Illinois residents asked to record what America means to them

CHICAGO (WLS) -- As Illinois prepares to celebrate America's 250th birthday this July, there's a new effort to make sure history is told not just through textbooks, but through the voices of everyday people.

The Illinois America 250 Commission, alongside Illinois Humanities and StoryCorps, is inviting people from all over the state to record personal conversations about what America means to them. The project is called Illinois Voices 250,

Gabrielle Lyon with Illinois Humanities and Jitesh Jaggi, a storyteller and oral historian, joined ABC7 to talk more about the project.