Through a personal experience of mine I learned just how precious oral family histories are. Not many of our families have the luxury to poses physical objects as proof of their existence. Stories are powerful. They give a glimpse of what life what like in the past. They grant us access to people who lived long ago, but in the end we learn so much about ourselves. We understand how we got here and what the life we lead can mean to the legacy of our families. Many stories though are never told and often forgotten. Many don’t fit into the main narrative of history and are not included. Through this project we hope to preserve as many family histories as possible. We believe that all stories are important. They tell of different experiences and realities that culminate into the existence of a culture, community, or country. And that’s exactly what we’d like to do with your story. We want to give you a place to tell and reflect upon your family history. What it means to you and your family as a whole. 

~Natalie Saldarriaga, Raíces Digital Archive