Dave Isay

Dave Isay started making public radio documentaries almost 40 years ago, and was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship for that work. In 2003, Dave founded the nonprofit StoryCorp, that has brought more than 700,000 Americans together—two at a time—to record intimate conversations about their lives and pass wisdom from one generation to the next. Each conversation is archived at the Library of Congress. StoryCorps is the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered and StoryCorps stories are heard and seen and viewed hundreds of millions of times each year on NPR and beyond. In 2015, Dave was recognized with the $1 Million TED prize. He is currently heading up StoryCorps’ work to help decrease toxic political polarization in the United States through their latest effort, One Small Step.

Turning the politically exhausted majority into the hopeful majority of Americans. StoryCorps' One Small Step (OSS) effort, and our 2024-25 national effort to scale the OSS intervention, can make a real difference. This PSA campaign and engagement strategy can help counterbalance the angry messages of hate that are fanning the flames of toxic political polarization, undermining our country's stability, and weakening our nation.

StoryCorps' One Small Step (OSS) hopes to convince the country that it’s our patriotic duty to see the humanity in those with whom we disagree politically. In recent years, we’ve gone from disagreeing with each other to hating each other. OSS aims to reduce animosity and dehumanization across political divides by forging new bonds of connection and trust, revealing we can overcome toxic polarization. We’re bringing strangers who disagree together, two at a time, to record a conversation about their lives—not politics—and rediscover their shared humanity. When combined with public awareness campaigns and StoryCorps content, OSS at scale can begin to shift social norms. Research shows that OSS works. Conversation participants become more empathetic toward their partner, often becoming friends. Those exposed to OSS content are more likely to respect and feel respected by those who disagree. These powerful conversations with strangers across the divide can make for a better, stronger, more hopeful America. We are not THE solution, but the research proves we are a meaningful first step towards the solution.