Oral History Resources (NYC)

This is a list of oral history initiatives with themes on New York City. These projects encapsulate the rich narratives, memories, and experiences shared by a diverse array of individuals, all of which contribute to the dynamic cultural heritage of this iconic metropolis.

Title	URL	Description	Annotation
Bronx Community College: American Icons Oral History Collection		https://bccarchives.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2022/05/27/american-icons-oral-history-collection/ Student and community residents from Bronx Community College (BCC), the home of the “Hall of Fame of Great Americans,” will share their own experiences learning and working among monuments that fail to reflect America’s diversity. This project addresses the mythology behind the National Anthem and other outdated commemorative art. Questioning and deconstructing nationalistic artifacts from the past, we can create space to spotlight and honor stories of America’s present. We hope this will paint a more representative picture of the community we envision and celebrate in the Bronx.	A few oral interview recordings on Spotify.
Bronx Community College: Community Care during COVID		https://bccarchives.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2021/09/14/community-care-covid-bronx/ Bronx Community College Archives and Mutual Aid NYC (MANYC) have formed a partnership to collect oral history interviews from community mutual aid organizers across the Bronx. In collaboration with BCC students, the Archives created this oral history archive to document these Bronx stories. Ultimately, our hope is that these stories collected during the COVID-19 crisis will be made available to organizers, while also preserving documentation of mutual aid work for scholars and activists.
Brooklyn College: Listening Project		https://bclisteningproject.org/ The Listening Project is designed to create new links between the college and the communities of Brooklyn, to take better advantage of the incredible wisdom of everyday people, and to showcase the brilliance of our students, and the community in which we all live—Brooklyn, New York City, and beyond.	About a dozen oral history interviews along with individual autobiographies. A lot of resources for using oral history for teaching and learning.
Brooklyn Historical Society: Oral History Collections		https://oralhistory.brooklynhistory.org Brooklyn Historical Society’s oral history collections now include over 1,200 interviews. The following collections contain interviews whose audio, and in some cases transcripts, can be accessed online.	Over 1,200 of recorded interviews, transcripts, and other visual resources collected in Brooklyn.
Coney Island History Project		https://www.coneyislandhistory.org The Coney Island History Project, founded in 2004, is a not-for-profit organization that aims to increase awareness of Coney Island's legendary and colorful past and to encourage appreciation of the Coney Island neighborhood of today.
East NY Oral History Project		http://eastnewyorkoralhistory.org The East New York Oral History Project captures the personal experiences of people who lived in East New York from 1960 - 1970, during the time in which this Brooklyn community changed from primarily White to primarily Black and Latino.
Ellis Island Stories and Oral Histories		https://www.statueofliberty.org/discover/stories-and-oral-histories/ They arrived from around the world for countless reasons. Some fled persecution, some ran from famine, and many came simply for the possibility of a better life. Today, the varied stories of Ellis Island immigrants are kept alive through the Foundation’s Oral History project.
Five Boro Story Project		http://www.fiveborostoryproject.org/ The Five Boro Story Project produces free, live storytelling programs (from small workshops to large events) that bring New Yorkers together through sharing true stories and art inspired by our neighborhoods. We travel throughout the five boroughs, build partnerships with amazing people and community organizations, hold story-sharing workshops, curate performances by local artists and residents who have strong pieces about their neighborhood, and invite community members to share their own stories and art through open mics, story circles, and other participatory activities.	All oral history videos for the Five Born Story Project are saved in its YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@FiveBoroStoryProject/videos.
Fordham University: Bronx African American History Project		https://research.library.fordham.edu/baahp/ Fordham's Bronx African American History Project is regarded as one of the premier community based oral history projects in the United States. Founded in the spring of 2002 in collaboration with the Bronx County Historical Society, the BAAHP has conducted over 300 full length interviews with African American political leaders, educators, musicians, social workers, business people, clergy. athletes and leaders of community based organizations who have lived and worked in the Bronx since the late 1930s, along with a small number of their Latino and white neighbors and co-workers.
Historical Society of the New York Courts: Oral Histories of the NYS Bench & Bar		https://history.nycourts.gov/oral-histories/ HSoftheNYCourts Oral History Project, begun in 2005, consists of recorded interviews and transcriptions from judges and lawyers who tell their stories in intimate conversations with former clerks or colleagues. Participants reflect on childhood, events that shaped them, and their careers on the bench, in public service, and in the practice of law. Judges are invited to participate after they have retired from the bench.
Japanese American Association of New York: Oral History Project		https://jaany.org/education/oral-history-project/ The New York Japanese American Oral History Project is a partnership of community organizations and individuals led by The Japanese American Association of New York, Inc. Our mission is to identify and preserve the rich and diverse history of those of Japanese heritage, important to the historic diversity of New York City. Through the collection of digital oral histories, we raise awareness of the under-documented community of Japanese Americans who relocated to New York in the post-WWII era, affecting women, children, and families who worked to rebuild their lives. We include post-war Japanese immigrants who have played particularly pivotal roles in the areas of the arts, education, government service, commerce, and human rights.
LaGuardia Community College: COVID-19 Oral History Project		https://asianheritage.commons.gc.cuny.edu What is COVID-19 Asian American Oral History Project? The COVID-19 Oral History Project is a collection of images, essays, and video recordings documenting the experience of LaGuardia Community College students, especially those of the Asian descent, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this project is to collect, analyze, exhibit, and preserve over 50 videotaped interviews of Asian and Asian American New Yorkers. This project aims to document and recognize the diverse experiences of Asian and Asian Americans at LaGuardia Community College and its surrounding communities in Queens during COVID-19. Asian communities in Queens are situated in the epicenter of …
LaGuardia Community College: Institutional Archives Oral Histories		https://archives.laguardia.edu/islandora/object/lagcc%3Aoralhistory A collection of oral history interviews of LaGuardia Community College members over the years. A large part of this collection is centered around video interviews conducted by David Osborne, LaGuardia & Wagner Archives, for the college's 25th Anniversary. The interviews cover the experiences of students, staff, faculty and administrators looking back on how the college impacted their careers and how the college has changed since it's opening in 1972.
LaGuardia Community College: Making it here - Women in New York City Politics		https://www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu/EdPrograms/Women_in_Government.aspx In honor of the first-ever female majority in the New York City Council, the Gardiner-Shenker Student Scholars researched women in local government and utilized the Archives' City Council Collection. Of the Council's 51 district representatives, 31 of them are female, and they represent a wide variety of socio-economic backgrounds.	This project consists of a compilation of oral history audio and video recordings featuring eight female New York City Councilmembers. These interviews were conducted by LaGuardia students who were chosen as Gardiner-Shenker Student Scholars for this initiative. The project was financially supported by the New York City Council and the Robert D.L. Gardiner Foundation.
New York University: Digital Tamiment		http://digitaltamiment.hosting.nyu.edu/s/digtam/page/oralhistories The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University form a unique, internationally-known center for scholarly research on Labor and the Left. The primary focus of our collections is the complex relationship between trade unionism and progressive politics, and how this shifted over time. Tamiment has one of the finest research collections in the country documenting the history of radical politics: socialism, communism, anarchism, the cultural left, the New Left and the struggle for civil rights and liberties. This website is a digital repository for Tamiment’s growing collection of digitized materials, including oral histories, films, photos, posters, special projects, publications and Tamiment events.
NYC Trans Oral History Project		https://nyctransoralhistory.org The New York City Trans Oral History Project is a community archive devoted to the collection, preservation and sharing of trans histories.
NYPL: Community Oral History Project		https://www.nypl.org/help/community-outreach/oral-history The New York Public Library's Community Oral History Project is an initiative taking place at NYPL branches that aims to document, preserve, and celebrate the rich history of the city's unique neighborhoods by collecting the stories of people who have experienced it firsthand.
OHLA: Self-Care - The Social Worker's Story		https://ohla.info/self-care-the-social-workers-story/ Under the direction of Hope College student Hannah Kenny, the mentorship of Dr. Marsely Kehoe, and support from the Sociology and Social Work Department, the Mellon Scholars Program of Hope College and Oral History in the Liberal Arts (OHLA), this project sheds light on the importance of exploring the depths of compassion fatigue through an exhibition of personal testimonies from social workers to discover the diversity of self-care interventions for the mind, body, and spirit. In this tribute to self-care, may we be mindful of the proven power of forging compassion through story.
Queens Memory		https://queensmemory.org/ Collaboration with community members and local organizations is core to our mission as a participatory archiving program. These project reports are full of documentary photographs, honest details about what we learned, and credits for those who contributed to our projects’ successes. If you have participated in this work, thank you! We hope you will find your story here. If you are interested in collaborating with us, these project reports might give you some ideas about ways we can work together to preserve the stories of Queens.
Zip Code Memory Project		https://zcmp.org The Zip Code Memory Project seeks to find community-based ways to memorialize the devastating losses resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic while also acknowledging its radically differential effects on Upper New York City neighborhoods. Through a series of art-based workshops, public events, social media platforms, and a performance/exhibition at the Cathedral of St John the Divine, community members re-imagine Zip Codes not as zones of separation, but as interrelated spaces for connectivity and mutual care.

Oral History Resources (General)

This is a list of notable oral history projects that have national-level recognition.

Title	URL	Description	Annotation
Baylor University: The Institute for Oral History		https://www.baylor.edu/Oral_History/ The Institute for Oral History has recorded and preserved oral histories since 1970, earning along the way a strong reputation for multidisciplinary outreach to both academic scholars and community historians by providing professional leadership, educational tools, and research opportunities.	A lot of resources and guidelines for conducting oral history interviews (see https://library.web.baylor.edu/visit/institute-oral-history/resources).
British Library: Sounds		https://sounds.bl.uk/ British Library Sounds allows you to listen to a selection from the Library’s collections of unique sound and moving image recordings. They come from all over the world and cover the entire range of recorded sound: music, drama and literature, oral history, wildlife and environmental sounds.
C-SPAN Oral History		https://www.c-span.org/series/?oralHistories AMERICAN HISTORY TV - Eyewitness accounts of key events in our nation's history.	A series of oral history videos on a wide range of political and historical topics such as WW2, Korean War, Vietnam War and 9/11.
Columbia University: Oral History Archives at Columbia		https://library.columbia.edu/indiv/ccoh.html The Columbia Center for Oral History (CCOH) was founded by historian and journalist Allan Nevins in 1948 and is credited with launching the establishment of oral history archives internationally. At over 10,000 interviews, the Oral History Archives is one of the largest oral history collections in the United States. The Oral History Archives at Columbia is housed at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library in Butler Library and is open to all.
Columbia University: Oral History Master of Arts		http://oralhistory.columbia.edu Oral History Master of Arts (OHMA) is an interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree program at Columbia University in the field of oral history that focuses on interviewing methodologies and interpretative methods.
Densho: Japanese American Incarceration and Japanese Internment		https://www.densho.org/ Densho documents the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II before their memories are extinguished. We offer these irreplaceable firsthand accounts, coupled with historical images and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy and promote equal justice for all. Densho is a Japanese term meaning “to pass on to the next generation,” or to leave a legacy. The legacy we offer is an American story with ongoing relevance: during World War II, the United States government incarcerated innocent people solely because of their ancestry.	Oral history videos are complied into different themes/topics on their YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@DenshoProject/playlists). Almost all topics involve Japanese Americans' experience during/after the World War II such as identity, the incarceration camp, resettlement, defiance, displacement, and redress and reparations.
Duke University: Rutherfurd Living History		https://livinghistory.sanford.duke.edu/ On February 13th, 1969, approximately 60 Duke students occupied the first floor of the Allen Building to protest the university’s failure to meet the needs of black students. Their demands included the creation of a black studies program, a summer transitional program for black freshmen, and a black student union.
Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL): Oral History		https://www.isjl.org/oral-history.html The ISJL's Oral History project collected hundreds of audio and video interviews with Jewish Southerners from all over our region. These recordings—firsthand accounts of life stories and community...
Indiana University: Oral History Archive		https://cdrp.mediaschool.indiana.edu/oral-history/ Visit the post for more. The Oral History Archive began in 1968, founded by Oscar O. Winther as an initiative to collect the history of Indiana University for its Sesquicentennial. The enormous potential of oral history as a research and pedagogical tool was quickly apparent, and the project expanded as other research studies added to the archive. When John Bodnar became the project’s director in 1981, he changed the Oral History Project’s name to the Oral History Research Center to reflect its broadened scope and its mission to preserve, collect, and interpret 20th-century history through the medium of first-person testimony. The center’s mission encompassed archival, pedagogical, and research goals in the field of oral history, with particular emphasis on the history of Indiana and the Midwest. In 2002, the Center again expanded its mission when it became the Center for the Study of History and Memory to address the growing interdisciplinary field of memory studies, of which oral history is one important facet. The archive became part of the Center for Documentary Research and Practice when the two centers merged in 2015.
Jewish Women's Archive: Listen and Tell		https://jwa.org/teach/profdev/webinars/oralhistory2013 Learn about tools and techniques that will make oral history projects more engaging for both you and your students. Get oriented to various online resources that will help you collect and share stories in your classroom or community. Finally, explore how oral histories can be used as “Jewish texts” that teach students about Jewish history, identity, and community.
Kentucky Historical Society: Adventure Through the Past		https://history.ky.gov/ The Kentucky Historical Society is here to bring Kentucky History to learners and adventurers of all ages. Come explore with us.
Library of Congress: Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress (oral history)		https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/?fa=subject_topic:oral+histories The Library of Congress offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's vast digital collections in their teaching.	About a dozen lesson plans using oral history materials at the Library of Congress. Topics include "Billy the Kid", "The Civil Rights Movement", "The Grapes of Wrath", "The Great Depression", "Immigration", "LGBTQ Activism", "Veterans", and "Women in Science."
LSU: T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History		https://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/williams The LSU Libraries supports the academic mission of the university by fostering teaching, learning, and research. Through its commitment to excellence in collections, services, and spaces, the Libraries serves as an indispensable intellectual resource for the state of Louisiana, and indeed to communities worldwide.
Minnesota Historical Society: Gale Family Library Oral History		https://www.mnhs.org/collections/oralhistory/oralhistory.htm Learn about Gale Family Library's oral history collection, and explore helpful guides to undertaking civic or community oral history projects.
National Museum of African American History and Culture: Oral History Initiative		https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/initiatives/oral-history-initiative The mission of the Museum’s Oral History Initiative is to document, preserve, and interpret African American stories through the art and practice of oral history.
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum: Oral History Program		https://oralhistory.frhm.org/ As part of the Museum's mission to collect and preserve the agricultural heritage of New Mexico, the Museum implemented an Oral History Program in the mid-1990s. This systematic collection of living people's recollections of their experiences with farming, ranching, and rural life is a major component in researching and interpreting these subjects for our visitors. Curators incorporate audio tracks and quotes into most of our exhibits—wouldn't you rather hear about history from the people that were actually there?
OHLA: Re-establishing a Seed Commons through Oral History Methodology		https://ohla.info/re-establishing-a-seed-commons-through-oral-history-methodology-capturing-the-story-of-seed/ “Re-establishing a Seed Commons through Oral History Methodology: Capturing the Story of Seed ” is a research project that provides a venue for preserving knowledge of the nearly lost art of saving seed while grounding students in an epistemology of hope as they document change-makers who are charting a course forward into the great uncertainty of the Anthropocene. It highlights storytelling and mindful listening as a means of transferring knowledge from one generation to the next, and engages students in a high-impact pedagogy within a community of practice.
Oral History Association		https://oralhistory.org Since 1966, the Oral History Association has served as the principal membership organization for people committed to the value of oral history. OHA engages with policy makers, educators, and others to help foster best practices and encourage support for oral history and oral historians. With an international membership, OHA serves a broad and diverse audience including teachers, students, community historians, archivists, librarians, and filmmakers.
Science History Institute: Center for Oral History		https://www.sciencehistory.org/center-for-oral-history The Center for Oral History at the Science History Institute develops and curates a growing collection of comprehensive, professionally conducted oral history interviews. Our mission is to ensure that current and future scholars and interested individuals are able to understand science, medicine, and technology from the perspective of those who participated in them, as
Smithsonian Institution: Archives of American Art		https://www.aaa.si.edu/ The Archives of American Art is the world’s preeminent and most widely used research center dedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing access to primary sources that document the history of the visual arts in America. Our resources serve as reference for dissertations, exhibitions, catalogs, articles, and books	A step-by-step introduction to conducting oral history interviews at https://siarchives.si.edu/history/how-do-oral-history.
Southern Oral History Program		https://sohp.org/ Since 1973, the Southern Oral History Program has worked to preserve the voices of the South. We have collected more than 6,500 interviews with people from all walks of life. We think there's much to be learned from listening to each other. Housed at UNC’s Center for the Study of the American South, we are dedicated to conducting, archiving, and exhibiting oral histories. We believe in the power of individual narrative to challenge static notions about history and place, and wish to encourage students, faculty, and community partners to consider oral history as a valuable tool for creating a dynamic and inclusive portrait of the South.
Stanford University: Historical Society		https://historicalsociety.stanford.edu/discover-history/oral-history The Stanford Historical Society welcomes everyone with or without a Stanford affiliation to become members. The society provides its members and supporters access to authentic Stanford stories, offering opportunities for preserving and sharing the university’s legacy and celebrating its history. SHS programming, research, public outreach, digital assets, publications and archival support create a personal and intellectual connection between its members and the university. Currently, there are over 800 members and about 200 volunteers. Many members regularly attend the exclusive members-only events and monthly programs as well as volunteer in society projects.
StoryCorps		https://storycorps.org/ StoryCorps' mission is to preserve and share humanity's stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. We do this to remind one another of our shared humanity, to strengthen and build the connections between people, to teach the value of listening, and to weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that everyone's story matters. At the same time, we are creating an invaluable archive for future generations.	Over 10,000 recorded interviews (plus 100,000 contributed recorded interviews by users). There is a very useful search page at https://archive.storycorps.org/search/interviews/.
Suffolk University: Oral History Collections		https://www.suffolk.edu/explore/24834.php The Moakley Archive collects oral history interviews that capture observations and opinions regarding key events, people, and themes that complement the University’s research collections.
Texas Tech University: The Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive		https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/oralhistory/ The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive Oral History Project seeks to preserve the history of the Vietnam War Era through the spoken word of the participants.	A large number of oral history interviews (mostly only audio) with Vietnam War veterans.
The Claremont Graduate University: Oral History Program Archive		https://www.cgu.edu/pages/663.asp The Claremont Graduate University Oral History Program was inaugurated in January of 1962 to collect research material by conducting interviews with persons whose life experiences merited preservation. Allan Nevins, founder of the Columbia University Oral History Research Office, served as consultant to the program.
The University of Iowa: Iowa Labor History Oral Project		https://laborcenter.uiowa.edu/iowa-labor-history-oral-project The Labor Center conducts educational programming for workers and their organizations, both bringing workers from across the region to campus to attend our on-campus programs and taking the University to them with tailored off-campus programs. Since the Labor Center's founding in 1951, tens of thousands of Iowa workers and union members have participated in Labor Center classes on labor and employment law and leadership development skills. Today, as part of The University of Iowa College of Law, the Center annually reaches over 2,500 adult learners through a wide range of non-credit course offerings both on and off campus. The Labor Center also conducts applied research; develops adult educational curriculum; hosts regional and national leadership schools; provides information on labor and workplace issues to faculty, students, and the public; and mentors and helps place students interested in careers in labor-related fields.
The University of Texas at Austin: Voces Oral History Center		https://voces.lib.utexas.eduVoces Oral History Center is dedicated to recording, preserving and disseminating the stories of US Latinas and Latinos and weaving the many perspectives into our historical narrative at the national, state and local levels.	A large number of well-documented oral history materials on a diverse range of topics (such as WWII, Korean Conflict, Vietnam War, Politic & Civic Engagement etc).
The University of Utah: American West Center		https://www.awc.utah.edu/ In 1964 A. R. Mortensen and C. Gregory Crampton, two University of Utah history professors, founded the American West Center with the then unique mission of researching the history and culture of the American West. Over the past half century the Center has accomplished far more than Mortensen and Crampton could have imagined. Faculty and graduate student researchers affiliated with the Center have taken over 7,000 oral histories, including an unparalleled 2,000 Native American interviews. The Center’s staff has also created a remarkable archive of documents essential for the study of Western peoples and lands as well as a myriad of curriculum support materials - most notably seventeen community history textbooks and a statewide curriculum focused on Utah’s American Indian peoples. Now entering its sixth decade, the Center continues to be a vibrant part of the University of Utah. Because both undergraduate and graduate students carry out our projects, the Center offers invaluable hands-on education and experience. And because our work is necessarily interdisciplinary, the Center brings together students and faculty who might not otherwise cross paths.
UC Berkeley Library: Oral History Center		https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/visit/bancroft/oral-history-center Oral history dates to the beginnings of the University of California. Hubert Howe Bancroft conducted interviews in the 1860s in support of his 39-volume history of the West. In 1954, the Regional Oral History Office was established to conduct interviews with citizens of the West. In 2014, we became the Oral History Center of The Bancroft Library. Over the decades, we have conducted 4,000 interviews on almost every topic imaginable. The vast majority of these interviews have been made available online.
UC Santa Cruz: Regional History Project		https://library.ucsc.edu/reg-hist/index.html Oral History Projects: Santa Cruz History Institutional History of UC Santa Cruz Cultivating a Movement: Organic & Sustainable Farming Out in the Redwoods: GLBT History Agricultural History Lick Observatory
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Oral History		https://www.ushmm.org/research/research-in-collections/overview/oral-history The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Jeff and Toby Herr Oral History Archive is one of the largest and most diverse collections of Holocaust testimonies in the world. The Museum conducts its own interviews, and also actively collects testimonies produced by individuals and institutions such as libraries, archives, and local Holocaust research centers. Individuals whose experiences are represented in the collection include Jews, Roma, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, political prisoners, and others who were targeted by the Nazis and their collaborators. The collection also contains testimonies from liberators, collaborators, witnesses, and rescuers.
University of Maine: Maine Folklife Center		https://www.umaine.edu/folklife/ Are you interested in the vernacular arts and culture of Maine and the Maritime Provinces? Then this is the place for you! Through its over 50 year history, the Maine Folklife Center (MFC) has been the main state repository for folklore and oral history projects. Our collection covers many fascinating areas of people’s history, identity, …
Veterans History Project at Library of Congress		https://www.loc.gov/programs/veterans-history-project/ The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service.
Wisconsin Veterans Museum		https://www.wisvetsmuseum.com/ The Wisconsin Veterans Museum is dedicated to Wisconsin vete and honors their role in shaping Wisconsin military history and that of our nation.
Witness to War		https://www.witnesstowar.org/ The Witness to War Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the stories and unique experiences of combat veterans.
Yale University: Oral History of American Music Collections Guide		https://guides.library.yale.edu/oham/collectionsguide Yale University Library Research Guides: Oral History of American Music Collections Guide: Home
Yiddish Book Center: The Wexler Oral History Project		https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/oral-history/home The Yiddish Book Center’s Wexler Oral History Project is a growing collection of more than 1,000 in-depth video interviews about Yiddish language and culture.
Separated: Stories of Injustice and Solidarity		https://www.separatedoralhistories.org Separated is an oral history project with families impacted by the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy which forcibly separated fathers and mothers from their children at the U.S. Mexico border.

Oral History Resources (African American History Month)

In celebration of Black/African American History Month in February 2024, we have compiled comprehensive oral history resources that illuminate the significant contributions of African Americans to the cultural, political, and socio-economic fabric of the United States and beyond.

Title	URL	Description
A Well-Spent Life		Many people consider Texas bluesman Mance Lipscomb to be the greatest blues guitarist and songster of all time. This glowing portrait of the legendary musician (also life-long husband and sharecropper) is among Blank’s special masterworks. Instead of growing bitter, tough times made Lipscomb sweet. The film is available in Kanopy (https://www.kanopy.com/en/laguardia/video/154439)
Barracoon : the story of the last "black cargo"		In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, just outside Mobile, to interview eighty-six-year-old Cudjo Lewis. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves, Cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nation’s history. Hurston was there to record Cudjo’s firsthand account of the raid that led to his capture and bondage fifty years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed in the United States.
Black Oral Historians Network		The Black Oral Historian Network is a nonprofit organization that seeks to advocate for the interests of both institutions and individuals committed to the preservation of voices and stories from throughout the African diaspora. The Black Oral Historian Network seeks to create safe spaces for Black people engaged in all forms of memory work to share their needs and strengths with one another. We also strive to empower Black oral historians and other memory workers throughout our community to help further their chances of success in a field long dominated by others, whatever their idea of success may be.
Black Oral History Interviews at WSU		Black Oral History Interviews at WSU has interviews with black pioneers and their descendants throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Topics include early black settlers, job opportunities, living patterns, black churches, and black political involvement from the late 1800s through 1974. The direct link to the oral history recordings is https://content.libraries.wsu.edu/digital/collection/5985/search.
Black Women Oral History Project Interviews, 1976–1981		Noting that the stories of African-American women were inadequately documented in the Schlesinger Library and at other centers for research, Dr. Letitia Woods Brown, professor of history at George Washington University, recommended that the Schlesinger Library of Radcliffe College collect the oral memoirs of a selected group of older black women. These women, many already in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, had made substantial contributions to improving the lives of African-Americans and all people, through professional and voluntary activities, in their communities and nationally.
Bronx African American History Project		Fordham's Bronx African American History Project is regarded as one of the premier community based oral history projects in the United States. Founded in the spring of 2002 in collaboration with the Bronx County Historical Society, the BAAHP has conducted over 300 full length interviews with African American political leaders, educators, musicians, social workers, business people, clergy. athletes and leaders of community based organizations who have lived and worked in the Bronx since the late 1930s, along with a small number of their Latino and white neighbors and co-workers.
Columbia University Oral History Archives		Th ecollections includes Apollo Theater OHP, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters sound recordings, Black women OHP, Vietnam veterans OHP, Civil Rights in Alabama, Black Journalists Oral history collection, Jazz project, and more.
East New York Oral History Project		The East New York Oral History Project was designed to capture the personal experiences of people who lived in East New York from 1960 - 1970, during the time in which East New York rapidly changed from a primarily White to primarily Black and Latino community.
Every Tongue Got to Confess: Negro Folk-tales from the Gulf States		Every Tongue Got to Confess is an extensive volume of African American folklore that Zora Neale Hurston collected on her travels through the Gulf States in the late 1920s. The bittersweet and often hilarious tales which range from longer narratives about God, the Devil, White Folk, and Mistaken Identity to witty one-liners reveal attitudes about faith, love, family, slavery, race, and community. Together, this collection of nearly 500 folktales weaves a vibrant tapestry that celebrates the African American life in the rural South and represent a major part of Zora Neale Hurstons literary legacy.
Getting Word African American Oral History Projec		The Getting Word African American Oral History Project preserves the histories of Monticello’s enslaved families and their descendants. Through over 100 interviews with participants and countless hours of research, remarkable stories have emerged to form an archive of freedom.
Mississippi Freedom Summer and Civil Rights Movemen		Queens College Oral Histories of Mississippi Freedom Summer and Civil Rights Movement have stories of people from Queens College participating in the Civil Rights Movement. The direct link to the oral history recordings is: https://bit.ly/49qO29B.
Sworn to the Drum: A Tribute to Francisco Aguabella		Aguabella, a master of both the bata tradition of drumming, (in the sacred celebrations of the African-derived syncratic sects of Santeria, Abaqua and Yeza), and of the secular conguero tradition. Agubella was born and reared in Cuba, lived in New York and California. He was a figure of great historical influence in Latin jazz, pop and fusion in the U.S. Over his long career, Aguabella recorded with many jazz and Latin music masters, including Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Cal Tjader, Hugh Masekela, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, and Weather Report — as well as both Carlos and Jorge Santana. The film is available in Kanopy (https://www.kanopy.com/en/laguardia/product/136321)
The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins		The great Texas bluesman Lightnin’ Hopkins is captured brilliantly in this deeply moving film. Blank reveals Lightnin’s inspiration, and features a generous helping of classic blues. The film includes performances at an outdoor barbeque and a black rodeo, and a visit to his boyhood town of Centerville, Texas. This powerful portrait is among Blank’s special masterworks. The film is available in Kanopy (https://www.kanopy.com/en/laguardia/video/113025).
The Getty Research Institute's African American Art History Initiative (AAAHI)		The Getty Research Institute's African American Art History Initiative (AAAHI) was launched in 2018 to provide a more robust and accurate history of American art through archival and library acquisitions, oral histories, exhibitions, events, publications and scholar grants related to the study of African American art history. Learn more about the initiative and watch more oral histories on YouTube.
University of Louisville Oral History Center		University of Louisville Oral History Center has many interviews showing the Black experience in Kentucky at different times in history. The direct link to the oral history recordings is https://bit.ly/49eskpJ.

Oral History Resources (Women’s History Month)

In recognition of Women’s History Month in March 2024, we have put together a selection of oral history resources that emphasize the crucial contributions of women in the history of the United States.

Title	URL	Description
LaGuardia Community College: Making it here - Women in New York City Politics		In honor of the first-ever female majority in the New York City Council, the Gardiner-Shenker Student Scholars researched women in local government and utilized the Archives' City Council Collection. Of the Council's 51 district representatives, 31 of them are female, and they represent a wide variety of socio-economic backgrounds.
Asian Women United Oral History Collection: Asian Women United Oral History Collection: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids		Asian Women United (AWU) was a New York-based nonprofit organization formed in 1978. With a distinctly feminist point of view, the organization sought to support, educate and empower Asian-American women. AWU explored Asian-American women's history and culture and mobilized community women in the political arena. The Asian Women United Oral History Collection is comprised of thirteen interviews that document the individual stories and contributions of members. I-Ting Emily Chu conducted three of the oral histories for the Fall 2008 Oral History Seminar, taught by NYU professor Rachel Bernstein. Others were taken by Chu as part of her work at the the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives.
Black Women Oral History Project at Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University		The Black Women Oral History Project interviewed 72 African American women between 1976 and 1981. With support from the Schlesinger Library, the project recorded a cross section of women who had made significant contributions to American society during the first half of the 20th century. Many interviewees in the collection had professional careers in fields such as education, government, the arts, business, medicine, law, and social work. Other women who were interviewed combined care for their families with volunteer work at the local, regional, or national level.
OUP Blog: Back to the "stove front": an oral history project about Cuban housewives		We recently asked you to tell us to send us your reflections, stories, and the difficulties you’ve faced while doing oral history. This week, we bring you another post in this series, focusing on an oral history project from Carmen Doncel and Henry Eric Hernández. We encourage you to to chime into the discussion, comment below or on our Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and G+ pages.
Feminism, Women, Women's Studies		The struggle for women to achieve social equality was one of the great revolutions of the 20th century (a struggle that continues well into the 21st century) and Studs Terkel’s daily radio show featured many of the leading advocates of feminism and women’s rights. Whether creating programs celebrating historic pioneers such as Susan B. Anthony, Ida B. Wells or Jane Addams or talking about the evolving movement with champions such as Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, Anais Nin, Gloria Steinem, Maya Angelou, Germaine Greer, Doris Lessing, Kate Millett or Adrienne Rich, Terkel’s program was a space where feminism and related ideas flourished. The archive also features complex programs on topics such as lesbianism, women and labor, the concept of witches, feminism and race and many others.
Library of Congress -- Working Women and World War II		The female icon of World War II, "Rosie the Riveter" depicted women workers during World War II. This research guide serves as an introduction to primary and secondary resources on this subject both at the Library of Congress and on the Web.
The Real Rosie the Riveter Project		This archive of filmed oral histories was created by filmmakers Anne de Mare, Kirsten Kelly and Elizabeth Hemmerdinger under the guidance of the irreplaceable Dr. Michael Nash. The 48 women represented here provide a complex portrait of Rosie the Riveter, taking the viewer beyond the iconic "We Can Do It" poster girl and deep into the experiences real Rosies from diverse backgrounds, challenging the popular perception of women in American History. The filmmakers were inspired by the extraordinary women of The Real Rosie The Riveter Project to develop this material into an animated documentary project using new media technologies called The Girl With The Rivet Gun.
Voices of Feminism Oral History Project @ Smith College Libraries		The Voices of Feminism Oral History Project documents the persistence and diversity of organizing for women in the United States in the latter half of the 20th century. Narrators include labor, peace, and anti-racism activists; artists and writers; lesbian rights advocates; grassroots anti-violence and anti-poverty organizers; and women of color reproductive justice leaders. Interviews average 5-6 hours and cover childhood, personal life, and political work.
The New York Times: Jezebel, the Oral History: 'There Was This Riotous Sense of Fun'		The site defined an era of feminism for millions of readers. According to its editors and writers, it was also an exhilarating place to work.
Oral Histories of the Smithsonian @ Smithsonian Institution Archives		As part of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, meet a few women in science who have broken gender barriers at the Smithsonian and in their respective fields.