Project Updates

Narrate recently completed a working cut of our new documentary project about Erin Gilmer, a noted activist who advocated for persons with disabilities and for equal access to compassionate care. Narrate conducted nearly five hours of Zoom interviews with members of Erin’s community, her close friends, coworkers and mentees. The interview topics varied, and the subjects we discussed included healthcare reform, leadership, activism, as well as favorite memories and reminiscences. From those five hours, Narrate edited a 45-minute memorial. This tribute celebrates Erin’s life and acts a personal document to memorialize her death.

What most amazed me in conducting these interviews and creating this documentary is that at least half of the participants never met Erin personally. Their compassionate health care community is based mostly on Twitter and other forms of social media. These community members knew each other (mostly) having barely seen each other. And their community is one of the strongest I’ve ever been part of. I think it’s testament to the importance of Erin’s work (check out her blog here: https://healthasahumanright.wordpress.com/about/ ) that people from across the United States and from around the world came together to shout out the beauty of their friend.

I am proud to be part of this project. More updates are coming. Final project will be out soon on Youtube. Oral histories help to amplify people’s voices. And I am so proud to have met these people, and to have been able to experience a tiny part of their community.