Help fund the UNtraining Oral History Project!

Hello, we are Cliff Mayotte and Mari Amend, and together, we’re harnessing the power of story to celebrate the UNtraining’s community-based, radical self-exploration as a critical approach to achieving social justice.

Check out the brief documentary above on the UNtraining and its impact—this is a taste of the kinds of personal narratives this project will highlight.

What is the UNtraining?

The UNtraining is a provocative and compassionate program that helps people discover how to work together to end our collusion with racism and all forms of oppression.

What is the UNtraining Oral History Project?

The project will consist of interviews with community members about their personal experiences in social justice work, transformative moments from the UNtraining, and the importance of community in sustaining this work. From these interviews, we will create a public archive of recordings and transcripts that provide living examples of how you can practice social justice in your daily life.

Here is an example of the kinds of stories we will collect:

Why this project? Why now?

Over the last decade, we have seen a new generation of black organizers bring international attention to racism and police murders of black and brown folks, thus re-igniting a multi-racial movement celebrating black life and moving us towards black liberation. As these conversations about racial justice took the national stage, there has been a major rise in white supremacy backlash—dangerously playing out in the political sphere and at the individual level with an increase in white-national violence.

We believe that stories have the power to change hearts and minds. As white people, we need more examples of what it means to live in a way that promotes racial justice and ends the cycle of white supremacy in ourselves and our culture. We hope that white people who engage with the UNtraining Oral History may be moved to examine how racism hurts them—not just people targeted by racism—and take action to end the cycles of oppression in themselves and their communities.

Who will get this project to the finish line?

Cliff (he/him) is an award-winning educator, artist, and nonprofit leader. He has collaborated with arts organizations, colleges and universities, nonprofits and schools and individuals throughout the US. He teaches narrative storytelling through oral history, theatre, journalism, memoir, and creative writing. For more info, visit: cliffmayotte.com

Mari (she/they) is a multi-disciplinary storyteller, using performance, oral history, writing, and visual arts to elevate social justice issues. For over a decade, she has raised awareness for diverse causes including homelessness, water access in rural California, reproductive justice, immigrant rights, and investigative journalism.

What will your support go towards?

With your help, we can bring the UNtraining Oral History to life. Thank you for your support!