A Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) Humanities Research for the Public Good grant, conducted fall 2021 through summer 2022, allowed Columbia College Chicago to test its oral history model developed and in practice for more than a decade.
A team of four: faculty members, Peter Fitzpatrick, Erin McCarthy, and Matthew Cunningham, and archivist, Heidi Marshall, worked with two undergraduate student interns, Adiam Woldu and Bri Ramirez, to explore the question: Does the Columbia College Chicago Oral History Model offer a systematic way to identify oral history themes, compare stories, and edit existing oral histories into new forms for public dissemination?
The Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement Oral History Collection was the focus of the CIC grant. Detailed information about this project is available at the Modeling History Project - The Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement webpage on the Columbia College Chicago site.
The Columbia College Chicago Oral History Model without the case study is also available. Questions or comments about this project can be directed to Archives & Special Collections, Columbia College Chicago.
-
The Columbia College Chicago Oral History Model in Action: A Case Study
Erin McCarthy PhD and Heidi Marshall MA, MS
-
"What We Owe" Podcast Part 1
Adiam Woldu and Bri Ramirez
Adiam Woldu and Bri Ramirez drew material from the oral history interviews in the Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement collection for this first podcast. Narrators include Cheryl Johnson-Odim, William Williamson, Funeka Sihlali, Prexy Nesbitt, and Carol Thompson, Chicago activists involved in the global protest of the apartheid government in South and Southern Africa. The students introduce apartheid and highlight five of the activists oral histories. Length: 16:17 minutes.
-
"What We Owe" Podcast Part 2
Adiam Woldu and Bri Ramirez
Adiam Woldu and Bri Ramirez drew further material from the oral history interviews for this second podcast where they explore the narrators' activist origins and discuss challenges the movement faced. The narrators include Cheryl Johnson-Odim, William Williamson, Funeka Sihlali, Prexy Nesbitt, and Carol Thompson. Length: 20:24 minutes.