Oral History Education

As families and communities seek to understand their history, oral historians and museum professionals seek to document and interpret history in meaningful ways. Our upcoming Bay Area workshop on August 14th brings these groups together for an all-day seminar that teaches interviewing skills, audio and video recording techniques, photograph preservation, and multi-media applications for oral history projects.

Click here for details on the workshop schedule and how to register.

There is a natural need to understand the past, and there can be healthy outcomes for families and community members who make the effort to document their history. Today, we can connect to an earlier generation who overcame the challenges of the Great Depression, who faced social just issues during the civil rights movement, or who created strategies for healing after war.  For example, in a recent story published yesterday by the Sun Sentinal, a Florida family has found inspiration in a legacy of leadership, through the stories of an earlier generation that overcame the many obstacles of bias at that time, and did so with integrity. The Mizell family story appears to provide strength to its family members today.  Don Mizell, the article’s author states, “As we look to the future, the challenge before us now is to forge a new path of collective achievement using our family’s rich traditional values.The Mizells were, and continue to be, true pioneers. Unfortunately, there are many who continue to settle here in South Florida who remain unaware of these overlooked but still laudable figures from our state’s rich history. We’re doing our part to change that.”

I look forward to the August 14th workshop, and helping others to connect to their family or community history.

Learning from an earlier generation is a “two-way street.” To learn and build a deeper understanding of the past, and gain insight into the experiences and the actions of generations before us, we need to listen to their stories. When we become active and genuine listeners to those who choose to share their life history with us, we embark on a journey of discovery with them. During an oral history interview, the interviewee is exploring his/her memory of the past with the aid of the interviewer. It can be a valuable exercise for the interviewee as self-discovery leads to historic perspective. The interviewer also goes through a process of self-discovery as he/she explores how problems were solved, attitudes were developed and culture was created during historic periods.

An inspired project through the Department of Aging in Illinois is utilizing oral history to connect to earlier generations and promote learning. According to a recent press release, one such project is presented by the Center for Creative Aging at Harold Washington College, in Chicago. The exhibit is on display through February 5 and features eight Chicagoans with vivid memories of the Great Depression who tell their stories on videotape in a project called “Hard Times, Yesterday and Today: Living Chicagoans’ Experience of the Great Depression and the Current Recession.” Jacquelyn A. Mattfeld, Ph.D., is the director for the Center for Creative Aging. She says it’s important to document our stories and to use them as a learning tool. “Through this oral history project we wanted to tell the stories of how people survived through this country’s worst economic crisis and we wanted to focus on lessons they can teach us today about survival, resilience and hard work,” Mattfield said.

Practitioners in the field of oral history can make a difference through collaborative projects like this one in Chicago — projects that facilitate a “two-way street” between generations. What is the best way to approach such projects? Check out the Oral History Association’s Wiki site to learn about best practices in the field.