Story Library
The stories below are brought to you by people who live or grew up in the city and believe in the power of stories to bring Bostonians together. In their free time, these story ambassadors go out into their neighborhoods and across the city to record the life experiences of people they might not otherwise know. Story by story, we're building community across a divided city.
Sort STORIES BY MEDIUM
READ · WATCH · LISTEN · All
Story Collections
ESSENTIAL PEOPLE PROJECT · POP-UP STORY SHOPS · HOW WE GOT THROUGH· Amplify Black Voices
Los Robles, Mission Hill
"Los Robles, un grupo de latinos de tercera edad, cantando espontáneamente mientras esperan embarcar un crucero del Boston Harbor organizado por la ciudad. Para algunos, era la primera vez que salían del barrio de Mission Hill." (VIDEO)
Alexis “Naheem” Garcia, Dorchester
"You give me a mic and a thousand people, and you better believe I will captivate them. I will do it. I’m not sure of a lot of things in life, but that I’m sure of."
Mechelle Merritt, Dorchester
"The first day I took the ropes out was last year at the Ripley Road cookout. It was amazing. I had a 49-year-old lady jumping rope. She had a head full of grey hair. She jumped longer than everybody."
Mary Kavanaugh, Dorchester
"It was a very demanding, tough job, having to wake up at 4 in the morning.You could work up to 18 hour days, right before a holiday. But I would not have the work ethic that I have today if not for this place."
Tom Coots, Charlestown
"In the old days, we had a sofa in the lobby that we actually got rid of, because people would just come in with their coffee and sit on that sofa. And I’d say, ‘Can I help you?’ ‘Nope, we’re good.’"
Phyllis Williams, Roxbury
"I thank God because I have two sisters here- and let me tell you, if it wasn’t for them, we don’t know how we would have made out, because they make me laugh, they make me smile, they make me cry, you know."
Tony Lewis, Dorchester
"I’ve had many mentors, and continue to have many mentors along the way. Whatever I find I’m interested in, I usually go find an old timer who can show me, and I’ll start there."
Deb Murphy, Charlestown
"She’s not really going to miss him now. She’s really gone. And he’s alive and living. And he said, ‘I just cannot sit here and wait to die. I just can’t.’"
Sophia Middleton, Roxbury
"When I was at camp for final show, at the end, I danced, right? At the end, I lifted my leg all the way and then I did a split. Just at the end. For like, just a solo part. It felt good, because everybody was watching me, and they saw what I can do."
Rachel Rodrigues, Dorchester
"Even after I graduated, I kept coming back. I used to work at a bridal shoe store out in Natick, and when I got out of work, I used to come here and help out however I could. After a while, people realized I wasn’t going anywhere."
Beulah Gibbs, Dorchester
"Of course there are some days you feel upset, but I remind myself: get on your good foot. I love life, I think- that is what it is all about."
Hope on a hard day
"The older people who lived on the street, many of them owned their houses, so they would also try to give words of encouragement, give words of insight, give visions to where you could go in life, instead of just being limited to one way of life."
Mosae Kim, Roxbury
"Even though he’s living the American dream, he’s always humble. He’s always here, Monday through Saturday, at that register, just standing there, ringing people up. "
Want to amplify the voices of your neighbors?