This week’s episode focuses on some of the advocacy work happening hyper-locally in New Brunswick, NJ in response to the pandemic, through the lens of Mercado Esperanza partners Elijah’s Promise and New Brunswick Tomorrow, and the communities they serve. Rather than a reflection on oral histories already in our archivve, this episode is a prelude to oral history work that’s planned to commence this year.

Interviews include Anthony Capece, Associate Director for Elijah’s Promise, Charles Bergman, Director of the Esperanza Neighborhood Project for New Brunwick Tomorrow, Diana Diaz-Tapia, Coordinator for the Mercado Esperanza, and community leader Carolina Moratti.

John Keller and Dan Swern do a weekly deep dive into the coLAB Arts oral history archive and look at how those experiences inform understanding of the present moment. Stories span issues that include economic vulnerability, gender diversity, community development, and criminal justice reform.