Braden Storytelling Grant

The Story of We Shall Overcome by Beatrix Lockwood

This story traces the origins of “We Shall Overcome” from the eighteenth century to the March on Washington, and to today. It focuses on the development of the song at the Highlander Folk School, a social justice center in Tennessee.
This project was supported by a Braden Grant from Stanford Storytelling Project. For more information about the Braden Grant for the Study of Oral Narrative, go here: web.stanford.edu/group/storytelli….php/grants.html
Producer: Beatrix LockwoodFeaturing: Candie Carawan, Clayborne Carson, Pam McMichaelSounds: Martin Luther King, Workers in Selma, AL, March on WashingtonMusic: Pete Seeger, Guy Carawan, Charlie Haden & Hank Jones, The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble, Paul Robeson, Rev. Gary Davis, Azuza Oacific Gospel Choir, Zilphia Horton, Dave Van Ronk, Fats Waller, Elizabeth CottenImage via Wikimedia

A Peripheral Vision by Atheel Elmalik

Young Sudanese in the Diaspora often experience a sense of estrangement. They feel caught between the cultures of the countries they live in and Sudan. This story investigates how some of these people have used art to explore the tensions and possibilities within their fraught relationship to the place their parents call home.
Producer: Atheel ElmalikFeaturing: Safia Elhillo, Mo, Alsarah, Dar Al NaimMusic: Alsarah and The Nubatones - نوبة نوتوAlsarah and The Nubatones - Oud SoloAlsarah and The Nubatones - Its Late (Soukara)Alsarah 5000 - Christina- Jodahwww.alsarah.comBlood Orange - It is what it isThe Wyld - OdysseyImage courtesy of Amir Mohamed

The Tangled Knot by Charlotte Sagan

Birth is celebrated as one of the most profound and joyous moments in life. Yet in the nation of Uganda, delivering a child is an undertaking steeped in danger. The African country faces one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Why are so many Ugandan women dying in childbirth?
In this piece, Charlotte Sagan explores the issues surrounding maternal health in the Southeastern district of Iganga. Conversations with Ugandan mothers, fathers and health care practitioners reveal intimate narratives of health, perseverance and family. The delivery story of a young woman named Miriam, in particular, illustrates the perils and joys of childbirth.
This project was supported by a Braden Grant from Stanford Storytelling Project. For more information about the Braden Grant for the Study of Oral Narrative, go here:web.stanford.edu/group/storytelli….php/grants.html
Producer: Charlotte SaganFeaturing: Nabalumba Miriam, Joshua Moangze, Dr. Charles Waiswa, Kaina Rita, Nampina RuthSpecial thanks: Christy Hartman, John Lee, Victoria Hurst Muirhead, Jacquie Cutts, Nakasango Evelyn, Mukalu Mohamed, Margreth MpossiMusic: Kevin MacLeod, Jamal Wasswa, Mohr Productions, Jess, Eddy KenzoImage courtesy of Charlotte Sagan

The Congress Radio Calling: Underground Broadcasts During the Quit India Movement by Neel Thakkar

In Egypt, in Iran, and in Tunisia, we've heard a lot about the so-called Twitter and Facebook revolutions. But what about the radio revolution? Working from archives in New Delhi and London, Neel Thakkar resurrects the forgotten story of the Congress Radio -- the secret, underground radio station which, during the Quit India movement of 1942, helped keep the Indian nationalist movement alive during some of its darkest days.
This project was funded by a Braden Grant from Stanford Storytelling Project. More info on the Braden Grant here:web.stanford.edu/group/storytelli….php/grants.html
Producer: Neel ThakkarFeaturing: Usha Mehta, C.K. Narayanswami, K.A. Abbas, Anant Kanekar, and J.N. SahiniSpecial thanks: Kevin Greenbank at the Cambridge Centre for South Asia, and Kamlesh and Naina RamaniImage via wikimedia

Strawberry Blonde Forever by Laura Cussen

Some 76 million years ago an asteroid smashed into our planet, killing the dinosaurs and three-quarters of the Earth’s plants and animals. Once again our planet is facing a wave of extinctions, this one of man's making, and more than ever we need to know what it takes for a species to survive a cataclysm. Laura Cussen traces the improbable story of an ancient, venomous mammal of the Caribbean, and of the local people who have unearthed its secret to survival.
This project was made possible by a Braden Grant from the Stanford Storytelling Project. More info about the Braden Grant:web.stanford.edu/group/storytelli….php/grants.html
Producer: Laura CussenFeaturing: César Abril, Nicolás Corona, Pedro Martínez, and Alexis MychajliwSpecial thanks: The Last Survivors, Natacha Ruck, Will Rogers, Graham Roth, Weston Gaylord, Professor Elizabeth Hadly, to all the people who have made this project possible, and to the Hispaniolan solenodon.Music: Sunsearcher, Chris Zabriskie, Nicolás CoronaImage via flickr

I love you, PACS me! by Savannah Kopp

In 1999, France created the French equivalent of a civil union. The PACS--an acronym for "pacte civile de solidarité"-- was intended as an alternative to marriage for gay couples, but it was open to straight couples as well. And it was used by them--perhaps paradoxically, 94% of PACS couples are straight. With the legalization of gay marriage in May 2013, gay couples who want legal protection are no longer relegated to the PACS. What does the PACS mean to the people who get it, and how is it different from marriage? How can love and commitment be expressed, and how is this changing in modern French society?
Savannah Kopp interviews PACS couples in Paris about their love stories and their PACS stories. This piece explores how a culturally specific label for a relationship comes to have meaning and how, as the cliché goes, maybe the French can teach us about love.
This story was supported by a Braden Grant from the Stanford Storytelling Project. Click here to learn more about the Braden Grant:web.stanford.edu/group/storytelli….php/grants.html
Producer: Savannah KoppFeaturing: Laura Berrey, Guido Panel, Kelsy Wilson, Suzanne Newman, Sylvia Calle, Valerie Lincy, Anne Bayley, Dana Conley, Channa Galhenege, Coralie Ossant, Diane Bonifaix, Roberto ConradiMerci à: Estelle Halevi, Wilfried Rault, Natacha Ruck, the Stanford Storytelling Project, the PACS couples, and everyone who helped me realize this project.Music: Podington Bear, Broke for Free, Kevin MacLeod, Everybody Was In the French ResistanceImage courtesy of Savannah Kopp

Beyond the Rainbow by Brittany Newell

This is a tale of the other. Things are changing and the LGBTQ communities that were formerly exiled are now, slowly, being noticed and accepted by the mainstream--whether or not these communities give a hoot about "normal" acceptance. Just because we live in a more open-minded era for gays, gender-benders, and women alike (and there are many who would find this idea contentious) does not mean that the turbulent story of how drag got to the spotlight should be glossed over, nor the deeply transgressive nature of gender-bending forgotten.
Lest the contemporary “it-gets-better” ethos rewrite a subversive history forged outside the norm and by those who have always felt different, Brittany Newell have sought to record the oral history of 7 dazzling American queens and gender-artists working today. What is the trajectory from misfit to show-stopper, fringe to the spotlight, boy to beautiful woman or creature? Is drag the sparkling manifestation of an less-pretty past, the alchemy of the alienated? In documenting their experiences, inspirations, and struggles as The Other, she hopes to pay tribute to the art of transformation, as perfected to an almost mystical degree by these 7 artists, gender-rebels, and visionaries. This is a tale of the other, the queer, the blunt, and the brave. Their stories go against the grain and beyond the rainbow.
Producer: Brittany Newell
Featuring: Macy Rodman, Peaches Christ, Alexis Blair Penney, Heklina, Sissy Spastik, Mathu Andersen, & Cher Noble.
Special thanks: to all the beautiful people and amazing artists who made this possible! The Braden Grant for the Study of Oral Narrative, the Stanford Storytelling Project, Ziva Schatz, and Eric Eich
Image via Ziva Scatz (of drag queen Alaska Thunderf*ck)

"E Ola Pono: Nana I Ke Kumu" (Live Righteously: Look to the Source) by Nicole Marie Rodriguez

This piece explores traditional healing in Native Hawaiian culture, examining the relevance of ancient values and traditions in today's society. Nicole details her journey throughout the Hawaiian Islands, presenting stories from Native healers who share their experiences in seeking truth, wisdom, and health. These stories delve into fundamental issues such as identity, balance, and nature, while showing how cultural complexity can be rooted in simple universal truths.
Producer: Nicole Marie Rodriguez
Featuring: Dane Silva, Puahi Chun, Kawika, Helen
Special thanks: Stanford School of Earth Sciences, Prof. Peter Vitousek, Dr. Noa Lincoln, University of Hawaii, Waianae Coast Community Health Center
Image courtesy of Nicole Marie Rodriguez

Blind Leading the Blind by Austin Meyer

Understanding someone who experiences the world differently than you can be hard. In fact, it can be downright scary.
In this piece, Austin Meyer, a senior from Stanford University, visits the Earle Baum Center for People With Vision Loss to tell his story of what it's like to navigate the intimidating space between two opposite ways of experiencing the world... one with vision and one without.
Producer: Austin Meyer
Featuring: Denise Vancil, Scott Murray, and Sharon Brown
Special thanks: Dan Needham and The Earle Baum Center

Traveling: An Australian Anthem by Aliza Gazek and Kelly Vicars

What makes young Australians such eager globe-trotters? Aliza Gazek and Kelly Vicars swung on their packs and set off “down under” to find out. The travelers they met along the way shared stories of their adventures and offered surprising insight into Australia’s history as a nation, providing a trail of clues to why it’s so easy to find an Aussie backpacker in any hostel in the world.
Producers: Aliza Gazek and Kelly Vicars
Featuring: John Grant, Prashan Paramanathan, Ashley Carruthers, Theo Ell, Mel Ronca, Sandra Ronca, Aileen “Nan” Grant
Special Thanks: Andrew Todhunter and Jeanne Snider for their guidance, our generous Aussie hosts, and everyone else who shared their stories: Alex Dumbrell, Murray and Rosie Fisher, Robin Grant, and Paul Rowley.
Music: Rusted Root, Men at Work, Grizzly Bear, Norah Jones,Sydney Children's Choir, Slightly Stoopid, River Ran, Enya, Lucius