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.

Two articles came across my Google Alerts today that highlight an important community benefit to oral history:  intergenerational dialogue. Through projects and programs that facilitate listening and storytelling between generations, we learn strategies for making change by an earlier generation that faced war, overcame injustice, and struggled to end racism in our country. The first article features four women who participated “quietly” in the civil rights movement and were recognized in their community for their participation: Recognizing Quiet Courage. The second article features a terrific collaboration between a history museum and the local chapter of the AARP, who put together a visitor program in which seniors shared their stories:  AARP Sponsors Free Day at National Civil Rights Museum.