Can we change how AU listens, especially around diversity and inclusion? What voices at American University need to be heard? What stories expand or critique our collective identity, or deepen our sense of belonging?
We are exploring a “Diversity Storytelling System” to gather short audio stories from the AU community, and reflect our voices back in new ways.
This project, led editorially by the Graduate Leadership Council (GLC), provides a new way to listen to stories of diversity and inclusion across our campus. The system is designed collaboratively with AU faculty, students and a number of critical partners on campus (see our team and partners).
In a digital age, strong communities need new ways to listen, especially to marginalized voices in our shared space. Our technology approach is hybrid: we combine physical objects (like rebuilt payphones) with tiny computers, wired to the cloud. Resisting the app fad, our design facilitates circulation across platforms, from interactive SMS to the web, and most importantly with conversations in person.
