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HerStory Invites Women to Tell Their Stories

Ivan Kruk
/
Fotolia

Winston Churchill once declared: History is written by the victors. And for much of our history, those victors have been men.

As a college student, Julia Nusbaum was struck by how writings and recollections from men accounted for most of the historical narratives that dominated her classes. She wanted to change that. So she created Her Story, a blog which invites women to tell their personal stories through their own unique perspectives.

"Women's stories, and especially everyday women's stories, sometimes get left out of the history books and they go unnoted," says Nusbaum. "So it's a way to tell stories of everyday women."

While working on her masters degree at Vanderbilt University, Nusbaum did an internship with a nonprofit called Thistle Farms, which works with survivors of human trafficking, prostitution, and addiction. 

"Lots of women had said they wanted to tell their story. They had gone through this program and now they wanted a chance to tell their stories about what had happened to them," says Nusbaum. 

She started a creative writing program, which she says was illuminating for both the women and herself. "I saw this need to say, 'This has happened to me, this is my life,' and to have it validated in words and on a page," Nusbaum explains.

The experience led to the creation of HerStory. Nusbaum says that since its inception she's received stories from women from all over, and hopes to include more Milwaukee writers as she settles into the city.

Joy is a WUWM host and producer for Lake Effect.