Introducing: KOSU and StoryCorps' One Small Step

StoryCorps Oklahoma

Meeting a stranger can be difficult for some people. Meeting a stranger with opposing beliefs can be even more difficult. But this year, Oklahomans have signed up to do it — to talk to someone they know ahead of time thinks differently than they do. The goal for One Small Step conversations is to get to know one another - learn about the stories and people that influenced them and their beliefs, in an effort to try to understand someone you might not have a chance to meet otherwise.

So far, KOSU has been able to host 20 One Small Step Conversations. KOSU facilitators Kateleigh Mills and Matthew Viriyapah have paired nearly 40 Oklahomans with differing viewpoints for a personal, 50-minute conversation.

"My observations from a facilitator's standpoint is that people want to work together," Mills said. "We've been told by several participants how happy they've been to participate in a project like this, that they've felt they did something meaningful towards healing the divisions within our society — even if it is just a small step."