New Orleans is a city of stories. You know them because someone told them to you. You asked, “How did our country become so enamored of our Creole culture and cuisine?” Let me tell you the story of Lafcadio Hearn. “Why do we pray to Our Lady of Prompt Succor before hurricane season?” Let me tell you the story of the Ursuline nuns and their shrine on State Street. “Why are there five Catholic churches within a five-block radius?” Let me tell you the story of the German, Italian and Irish immigrants.
Storytelling has a way of nurturing our identity. Through its storytelling, WYES highlights our local culture and history and preserves it for future generations.
I have been dismayed to see that federal funding for WYES and PBS is at risk. That support comes to just $1.60 per American per year, a small price to pay for lifelong learning not available elsewhere.
How important is storytelling? According to author Pat Conroy, “The most powerful words in English are ‘Tell me a story.’" Essayist George Santayana warned us, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Stories inspire success and illuminate failure, serving as guideposts as we take the next step.
Storytelling is one of the great gifts endowed to humanity. It is the essence of the creative process that propels us forward into a future made better by our storytelling. Through storytelling, you get to know yourself and, more importantly, the person standing next to you at the bus stop. Your life is enriched. WYES and PBS enrich our lives.
Whether it’s Big Bird or Ken Burns, chef Paul Prudhomme or Peggy Scott Laborde, Mr. Rogers or Dr. Henry Louis Gates, they have all had a classroom in WYES. That classroom deserves support.
MATIAS J. GRAU JR.
New Orleans
