StoryCorp’s oral history team coming to Selma to record Black Belt stories 

StoryCorps, the groundbreaking oral history project, is coming to Selma in January to record and preserve stories from Black Belt residents.   

StoryCorps is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs, according to a news release from StoryCorps.   

Alabama Public Radio will host StoryCorps to record the stories of residents through both in-person and virtual interviews and preserve them in the Library of Congress. Black Belt News Network and the Selma Sun are media partners with Alabama Public Radio.   

The mobile studio, a customized silver Airstream trailer, will be in Selma Jan. 9 through Feb. 7 to record interviews – in-person and virtually – as part of its Mobile Tour. (Note: that’s “mobile” as in portable, not as in being in the Port City of Mobile.)  

The mobile studio will be parked next to the Carl C. Morgan Convention Center with easy access from Washington Street.   

Reservations to record can be made by calling StoryCorps’ 24-hour toll-free reservation line at 1-800-850-4406 or visiting storycorps.org.  

Alabama Public Radio has been working with local residents to identify and invite citizens to sit down for a StoryCorps interview.   

Now in its 17th year, the StoryCorps Mobile Tour has facilitated thousands of meaningful conversations between people who know and care about one another. StoryCorps is committed to creating a safe recording environment and has introduced several measures to its recording process in Selma. Participants have the option of recording in-person or via StoryCorps’ Virtual Recording Booth, a video-conferencing platform that can be accessed remotely using an internet-connected device. Participants can learn more about safety precautions for in-person recording at storycorps.org.  

During a StoryCorps interview, two people record a meaningful conversation with one another about who they are, what they’ve learned in life and how they want to be remembered. A trained StoryCorps facilitator guides them through the interview process.   

After each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a digital copy of their interview. With participant permission, a second copy is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for future generations to hear.  

Founded in 2003 by award-winning documentary producer and MacArthur Fellow Dave Isay, StoryCorps has traveled to every corner of the country to record interviews in the organization’s effort to create a world where we listen closely to each other and recognize the beauty, grace and poetry in the lives and stories we find all around us.  

“StoryCorps tells an authentic American story — that we are a people defined by small acts of courage, kindness and heroism,” Isay said. “Each interview reminds people that their lives matter and will not be forgotten.”   

In Selma, StoryCorps will partner with NPR affiliate WAPR – Alabama Public Radio. APR will air a selection of the local interviews and create special programs around the project. StoryCorps may also share excerpts of these stories with the world through the project’s popular weekly NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms and best-selling books.  

“APR, a service of The University of Alabama, is delighted to host StoryCorps in Selma,” said Michael Bruce, Director of The University’s Digital Media Center. “Partnering with local agencies and community groups, we hope to bring additional focus to the rich cultural stories associated with the region.”  

StoryCorps is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.