Host Rae Pearson speaks with Jay Johnson and Sheila Arnold from Everybody’s Got A Story, an organization celebrating the voices, experiences, and rich histories of the people who call the city of Hampton – or Hampton Roads – home.
In a world increasingly driven by digital noise and fleeting trends, the city of Hampton, Virginia, is embracing something timeless: the power of storytelling. On a recent episode of Our Issues Hampton Roads, host Rae Pearson sat down with Jay Johnson and Sheila Arnold, co-founders of Everybody’s Got a Story, to explore how their grassroots storytelling initiative is preserving history, building community, and inspiring connection across generations.
The idea for Everybody’s Got a Story was sparked in early 2023 when Jay Johnson, at the age of 88, decided it was time to bring storytelling to the forefront of Hampton’s cultural life. With encouragement from her mentor and co-founder Sheila Arnold, a professional storyteller of over 20 years, Johnson pushed forward with a bold vision: launch a storytelling festival that same year…