Elissa Yancey is an award-winning journalist, educator and non-profit leader who has spent more than three decades listening to, writing about, and sharing people’s stories, in part through two non-profits that she co-founded –– WordPlay Cincy and A Picture’s Worth. Her consultancy practice EY Ink blends her expertise as an educator and communicator with her passion for equity. She is the author of Grab Happy: The Serendipitous and Surprising Sides of Caregiving and Survival.
What past event do you often reflect upon, and how did that event change you?
I often reflect on the time I went to an honors’ reception at a university where I had been accepted with a four-year, full-tuition scholarship. I was a first-generation college student and had brought my parents with me because I was so proud that I had made it into this elite school and honors program. While sitting at the reception breakfast, a professor asked me what high school I attended. When I told him, “Norwood High School,” a predominantly working class school with lots of Appalachian migrants, he scoffed. “How many people in your class even go to college? Ten?” His dismissal of my classmates, and in my mind, of me, sticks with me to this day. I was both embarrassed and angry. I decided in that moment to turn down the scholarship and go to a different college. I didn’t want to be a student of anyone who judged people by their zip codes. The sting of bias was new to me, but I’ve never forgotten what it felt like to be judged by something I had no control over. That event helped shape my understanding of prejudice and discrimination –– and it made me want to disrupt systems that supported them.
How does your work add to the quality of your life?
In many ways, my work is my life. I mean that in the sense that I have grown up around stories, and they have always framed my life. So to be able to collect stories in and among different communities, especially communities of people who have often been defined by something they can’t control –– like their zip codes –– is a real gift and opportunity to continue to expand people’s understanding.
Tell us a story you would like to share with the world.
Aside from the story I already shared, I’d love to share a story about the impact of what we do at A Picture’s Worth. We recently mounted a story and photography exhibit across the Purple People Bridge that connects Cincinnati, Ohio, to Newport, Kentucky. It includes stories from 32 immigrants and refugees talking about peace, hope, and resilience in their lives –– themes they suggested and which we gratefully shared. At an opening celebration, one young immigrant from Bhutan not only came, but brought his mother, his wife, and his two daughters. The pride he had in seeing and hearing his story on display for the world was such an inspiration. It really showed the impact of the power of a single story to illuminate a life, a journey, and a whole community.
Author photo: Courtesy of author
Side bar image: Pixabay/Edar
