Print Industry Oral Histories – NSW

Benjamin Thorn has received an $1100 grant from the NSW government to help him continue cataloguing the stories of veterans of the print industry. As the curator of the Museum of Printing Mr Thorn has been collecting the oral history of veterans on the print industry for six years. The money will help his project to further understand the history of printing. For full story click here.

African-American AIDS Activists

Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S., people of color have contracted HIV at a disproportionately high rate. And in response, African-American men and women have worked hard to educate their neighbors about the disease and to alert officials to the severity of the epidemic in black communities.  "But if you look at what has been written about AIDS in America, you would think that the only AIDS activists were white, gay men," said Royles. "It's time to tell the rest of the story." For full story click here.

Death of James Sterling Young – Presidents’ Oral Historian

James Sterling Young, who founded the nation’s only oral history program focused on American presidents at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, has died. He was 85.  At the Miller Center, Mr. Young directed oral histories of the presidencies of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and on former Sen. Edward Kennedy. Kennedy based his memoir, “True Compass,” on dozens of interviews with Mr. Young. For full story click here.

March on Washington

The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a gathering of labor leaders, civil rights activists and a mass of people estimated at over 250,000, was one of the preeminent events in American history. In addition to contributing directly to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, the march is also remembered for Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, widely considered the greatest piece of oratory ever delivered. For full story click here.

Bankstown’s Aboriginal Elders

When she moved to the city from country New South Wales more than 40 years ago, Aboriginal Elder Lola Simmons lost contact with many Aboriginal people. It wasn't until years later when she was approached in the street and asked to join a local Elders group that she got to really know her local community. Lola Simmons is just one of a number of Aboriginal people who make up part of the Elders group run by the local arts centre. The members of the group have also been photographed by Aboriginal photographer Mervyn Bishop for a series of portraits that make up part of an oral history project put together by the group. For full story and audio interview click here.

Creative Commons

There has been some recent discussion about Creative Commons and it is an issue that needs to be revisited.  See Jack Dougherty and Candace Simpson's essay titled, "Who owns oral history? A Creative Commons solution," which is freely available online at: http://ontheline.trincoll.edu/oral-history/creative-commons/  Jack says – the essay describes how we have moved away from our 1990s consent form (where we required participants to sign over their copyright) to our newer Creative Commons form (where the participant retains the copyright, but agrees to allow us to freely share the interview on the public web, for non-commercial use).  Sample consent form language is included. They welcome feedback from oral historians by posting a comment at the bottom of the essay webpage.

Gay Life Stories Oral History Project – Australia

An oral history project will document the life stories of gay and lesbian Australians in a first comprehensive record of the changing attitudes to homosexuality. The joint three-year project by Macquarie University and the National Library of Australia will use historians from the University of Queensland and the University of Melbourne to record the life stories of 60 gay and lesbian people across Australia. For full story click here.

Kamilaroi oral histories launched

NAIDOC Week was commemorated in Narrabri on Tuesday with an Indigenous cultural celebration at the Narrabri Kids Education Centre.The children embraced the special cultural experience with great enthusiasm, and were captivated as four  dancers in full costume made an entrance.

People dropping in to the Narrabri Visitor Information Centre are taking the opportunity to learn more of the local Kamilaroi people’s cultural heritage, thanks to an innovative touch screen at the centre.

The touch screen presentation of Kamilaroi oral histories was launched.  For full story click here.