Attending a General Conference/Workshop (3 pts)

 

On Friday, January 25, 2025, I had the opportunity to attend "Telling Community Stories: oral history & the archive," which was a workshop hosted by the Emory Oral History Program. I made the trip over there because I have been interested in oral history as a method for both research and social justice purposes. I have been mulling the possibility of conducting oral histories with faculty, staff, and some students who work with and engage the Women's Research and Resource Center. I know that in the near future, there will be major changes among the folks in the Center, so I believe it is critical to capture the stories of those who have been part of the Women's Research and Resource Center's historical legacy. 

The workshop leaders walked us through the basics of oral history as a method, emphasizing meeting people where they are and allowing them to exercise agency and autonomy in retelling their narratives. They made sure to distinguish oral histories from other types of interviews, like ethnographic or journalistic interviews. Oral histories require significant preparation and careful question design. The other major distinction is that oral histories are often preserved in some fashion, usually in an archive, to be viewed by future audiences. 

After providing us with expositional information, we walked through the project design and how to begin a project. We also had the opportunity to engage with existing oral history projects conducted by the Emory Oral History Program to gain a hands-on understanding of what a finished result looks like. 

I am fascinated by oral histories because I think they are a method aligned with the ways Black/African people share our history across generations. Despite being someone who loves the written word, I understand the importance of orality to our culture. I desire to incorporate oral history into my repertoire because I believe that it will be invaluable to my future work as a Black feminist scholar who seeks to continue uplifting the voices of those who have historically been erased or neglected.

-Gabrielle Cassell