DU Students Bring Voices to Life Through
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DU Students Bring Voices to Life Through Oral History By Christine Gipko, A’03, GA’06 History has long Duquesne’s public history graduate students are using College Hall’s new grant-funded Digital History Lab to focused on prominent capture the stories and voices that history lessons often omit. figures, but sometimes Under the guidance of Dr. Jennifer Taylor, assistant professor of public history, master’s degree students are the people who are not collecting oral histories and creating documentary projects, well known have the often in collaboration with community partners, other campus departments and the University Archives. In the most to say. process, they are gaining experience and garnering national attention from experts in the oral history field. While verbally sharing stories is not new, oral history emerged as a field alongside social history in the 1960s and '70s. Oral history was a natural fit for social history’s focus on everyday people and together they had a democratizing effect on history at large. Taylor points to the Works Progress Administration’s Slave Narrative Collection, produced during the New Deal, as one of the most important oral history projects in the United States to date. “Historians have a wealth of information about the period of slavery, Reconstruction, the Great Migration and Jim Crow because of those interviews. Sure, interviews are conducted with famous people or vital leaders all the time, but more often than not, oral histories are being conducted in local communities and with rank-and-file members of historically 16 DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Fall '18 significant events,” says Taylor. “Those are the stories that might get lost in “...we are positioning ourselves as the administrative files or sit in an archive, yet they are preserved because of oral place in the mid-Atlantic. If you want to history.” This spring, Taylor’s students used learn oral history, come to Duquesne and the Digital History Lab’s sophisticated equipment to preserve voices on earn your master’s degree with us.” campus. While interviewing Duquesne alumni for The Third Alternative documentary project, which knits source of wisdom,” recalls Stoner, who Association, and his post sparked a archival photos with stories of former recognized that same guidance and positive discussion about the need for Dukes who helped to raise funds to save kindness in his own professors. “The accessibility in the field. the University from a financial crisis classics department became like a family “The oral history field may not be in 1970, the students discovered they to me during my undergrad years. entirely accessible,” says Stoner. “But shared more than just an alma mater. Dr. (Sarah) Miller and Dr. (Stephen) by raising awareness, scholars can Despite nearly 50 years separating Newmyer influenced me to pursue a eventually develop appropriate pieces of their times on the Bluff, students degree in public history. Without their technology to allow disabled historians heard their own experiences in the guidance and kindness, I would not to contribute.” interviewees’ stories. have entered the program.” For Taylor, the interest in Stoner’s The students also took their The experience and the students’ work TO LISTEN TO THE THIRD Third Alternative project to Washington, overall is a sign of exciting things to ALTERNATIVE ORAL HISTORY D.C., for the Oral History in the Mid- come—for the field, for the students PROJECT, VISIT Atlantic Region conference, where they and for Duquesne. www.duq.edu/third-alternative presented about the process of making a “Accessibility is such an important documentary and challenges they faced. issue, and software developers One of those challenges was have already reached out to Grant When student Grant Stoner accessibility. Stoner tried using assistive for feedback,” explains Taylor, interviewed Terry Hartnett, editor of technology to complete transcriptions who attributes her students’ new The Duquesne Duke in 1970, he quickly for The Third Alternative project opportunities to their dedication, hard connected to her nostalgic affection for because he does not have use of his work in the lab and support from the Reverend Henry McAnulty, C.S.Sp., hands to type. Unfortunately, no Duquesne. Duquesne’s ninth president and one of existing tools met Stoner’s needs, and “And we are positioning ourselves as the University’s most beloved leaders. this made it impossible for him to the place in the mid-Atlantic. If you want “She remembered Fr. McAnulty transcribe his interviews. to learn oral history, come to Duquesne working with students, providing Stoner also shared his experience and earn your master’s degree with us. emotional support and acting as a in a guest blog for the Oral History We’ll teach you how to do it.” DU'S ORAL HISTORY INITIATIVE TIMELINE JANUARY 2014 FALL 2018 Duquesne’s first formal oral JULY 2017 APRIL 2018 Gumberg Library unveils new exhibit history, the Spiritan Oral based on Veterans' Oral History Duquesne formally DeFries and public history students History Project, begins Project. Thanks to generous funding establishes the Oral help to create an intergenerational preserving the history of the from the Daughters of the American History Initiative. storytelling project at a Pittsburgh Spiritan priests on campus. middle school. Public history students Revolution, this exhibit shares the also volunteer with South Side Voices, history of Duquesne’s veterans. a collaborative effort to capture the history of one of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods. FALL 2018 JULY 2016 The collaboration between Duquesne’s University oral historian Megan University Archives and public history DeFries launches the Veterans' Oral FALL 2017 program is focus of panel presentation History Project to capture stories of The Digital History Lab, funded by the by DeFries, Taylor, and students Anna Duquesne’s veteran alumni. Wimmer Family Foundation and history Samuels and Grant Stoner at the department, opens in College Hall. Oral History Association’s national conference in Montreal. www.duq.edu 17 In addition to using the Digital Like books and TELLING THE STORY History Lab to complete coursework, OF DUQUESNE students are taking their oral history articles, oral histories training into the community. This Over the course of 140 years, spring, Taylor’s students gave their are a valuable primary Duquesne University has played a role time and skills to the South Side Voices in countless personal journeys. From project, a collaborative effort by several source for students. the Spiritans and those they serve, to local organizations to commemorate students and faculty, to communities East Carson Street’s 25th anniversary as in Pittsburgh and around the globe, a historic district. innumerable voices have a Duquesne “I think that’s what makes our story to tell. graduate students so remarkable,” ‘Digital History Lab.’ I think we see it as The University’s Oral History Initiative, says Taylor. “This wasn’t for a grade. something much bigger than just an oral based in the University Archives, is They were motivated by their love history lab,” says Taylor, who identifies helping to make sure those voices and of oral history and a chance to build interdisciplinary collaboration as one of stories aren’t lost. their experience and give back to the the lab’s best uses. community.” Taylor, along with Gumberg Library Led by Megan DeFries, Duquesne’s oral Graduate student Anna Samuels was and the University Archives’ staff, is among the group who volunteered historian, and Tom White, Gumberg eager to give all students a chance to Library’s archivist and curator of special to help collect stories about the use oral history in their studies and neighborhood’s historic buildings. The collections, the Oral History Initiative research. Soon the public will be able is focused on collecting, curating and experience taught her that sometimes to listen to the oral histories collected the people who are most reluctant to facilitating oral histories linked to the for various projects through Gumberg’s Duquesne community and beyond. speak are the most important to hear. website. Like books and articles, oral “Physical landmarks may be histories are a valuable primary source “Our goal is to conduct oral traceable through the narratives, but for students. history projects and provide each narrator’s experience is going to With the University’s Strategic training workshops to encourage be a little bit different,” says Samuels. Plan focusing on making Duquesne a interdisciplinary projects and “Sometimes narrators will apologize flagship for community engagement, community collaboration,” says DeFries. for their bad memories or minimize the Taylor thinks this is the ideal time importance of their stories. My favorite for public history to flourish on and The Oral History Initiative is closely is when someone tells me, ‘Oh, I don’t around campus. linked to the Spiritans, who were the have any stories,’ and then talks for 30 “What’s really exciting about our subject of DeFries’ first University oral minutes about a favorite memory. That’s public history program and the Digital history project in 2014. But as White why the practice of oral history is a History Lab right now is that they’re notes, the connection doesn’t end powerful tool. It gives people the chance organically meeting the greater mission there. The Spiritan tradition of reaching to share their stories and hands the and this new vision for the University. people who live on society’s margins is microphone to those whose voices often As the lab grows, we can do bigger at the very core of oral history. haven’t been amplified.” projects. We can move into new areas. The new Digital History Lab, which And we’re going to see even more “What oral history does is capture is supported by funding from the student community engagement and the stories of people who often aren’t Wimmer Family Foundation and the success,” says Taylor.