#personal-narratives

#personal-narratives

Storytelling is the foundation of art, representing truths and human experiences that intertwine through the ages, offering both inspiration and reflection on society's values.

"They leave their memories there," a former oil worker, who asks to go by the pseudonym Diego García, tells me. García, 36, is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which he developed while cleaning sites contaminated with drilling waste. He's worried that employers won't hire him again if they learn he spoke to a journalist. "Some people leave pants, too." He laughs.

I was petrified when I got that call. It wasn't just the thought of other people knowing what I had done; I also had to face myself, and that is a sick feeling - it is guilt, shame.

We're seeking short first-person anecdotes and stories that convey what it's like to walk in the shoes of Berkeleyans from various backgrounds.

Kathryn Foley shares, "We met in kindergarten at St. Joseph's in Menlo Park, California... we always managed to find our way back to each other."