90.7 WMFE PARTNERS WITH STORYCORPS FOR PULSE STORY PROJECT
Taking Your Pulse will include story collection March 6-11, town hall meeting on March 9
ORLANDO — StoryCorps, the national project to instruct and inspire people to record each others’ stories in sound, is coming to Orlando in March to preserve the stories of those affected by the Pulse Nightclub shooting. 90.7 WMFE will collect stories about how Pulse has impacted our community and host a town hall-style event. It’s all part of our Dare to Listen initiative.
"This project will help to ensure that future generations can discover people’s authentic testimony about their unique experiences during and after the Pulse tragedy," 90.7 WMFE President and General Manager LaFontaine Oliver said. "Partnering with StoryCorps and our local community organizations to provide this opportunity and service to the Orlando community truly embodies the spirit of active listening that undergirds 90.7 WMFE’s Dare to Listen initiative."
There are three parts to the Taking Your Pulse project:
♦ StoryCorps Collection. StoryCorps producers with partners from the Family Equality Council will be in Orlando March 9-11 to record stories of those directly involved with the Pulse Nightclub tragedy: survivors, friends and family of lost loved ones, community organizations who have been vital in the aftermath, LGBTQ+ and Latino allies. There are limited recording slots available. Anyone who was directly involved with the tragedy and would like to be considered for an interview should email jbabcock@wmfe.org.
♦ 90.7 WMFE Collection. StoryCorps will focus on those directly involved in the Pulse tragedy, but we know that everyone living in Orlando has a story to tell about how the event changed them. So, in conjunction with StoryCorps’ project, WMFE will be collecting stories from the broader Central Florida community via the StoryCorps mobile app from March 6-11. We will have recording locations at library branches across Orange County as well as WMFE’s studio for one-on-one interviews between family members, friends and colleagues. Appointments can be made at www.wmfe.org/story.
♦ A Community Conversation. WMFE’s Matthew Peddie will speak with survivors, first responders, city officials and LGBT/Latinx community leaders in a town hall-style meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 9, at Orlando Health’s Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC), the hospital that treated most of the Pulse survivors. Panelists include Orlando Police Chief John Mina, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Christopher Cuevas, Executive Director of QLatinx. It’s free, but RSVP is required. Visit www.wmfe.org/story. Here's the link to the Facebook event page.
Since 2003, StoryCorps has been developing collections that honor victims following significant events, including Sept. 11 and the Stonewall uprising.
"We're proud to partner with WMFE and the Family Equality Council to create a collection that honors the people affected by this event," said Dave Isay, founder and president of StoryCorps. "Telling personal stories and sharing remembrances is such a powerful way to leave a record of the lives of people who have passed. Moreover, listening to these stories can be also help the healing process for the Orlando community."
The Family Equality Council has partnered with StoryCorps and 90.7 WMFE on the project.
“We are grateful to StoryCorps and WMFE for this opportunity to gather and share survivors’ stories from the Pulse Nightclub shooting,” Family Equality Council CEO Stan J. Sloan said. “We know that the tragedy at Pulse hurt LGBTQ individuals and families across the country, and we believe that sharing these stories – however painful – is a crucial part of the healing process.”
Our project partners are: StoryCorps, Family Equality Council, Orange County Library System, Orange County Regional History Center, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Central Florida, The Zebra Coalition, Proyecto Somos Orlando (Hispanic Federation), Two Spirit Health Services, Equality Florida, QLatinx and Orlando Health.
This project is brought to you in part by Orlando Health.
ABOUT 90.7 WMFE: 90.7 WMFE is a non-profit, member-supported, community-based public broadcasting company that operates 90.7 WMFE-FM, metro Orlando’s primary provider of NPR programming; and 90.7-2 Classical. Part of the community since 1980, WMFE focuses on providing quality national and local news and programming. Visit wmfe.org to learn more.
ABOUT STORYCORPS: StoryCorps’ mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. Visit storycorps.org to learn more.
ABOUT FAMILY EQUALITY COUNCIL: Family Equality Council connects, supports, and represents the three million parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer in this country and their six million children. Visit familyequality.org to learn more.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Jenny Babcock at jbabcock@wmfe.org or 407-273-2300 ext. 112.
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