Dear Freedom Movement Veterans --
Stories are how we pass our history on to those who come after us. They are also a healing way for us to renew the connections that still bind us together after all these decades.
On the afternoon of Sunday September 30, Bay Area Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement is hosting a Freedom Movement story-telling event on the UC Berkeley campus. This is for sharing a story of your personal experiences in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Date: Sunday September 30
Time: 12:30-6pm
Location: U.C. Berkeley campus
Optional group dinner on the campus: 6-7pm
RSVP for details (see below)
Our plan is to break into small groups, where each Freedom Movement veteran will tell a 5-10 minute story followed by a 10-20 minute period for others to respond to, comment on, and discuss that story. Instead of (or in conjunction with) a story, you can bring photos or letters or other memorabilia to share and discuss with the group.
The kind of story you tell is up to you. It can be a formal one with background, begining and end, or you can bring a photo or memorabilia and simply talk about what it and the Freedom Movement meant to you. Or whatever else feels right for you.
Your family members and significant others are welcome to attend and participate in the discussion about your (and other veterans') stories. NOTE HOWEVER, THAT THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC EVENT.
The stories and discussions will be recorded and transcribed and the transcriptions posted on the CRMVet website. See the "Our Stories and Discussions sections for examples. Movement veterans will be able to review and edit the transcript of their words before it is posted.
Following the story session we will hold a remembrance circle for veterans who have passed on. Those who wish to do so will speak the name of a sister or brother who is no longer with us and share a thought about them so that their memory lives on.
Afterwards we'll have an optional dinner of take-out Chinese food at the same location.
The story-telling event is free. Those staying for the optional dinner will be asked to share the cost (suggested donation of $15-$20).
To RSVP and receive the detailed location information, please reply to this email or send a message to webspinner@crmvet.org. Please indicate the name of the Movement veteran who will be telling a story and the number of guests (if any).