Community Stories

In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Dr. Tom Rivera, Project Director of Community Stories Project, South Colton Oral History Project writes about rediscovering the lost history of the Chicano "neighborhood" he grew up in Colton, California.

The humanities teach us to be more conscious of our personal humanity… — Project Director, Andy Sacher  Launched on World AIDS Awareness Day 12/01/2015, THE LAVENDER EFFECT’S Oral History Project features the dramatic and poignant story of West Hollywood’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in its early days. Through in-depth …

Fresno County Public Library (FCPL), in partnership with Steve Thao, produced Reflections of a Drought, a 20 minute documentary that collects interviews from Fresno County residents and their experience with the current drought, which began in 2010. We spoke with Project Director, Jonathan Waltmire about the project. Tell us a little about …

The Women of El Toro is a collaboration between Cal State Fullerton (CSUF), the Center for Oral Public History at CSUF, and the Orange County Great Park. This project will raise awareness of women’s roles in the military and enrich visitor’s appreciation of the history and landscape of the park, site of …

During the era of Jim Crow, many African Americans relied on this “Bible of Black Travel” to navigate safe passage and find sustenance and respite while on the road. This oral history project will identify and interview individuals who are connected to historic sites of refuge in Los Angeles – …

Big Sur Oral History Project will capture and preserve an oral history of a unique community in one of the most remarkable landscapes in the world; the stretch of land comprising Big Sur. The Henry Miller Memorial Library (HMML) will collect, preserve and catalogue existing audio and film recordings (some …

“…humanities projects encourage us to see the world in all of its rich complexity…” – Ildi Carisle-Cummins Docks to Delta Project was launched at the end of September 2015 with a live story-based performance during the two-hour train ride to Sacramento, and discussion sessions on the return trip to Oakland. …

Chris Brown, Sr. Community Library Manager Contra Costa County Library As Americans struggle to find meaningful ways to honor the nation’s 2.6 million Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, a powerful new online exhibit, WAR INK, opens on Veterans Day to support those efforts. The honest and emotionally raw collection of …

Thirty years ago, 34 artists painted 26 murals in the Mission District’s Balmy Alley, a ‘grandmother alley’ of the many mural alleys in San Francisco, to express their opposition to U.S. intervention in Central America and to celebrate Mission Culture and Identity. They called themselves the PLACA Collective (PLACA signifies …