AFSCME’s I AM STORY podcast wins national awards
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The I AM STORY podcast, a five-part retelling of the historic 1968 Memphis sanitation strike that AFSCME released in April, has won national recognition.
I AM STORY is a winner of this year’s prestigious Signal Awards, receiving gold in three major categories: Documentary Branded Shows and Advertising; Public Service and Activism Limited Series & Specials; and History Limited Series & Specials.
It even received a coveted Listener’s Choice award.
The Signal Awards, announced earlier this month, are one of the podcast industry’s top honors, celebrating people and content that raise the bar for podcasting. Big name winners this year included Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Jon Stewart.
In the racially segregated South of the civil rights era, Memphis sanitation workers – members of AFSCME Local 1733 – had the courage to fight back against oppression and injustice. They stood together to declare simply and powerfully: I AM A MAN. They linked arms with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in their struggle for economic justice, fair treatment and safety on the job, and dignity and respect.
The series – anchored by AFSCME President Lee Saunders – provides a compelling, on-the-ground narrative of the strike. It uses archival audio featuring key people such as former AFSCME President Jerry Wurf and civil rights leaders such as Dr. King and the Rev. James Lawson; interviews with strike participants such as Cleo Smith and survivors of deceased strikers; and includes extensive interviews with former AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Bill Lucy, then a union staffer sent to manage events on the ground.
The entire I AM STORY podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts.
The episodes can also be found here.