When did your organization launch and why?
Life Stories is a division of the Kunhardt Film Foundation, which was founded in 2017 by the Kunhardt family, award-winning producers of documentaries that have introduced a generation of viewers to artists, cultural, political, and civil rights leaders. These films have explored what guides the moral leadership of individuals behind social movements, revealed the inner workings of cultural institutions, and captured the changes that unfolded in our nation during times of struggle. From then to now, Life Stories showcases diverse perspectives and emphasizes the importance of connection in an era when the world needs it most.
What does your organization do? What are its main goals? Main initiatives?
Life Stories creates and distributes documentary films and educational resources about people whose lives inspire meaningful change. Our interviews, series, films, and educational content address issues of social justice, history, politics, the arts, and culture by shining the spotlight on relatable human stories of purpose and meaning in times of collective change. We provide open access to all of our content for communities and classrooms through our curated website, Instagram, and YouTube channel.
What makes your organization stand out? What would you say is the most unique thing about your organization?
Preserving and sharing these stories enables us to connect with each other on a deep personal level. John Lewis, John McCain, Gloria Steinem, Warren Buffett, Joan Baez, Bryan Stevenson, Dolores Huerta, David Brooks, George Takei, former U.S. presidents, and hundreds more share the different paths they’ve taken to lead meaningful lives. By capturing the stories of influential and inspiring change makers who have made significant contributions to society, we weave them into the public consciousness. By engaging with them, we find the passions and purpose in our own stories.
What are recent projects or new resources that your organization would like to share with other NAMLE members?
Life Stories Learning includes a rich array of educational content uniquely created to support the use of our storytelling across classrooms, communities, and professional settings. All of our resources are free for educational audiences.
Our most recent project, THE THREAD, is a documentary interview series on YouTube in which exceptional individuals share the different paths they have taken to lead meaningful lives. Each 30-minute episode of The Thread will take the viewer on a personal journey into the life of an extraordinary individual who explores their life’s passion and purpose.
Teaching THE THREAD is the companion educator guide and episode lessons created to explore the power of personal narratives to help students navigate the complexities of the modern world and discover new passions and purpose.
Students will:
*Connect intellectual inquiry with emotional engagement
*Expand one’s worldview by listening to diverse and divergent perspectives
*Strengthen civic literacy by learning about different ways to participate in democracy
*Deepen content knowledge across the arts, politics, journalism, and history
*Sharpen critical media literacy by analyzing point of view, bias, and perspective
*Explore what it means to live a purpose-driven life by engaging with another’s life story
What are the connections between the work of your organization and media literacy?
As a filmmaking and educational non-profit organization, all of our content is deeply interconnected with strengthening the muscle of media literacy and building audiences awareness in regard to point of view, analyzing and understanding diverse perspectives, discussing bias, and “reading” non-fiction storytelling with the rigor and skills exercised when discussing literature.
Why is media literacy important to your organization?
We enhance public dialogue by preserving and sharing stories of individuals who have lead lives guided by civic virtue and social responsibility. In order to amplify our work it is essential that our audiences have media and digital literacy skills in order to access, analyze, evaluate, and reflect on the stories and make meaning of them in their lives.
Anything else you want our readers to know about your organization, your mission, or your staff?
Our critically acclaimed documentaries on moral leadership and social responsibility. have received 8 Emmy Awards, 2 Peabody Awards, a DuPont Award, an IDA Award, and 2 NAACP Image Awards. Jelani Cobb, Dean of the Columbia School of Journalism, wrote of our work, “It is the kind of storytelling that we desperately need more of, and which is crucial to our hopes for this democracy.”
The family’s devotion to storytelling and preservation dates to the Civil War. Six generations have been central to collecting, archiving, and telling life stories of prominent Americans, with an emphasis on Abraham Lincoln. The Meserve-Kunhardt Collection, which includes 80,000 19th century photographs, now resides at the Smithsonian Institution and Yale University. It was this historical preservation that inspired the creation of The Interview Archive and the ongoing work of Life Stories.
The views and opinions expressed in the Organizational Spotlight blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NAMLE or its members. The purpose of the Organizational Spotlight blog is to highlight our Organizational Partners and give them a place to share their reflections, opinions, and ideas.