Personal Stories

The Stories team launched in 2017 to help health care advocates protect the Affordable Care Act. Since then, the team has grown into a multipolicy storytelling program that integrates opinion research, media testing, organizing, and advocacy to strategically build humanized public policy narratives. The Stories team:

  • Finds, interviews, and trains storytellers who can bring policy ideas to life and illicit emotion, and helps those storytellers share their experiences across mediums and through our own social media and press resources. The team maintains relationships with its storytellers year after year.
  • Connects government officials and other advocacy and policy organizations to storytellers.
  • Tests the impact of published stories and amplifies effective stories through its robust partner network.
  • Builds capacity for local and community organizations starting their own storytelling programs.
Our bank of stories is meant to be a resource for those who want to incorporate stories into their public policy efforts. To connect with storytellers featured on our site or with others in our story bank, please email our team at [email protected].


Minnesota

More from Minnesota


Kansas

Nationwide Abortion Bans Threaten the Will of Kansas Voters
Personal Story People standing at voting machines

Nationwide Abortion Bans Threaten the Will of Kansas Voters

A Kansas abortion activist fears that a nationwide abortion ban will reverse the will of Kansas voters who overwhelmingly support protecting abortion.

More from Kansas


Arizona

More from Arizona


Georgia

More from Georgia


Michigan

Older Michigander Saves $400 on Health Care Costs
Personal Story President Joe Biden and policymakers

Older Michigander Saves $400 on Health Care Costs

An older American on Medicare explains how the Inflation Reduction Act helped her access no-cost vaccines.

More from Michigan


Nevada

More from Nevada


North Carolina

Op-ed: How a federally-funded apprenticeship changed my life

Op-ed: How a federally-funded apprenticeship changed my life

Joshua Swindells, who dropped out of school as a teenager to care for his elderly parents, explains how a federally funded apprenticeship program allowed him to return to his education and gain valuable work experience in the information technology field. Joshua fears that proposals to cut federal workforce funding could harm young people such as him.

Cardinal & Pine

Joshua Swindells

More from North Carolina


Pennsylvania

I’m a Union Worker in Pennsylvania. I Know Biden’s Got Our Back.

I’m a Union Worker in Pennsylvania. I Know Biden’s Got Our Back.

Sherice Workman, a union carpenter who worked on the historic 12-day repair of I-95 in Philadelphia, shares how federal infrastructure investments are creating a boom in union career opportunities within the skilled trades.

The Keystone

Sherice Workman

More from Pennsylvania


Wisconsin

More from Wisconsin

Latest

Compact View

Representing Working-Class Voters Past Event

Representing Working-Class Voters

Please join the Center for American Progress Action Fund for a discussion with congressional representatives about how best to promote an agenda for today’s working class.

1333 H St NW, Washington, DC | Online via Zoom

These 20 Congressional Districts Would See Massive Health Insurance Premium Increases Under Congressional Republicans’ Health Care Plans Article
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) departs a news conference.

These 20 Congressional Districts Would See Massive Health Insurance Premium Increases Under Congressional Republicans’ Health Care Plans

Families in 20 key districts will see Affordable Care Act marketplace premiums rise by thousands of dollars each year if congressional Republicans succeed in slashing Medicaid funding and letting the enhanced premium tax credits expire.

Representative Bresnahan, Protect SNAP for the Future of Our Community Personal Story

Representative Bresnahan, Protect SNAP for the Future of Our Community

John Kelly, vice president of a food pantry network in Pennsylvania, explains how his organization works to address food insecurity in the community. He argues that proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would harm many families that are already struggling to get by.

The Bucks County Beacon

John Kelly

Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, Please Don’t Take Food Away From Our Kids Personal Story

Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, Please Don’t Take Food Away From Our Kids

School psychologist Michelle Ritter-Santana shares how important the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid are to the families she serves and calls on her members of Congress to protect these programs from cuts.

The Bucks County Beacon

Michelle Ritter-Santana

Working-Class Voters, the Economy, and the Democratic Party Past Event

Working-Class Voters, the Economy, and the Democratic Party

Please join the Center for American Progress Action Fund for an event featuring Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and an expert panel on how the economy and economic policy shape the preferences of working-class voters.

Online via Zoom

Why Won’t Pennsylvania US Representatives Ryan Mackenzie and Brian Fitzpatrick Protect Medicaid for Their Constituents? Personal Story

Why Won’t Pennsylvania US Representatives Ryan Mackenzie and Brian Fitzpatrick Protect Medicaid for Their Constituents?

Kristin Volchansky, a Pennsylvania woman with a genetic immunodeficiency, shares how Medicaid enabled her to afford treatments that would otherwise have cost her thousands of dollars. She calls upon her local representatives to protect the health of their constituents by fighting against Medicaid cuts.

The Bucks County Beacon

Kristin Volchansky

Industrial Policy Projects Boosted Harris and Hurt Trump in the 2024 Election, but Not by Much Report

Industrial Policy Projects Boosted Harris and Hurt Trump in the 2024 Election, but Not by Much

A county-by-county analysis finds that additional IIJA, CHIPS and Science Act, and IRA investments were associated with higher vote share for Kamala Harris compared with Joe Biden and a lower vote share in 2024 for Trump compared with 2020—but the differences are slight.

the Center for American Progress

Aurelia Glass, David Madland

These 15 Congressional Districts Would See Large Medicaid Funding Losses Under Republican House Budget Resolution Article
The U.S. Capitol Dome is seen with a tree in front of it on the left.

These 15 Congressional Districts Would See Large Medicaid Funding Losses Under Republican House Budget Resolution

The Republican House budget resolution’s potential $880 billion in Medicaid cuts would cost these congressional districts a total of $34 billion, potentially reducing coverage for nearly 730,000 people.

Making the Consequences of Republican Corruption Stick Article
cap-action-social-share

Making the Consequences of Republican Corruption Stick

Data from a battleground survey of voters in competitive House districts and 2026 Senate states provide insight into how progressive officials and organizations can respond to the incoming administration and congressional majorities in the months ahead.

7 Ways State Lawmakers Can Build Public Sector Union Power Report

7 Ways State Lawmakers Can Build Public Sector Union Power

State lawmakers can adopt new policies to empower workers across the public sector to come together in strong unions, negotiate for fair pay and working conditions, and train the next generation for public service.

the Center for American Progress

Aurelia Glass, Karla Walter

Tony Carrk on Holding Trump Accountable in 2025 Podcast

Tony Carrk on Holding Trump Accountable in 2025

Tony Carrk, executive director for Accountable.US, joins the show to discuss the incoming Trump administration, how progressives should pick their battles, and what holding power to account really looks like.

Donald Trump Cannot Deliver the Change U.S. Trade Policy Needs In the News

Donald Trump Cannot Deliver the Change U.S. Trade Policy Needs

In an op-ed published by The National Interest, Ryan Mulholland explains the need for thoughtful and knowledgeable leadership on trade issues—as opposed to that of the Trump administration.

The National Interest

Ryan Mulholland

Opinion: Project 2025 would be a death sentence for patients like me Personal Story

Opinion: Project 2025 would be a death sentence for patients like me

Kat Klawes of Wisconsin shares how the Affordable Care Act saved her life and explains how Project 2025 would threaten health care access for millions of Americans living with preexisting conditions.

UpNorthNews

Kat Klawes

Explaining Young Workers’ Support for Unions In the News

Explaining Young Workers’ Support for Unions

Young workers today feel like they're starting from behind. For them, unions may be the answer to getting ahead.

the Center for American Progress

Aurelia Glass

Trump’s Unconstitutional Plan To Weaponize the FCC Against Media Companies Past Event

Trump’s Unconstitutional Plan To Weaponize the FCC Against Media Companies

Join the Center for American Progress Action Fund to discuss Donald Trump’s authoritarian, unconstitutional plans to revoke broadcasters’ Federal Communications Commission licenses.

Online only

Load More

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Default Opt Ins

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form

Variable Opt Ins

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.