Calling all local oral historians: HumanitiesDC and the DC History Center are joining forces to offer an oral history meetup in Washington, DC!
Join us at the DC History Center on Monday, February 26 at 6 pm to meet other oral historians and grow a community of practice together focused on: sharing ideas, talking through challenges and obstacles, and celebrating successes.
This meetup might be for you, if you:
- conducted an oral history interview in the past
- would like to conduct oral histories in the future
- participated as a narrator in an oral history and want to learn more about it
- received a DCOHC grant
- are looking to improve your practice
- want to talk about oral history ethics
- attended DCOHC training before
- are looking to connect with other practitioners
You do not have to be a practicing oral historian to participate. We hope you come prepared to share your thoughts and perspective with the group. The first part of the evening will include bites and beverages and small group conversation. Afterward, we’ll proceed to the Kiplinger Research Library for an orientation to the DC History Center resources.
QUESTIONS? Email Jasper Collier: jcollier@humanitiesdc.org. ASL interpretation will be provided.
GETTING TO THE DC HISTORY CENTER:
The DC History Center is located at 801 K Street NW. We recommend taking public transportation as parking is difficult to find near the building. Metro: Mt. Vernon Sq. Convention Center (yellow, green) Gallery Place Chinatown (red, yellow, green), Metro Center (orange, blue, silver)
WHAT IS ORAL HISTORY?
Oral history is an intentional effort to document the memories and life experiences of individuals, often referred to as narrators, by recording conversational interviews with them and seeking to preserve those recordings in an institutional or personal archive.
Oral history is closely related to storytelling, journalism, and certain kinds of social science research. It differs from these forms of interviewing in its focus on the life of the individual narrator, its acceptance of subjectivity in the memory of lived experiences, and its impulse to create archival resources that can fill the gaps in existing historical narratives.
HumanitiesDC and the DC Oral History Collaborative
The DC Oral History Collaborative was started in 2017 to encourage Washington, DC residents to record the stories of their communities, share them with the public, and preserve them for the future. Since then, hundreds of oral history fans and practitioners have taken the Collaborative’s training, started projects, and attended oral history related events. Learn more about HumanitiesDC online: https://humanitiesdc.org/.
