National Day of Listening

Day of Listening to include oral histories from Yoko Ono, Native Americans

By Brett ZongkerYoko Ono and her son, Sean Lennon, are joining a nationwide oral history project that urges people to take time the day after Thanksgiving for a National Day of Listening with their friends and loved ones.

The recorded conversation between mother and son about their lives will be broadcast Friday as part of the StoryCorps segment on NPR's "Morning Edition." Organizers said Ono and her son find similarities between their childhoods.

This is the third year of the National Day of Listening, which encourages people to record interviews with friends or family members about their lives. In addition to Olympic athletes, new participants this year include staff at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian as part of Native American Heritage Day on Friday.

KJ Jacks, 29, who has worked in special events since the museum opened in 2004, said it is a chance to talk about the diversity among Native Americans, including her own experience growing up near Denver. She said it's important for people to know that Native Americans are part of everyday life and that "we don't all walk around wearing buckskin dresses."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Modern Indians Are Less Native? and Modern Indians Anger Museum Goers.