June 16, 2021
Young Black Journalists Interview Black Elders in a New Project From Oprah and Hearst Media
Elders carry the wisdom of their years through their words.
So Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Magazines have combined forces to create interviews of various elders from civil rights activists to celebrities to sit down and share wisdom with younger Black journalists, through the “Lift Every Voice Project,” the Associated Press reports.
The interviews will be showcased on Winfrey’s OprahDaily.com website, and in print magazines such as O Quarterly, Good Housekeeping, ELLE, Esquire, and even in Runner’s World, the article also mentioned.
“All are essential life stories that might have otherwise slipped into the white noise of history,” Winfrey said on her website.
She also mentioned that some 50 featured elders will be profiled, ranging in ages from the the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 100s. The interviews were penned by 15 young reporters. They mainly hail from historically Black colleges and universities. Winfrey also mentioned that the journalists were paired with 24 up-and-coming Black photographers.
Tony, Grammy and Emmy Winning @HADESTOWN Star @Andre_DeShields is Featured in @Oprah and @HearstMagazines‘ “Lift Every Voice” Project https://t.co/gjDVqgzfBH Photos by @FloNgala @OprahDaily @esquire @ABC @YahooNews #lifteveryvoice #projecttellme @TheTonyAwards
— André De Shields (@Andre_DeShields) June 15, 2021
“Together, they tell the stories of our oldest generation of Black Americans so that we may document, learn from, and celebrate our elders’ life experiences,” Winfrey said.
In the video, Oprah also recalled how she once listened to her close friend, Dr. Maya Angelou, share stories from a previous time in the world. The poet’s indelible talks stuck with her. The acclaimed poet died in 2018. Oprah Daily US also mentioned that Hearst’s ‘Lift Every Voice’ initiative reminded her of Angelou.
Alison Overholt provided additional insight about the project on her Facebook page. On her profile, she is listed as the General Manager of Oprah Daily.
“We launched a remarkable, inspiring storytelling package on Oprah Daily today. Lift Every Voice: Generational Conversations on Being Black in America features more than 50 members of the oldest generation of Black Americans, sharing their life experiences and personal stories with some of the newest generation of Black journalists, along with portrait photography done by up-and-coming Black photographers,” Overholt said. “A civil rights leader, a guidance counselor, a horticulturalist, a Tony Award-winning actor, a professional bull rider, even the youngest-ever president of Planned Parenthood, and many more … . In the works for months at Hearst, with interviews from this package published in every Hearst Magazine brand this month, across Hearst newspapers, and aired on Hearst television stations, we are honored to be the digital home for this full storytelling experience (along with a rich print experience in our forthcoming issue of O Quarterly!). Hope you’ll spend some time with it, immerse in these conversations, pass them along …”
Please visit this link to learn more about the availability of these featured stories.