Conversation

Celebrating You, the Pioneers of One Small Step
A message from Sandra Clark, StoryCorps' CEO
Throughout my career in journalism, we have always "run to the fire" to cover news and events. In the pursuit of truth and justice, we have not always left space for hope and humanity. At StoryCorps, the stories we collect are the ones that are often the most difficult for journalists to find: those ordinary, but extraordinary, human stories that are rarely acknowledged or celebrated. The act of telling these stories allows people to feel seen and understood while we — as listeners — learn to see the humanity in each other, one story at a time. What I see today is a longing for people to reconnect as friends, neighbors, and community members. That's what we're doing with StoryCorps and One Small Step (OSS).

For 20 years, StoryCorps has recorded conversations between two people who know and love each other. That one-to-one experience draws on mutual respect and a desire to hear a loved one's story — to understand them more deeply.

OSS builds on this legacy, but brings strangers with different political beliefs together — not to debate politics, but to get to know each other as people. The OSS model of connecting two strangers to each other helps us go further to believe in each other, to think deeper about how we live, and what we want to leave behind.

I want to thank you for being one of the pioneers who are active in our OSS community. Your support is making a statement that you don't want to be a bystander to the growing divides in our nation. And together, we're helping each other see what's possible when we take time to talk — and listen — to each other.
Governors Conference Addresses How to “Disagree Better”
Governors Conference Addresses How to "Disagree Better"
On September 12, the Chair of the National Governors Association, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, convened a conference, themed "Disagree Better," to elevate solutions to toxic polarization. StoryCorps Chief of Staff Ron Gunzburger and Strategic Adviser to the CEO Christopher Norris represented One Small Step, joining other national organizations leading efforts to find common ground.

"We're not trying to make people change their minds," Gunzburger remarked at the conference. "We're trying to see the humanity in each other. And the one fascinating thing so far, which always comes as a surprise to people, is…that when you sit across from someone, it's hard to hate up close. You come away liking the person you sat with. They go away largely as new friends."

Join One Small Step's Growing Online Community
Share stories, gain understanding, participate in discussions, and receive information on upcoming events in the One Small Step Facebook group.

Take One Small Step today TAKEONESMALLSTEP.ORG/feeds/7gq…

If you have 3 minutes
Listen to a One Small Step conversation.
If you have 5 minutes
Be an ambassador! Share One Small Step with someone in your life — perhaps someone who holds different beliefs than you.
If you have 15 minutes
If you wish to apply to be matched with a stranger for a One Small Step conversation, fill out our One Small Step matching questionnaire.
One Small Step is an effort to remind the country of the humanity in all of us—even those we disagree with politically.
• StoryCorps<STORYCORPS.ORG/feeds/7gqal0c2p…> •
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