiki Re-entry Stories: Life after Prison and Jail by Claire Kiefer Unsettled: Relocating After Katrina by Eric Marshall Our Town, Our Stories by Cliff Mayotte Resilience: Elders in East Harlem by Lauren Taylor DREAMers Testimoniando by Shelby Pasell Tales of Tar Sands Resistance by Stephanie G. Thomas Cycles of Domestic Violence by Ashley Jacobs 225Project LRN (Listening to Residents and Neighbors) by Genevra Gallo-Bayiates Long Live The King: Fishing in Santa Cruz Harbor by Katie Kuszmar Section Three: Community Storytelling and Oral History ResourcesGetting Started: A Quick Guide to Setting up Your Oral History ProjectMedia Options for Sharing StoriesOral History ResourcesTrauma & Self-Care ResourcesAcknowledgements About Voice of Witness About the Editors/ About the Contributors

“Stories are humankind’s connective tissue, and Say It Forward reminds us the process through which we document a story is as important and powerful as the story itself.” —Lauren Markham, author of The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life“Say It Forward provides not only a practical blueprint for storytelling methodology and approach, it does something more meaningful—it contextualizes and validates the purpose and multilayered nuances of capturing deeply personal accounts.”—Linda Sotelo, New Americans Museum“Oral history changes lives. Claire Kiefer and Cliff Mayotte have made a profoundly clear, fluid, and accessible guide to doing your own oral histories, and teachers, students, and parents: I beg you to try it.”—Dave Eggers, Voice of Witness cofounder and author, The Monk of Mokha and What Is the What“Say It Forward is a useful guide for anyone new to recording the oral histories of vulnerable populations. Voice of Witness makes plain how to work with sensitivity, respect, and care.”—Danielle Jackson, cofounder, Bronx Documentary Center