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The conversation of a lifetimeStoryCorps, a renowned nonprofit organization celebrating the stories of everyday Americans, partnered with Iowa Public Radio to record interviews in Des Moines during September 2017 as part of its cross-country MobileBooth tour.Having collected more than 65,000 interviews from Americans in all 50 states, StoryCorps has gathered one of the largest single collection of human voices ever recorded. Find some of the edited conversations collected from Iowans on this page. 00000173-38e2-d855-adf7-bcef38620001

Civil Rights Activist Recalls Moment that Inspired Life's Work

Courtesy of StoryCorps
Dawn Martinez Oropeza and Mary Campos

Mary Campos is a longtime Des Moines community activist. She was the first Latina to serve on the Iowa Civil Rights Commission and to be inducted in the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.

Mary came to the StoryCorps mobile booth in Des Moines to talk with her cousin, Dawn Martinez Oropeza, who spoke with Mary about her childhood and the incident that led to her longtime involvement in civic engagement and civil rights. 

Story Corps is a national initiative to record and collect stories of everyday people.

StoryCorps Listening Party 
Thursday, August 31 at 7:00 p.m. 
State Historical Museum of Iowa 

Iowa Public Radio will host an evening to celebrate StoryCorps' Iowa visit, where together we will listen to the voices of Iowa, previewing some of the incredible life experiences and family connections shared during the MobileBooth's stop in Des Moines. Hosted by IPR's Charity Nebbe, this event will give you the opportunity to hear from StoryCorps producers and listen to excerpts of stories told by your own friends and neighbors! 

This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited, so please RSVP. Join us for an intimate evening of listening and sharing.