The Mind, Body and Justice Oral History Project weaves creativity, digital storytelling, and content creation into a dynamic tool for health education and activism. The project features a curated collection of interviews with influential Black health leaders living and working east of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C., spanning 2000–2026.
Creator Sari Leigh leads Mind, Body and Justice workshops that train participants to use digital tools to transform oral histories into compelling, community-centered stories.
Contact Sari to schedule a workshop for your group and a free Mind, Body and Justice lesson plan.
Source: Mind, Body and Justice Oral History Project
Workshop 1: Register for the Creative Youth Podcast workshop for your group.
Objectives: To teach students how to use long form conversation to learn about history.
Example: University of District of Columbia (UDC) Student, Christian Covin
UDC Student, Christian Covin creates podcasts focusing on mental health and vulnerability.
Workshop 2: Visualizing and Animating Oral Histories
Objectives: Participants learn to create animated shorts using oral history. In this animated adaptation of an oral history with, Kymone Freeman, the 2025 candidate for DC Delegate Seat, discusses littering.
Duration: 2 minutes. Animation created by Tagi
Source: Mind, Body and Justice Oral History Project
Workshop 3: Using Public Domain Oral History Archives to Teach American History Timelines
Objectives: Participants learn to create digital timelines based on oral histories. The Library of Congress interview with Fountain Hughes, an enslaved African American, discusses life on Thomas Jefferson’s plantation. Fountain Hughes, on Life During the era of Slavery
Fountain Hughes, Enslaved Black American on working on U.S. President Thomas Jefferson’s Plantation, Monticello, Virginia.
Source: Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1950037_afs09990a
Black American History Timeline 1619-2026 Audio Timestamps
19:31 Suicide over slavery, 20:00 Tired, 21:47 Electric Car on North Avenue, 23:43 Black Joy singing to cope (Singing When we ever be free), 25:58 Medical side effects ruined his singing voice
Example: Source: Knight Lab Timelines
Timeline Example: Fountain Hughes
Workshop 4: Creating a mini-documentary using short storytelling
Objectives: Participants learn to create mini documentary films using oral histories.
Example: DC Superhero Mini Documentary
“DC Black Superhero” is a mini-documentary filmed, written, and created by Sari Leigh, and edited by Ihana Brown.
This short oral history spotlights the work of Lorenzo Terry, whose creative leadership uplifts and amplifies the expressive spirit of the Black Cosplay community across the DC Metro area.
The DC Superhero documentary was featured in the 2025 Docs in Progress Community Stories FilmFest.
Download the Free Lesson Plan!
Bring creative digital storytelling and health education to your classroom.
Schedule a half-day workshop for 2026!
Email: sari@anacostiayogi.com
The Mind, Body and Justice Oral History Project was funded by Humanities DC, DC Oral History Collaborative and housed in the District of Columbia Public Library DIG Archives.