A community assessment with immigrant communities in Fresno County revealed topics of concern: acceptance, tolerance and understanding. The library had been a part of a story recording grant program, and through the experiences of those programs came up with the ideas for California the Journey. The main challenge was to create programming that would create an opportunity for the receiving communities to see their neighbors as people and not just group them and label them.

FCPL found ways to use story telling to create social change and acceptance. Each program depended on community members to supply the focus. The potluck had 22 dishes from around the world, supplied by the community. The art exhibited was provided entirely by the community. And the live Story Jam program included 14 brave community members telling their journey stories in front of a live audience.

Through survey results, participants reported their understanding of the immigrant experience increased. Each event reported participants gained a knowledge of different cultures. Participants also reported they felt the library was a safe place to have these types of events. Participants reported that the story sharing had the power to connect us and to inform us. One participant commented that the live story telling event "gave [them] perspective of [their] privilege."