Pain and Promise: Remembering the Fight for School Integration
Partners: WGBH & PBS American Experience
My Role: Production Manager | Story Editor | Field Producer
Year: 2023
Overview
StoryCorps Studios partnered with American Experience to preserve and share personal stories about school desegregation and educational equity. The project recorded 56 oral histories across the country, producing a curated collection of 10 documentary stories, animated shorts, and full-length interviews that capture a pivotal chapter in American history through firsthand experience.
My Contribution
I served as Production Manager, Story Editor, and Field Producer for the project. I managed production across the collection, field produced interviews in Nashville and one remotely recorded story, and served as the story editor for nine of the ten documentary films—working closely with producers to strengthen narrative structure, refine story arcs, and prepare each piece for publication. I also produced one documentary short from interview through final edit.
Selected Work
Explore the complete collection on the American Experience website. The selections below represent a few of my favorite stories from the project.
Dr. Gina Tillis tells her colleague, Sheri Neely, about her educational experiences growing up in California, and the all-Black school her family helped start in Texas.
My Role: Producer
Twin sisters Sheila Malone-Conway and Sharon Malone reflect on being part of the “Memphis 13,” the first group of students in Memphis to integrate previously all-white schools.
My Role: Field Producer, Story Editor
Diane Hayes Powers tells her daughterabout growing up in segregated Seattle and how her experiences during school desegregation inspired her to advocate for young people in her community.
My Role: Field Producer, Story Editor