Haga clic aquí para ver este mensaje en español.

Oral history has a strong tradition as a progressive practice, focused on amplifying marginalized voices not typically given powerful platforms to speak in public. Oral historians have documented the stories of struggles for justice worldwide, and at times have participated in those struggles. At the same time, as a field, oral history has excluded Indigenous peoples and practices from the legitimacy we have so laboriously built. Leadership in our organizations and institutions has been predominantly White, even while Black, Indigenous, and People of Color have played key roles and invested their time and energy in building these institutions.

This series began in the 2020 uprisings for racial justice, and our Summer 2020 workshops focused on acknowledging and combating anti-Blackness and white supremacy in our field. Past instructors then worked with OHMA to continue developing the series - Francine Spang-Willis, Nairy AbdElShafy, Sara Sinclair, Allison Corbett, Fernanda Espinosa, and Crystal Mun-Hye Baik collaborated to curate this third round of workshops.

Grounded in the work of challenging white supremacy, we have continued to develop decolonial visions for oral history in which people who have historically been harmed - their knowledge, skills, practices, and voices - are at the center of our practice. This is not a diversity approach, in which our field remains White-led but invites some people of color in. It is an anti-oppression approach, in which we reorient our work to challenge all forms of structural oppression actively, expecting that that will change our work and our field in deep ways. It is a decolonial approach, in which we support both the literal decolonization of land and the centering of Indigenous peoples and practices.

As part of this work, we are excited to offer this round of workshops fully bilingually, in English and Spanish. We will also be providing ASL interpretation on demand, and offering live captioning on all sessions. We are hopeful that this will broaden access, allow for conversations that would not otherwise be possible, and deepen all of our learning.

We are committed to making these workshops as broadly accessible as possible, so we are offering an option of free registration for those who could not otherwise attend, with a sliding scale suggested donation of $20-$100 per workshop. We encourage you to pay what you can to support fair pay for our instructors as well as free registration for those who need it. 

These events are open to all. You can use this quick survey to let us know how we could make these events more accessible for you. Note that we are able to provide ASL interpretation for any event, but need two weeks' notice. Please contact Rebecca McGilveray at rlm2203@columbia.edu with specific access requests or questions.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

Saturday, February 5th, 1:00pm – 2:30pm (WORKSHOP 1)

Restoring or Harmful?: Navigating Storytelling Practices at Cultural Institutions

Nancy Bercaw, Patty Arteaga, and José Centeno-Meléndez

Saturday, February 12th, 1:00pm – 3:30pm (WORKSHOP 2)

“What hurts is that people consume my story and are not driven to action”: Navigating Storytelling Practices at Cultural Institutions

Nancy Bercaw, Patty Arteaga, and José Centeno-Meléndez

Wednesday, February 23, 2:00pm – 5:00pm

The Alchemy Between Oral History and Art (Part 1)

Antígona González and Melina Alzogaray

Wednesday March 2, 2:00pm – 5:00pm

The Alchemy Between Oral History and Art (Part 2)

Antígona González and Melina Alzogaray

Wednesday, March 9, 5:00pm - 8:00 pm

Oral History as Decolonial Pedagogy

Zaira Arvelo Alicea, Ricia Anne Chansky, Marci Denesiuk, and Bryan Ramos Romero

Friday, April 8, 2:00PM – 4:00pm

Media, Dialogue, & Liberatory Imagination

Damon A. Williams and Daniel Kisslinger 

*All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time

WORKSHOPS

Saturday, Feb 5th, 1:00pm – 2:30pm (WORKSHOP 1)
Restoring or Harmful?: Navigating Storytelling Practices at Cultural Institutions
Nancy Bercaw, Patty Arteaga, and José Centeno-Meléndez

The Undocumented Organizing Collecting Initiative at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History chronicles undocumented-led movements throughout the U.S. with directly impacted people. In an effort to document these histories with care and respect, we’ve had to rethink what it means to record oral histories with organizers who are both heard and unheard in popular accounts of undocumented organizing.

In the first of this two-part workshop series, the collecting initiative team will share how the principles of restorative history—a theoretical and methodological outgrowth of restorative justice—has reshaped their oral history practices to be more mindful of the ethics that accompanies this form of history documentation. Restorative history involves a 4-step process to address harms of exclusion from our national story in transformative ways: 1) address harms, 2) identify needs, 3) fulfill obligations, and 4) explore root causes through the study of history.

Nancy Bercaw is a Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History where she also serves as Deputy Director for the Center for Restorative History. Before joining NMAH, Nancy was the lead curator for the landmark Slavery and Freedom exhibition at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

Patty Arteaga serves as the Project Coordinator for the Center for Restorative History and Project Lead for the Undocumented Organizing Collecting Initiative at the National Museum of American History. Her work focuses on community centered practices in the museum’s collection, oral histories, documentation, and partnerships.

José Centeno-Meléndez is a historian from Prince George’s County, Maryland, who collaborates with diverse communities to advocate for the recognition of marginalized histories. He serves as the Oral Historian for the Undocumented Organizing Collecting Initiative.

Image Description:Two brown, mixed-race men sit on a couch with their bodies turned towards one another in preparation for an oral history recording. The man to the left is wearing a black t-shirt and green pants. He is holding an avocado pillow as he speaks to the man in the right, who is wearing dark glasses, a tan sweater, and blue pants. The man to the right is holding an audio recorder and is wearing a pair of over-the-ear headphones. Both are sitting in a living room and are surrounded by a coffee table with papers, a laptop, batteries, and bags of snacks.

Sat, Feb 12th, 1:00pm – 3:30pm (WORKSHOP 2)
“What hurts is that people consume my story and are not driven to action”: Navigating Storytelling Practices at Cultural Institutions
Nancy Bercaw, Patty Arteaga, and José Centeno-Meléndez

The Undocumented Organizing Collecting Initiative at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History chronicles undocumented-led movements throughout the U.S. with directly impacted people. In an effort to document these histories with care and respect, we’ve had to rethink what it means to record oral histories with organizers who are both heard and unheard in popular accounts of undocumented organizing.

The second session of this workshop series invites narrators, museum workers, archivists, students, and members of the community practicing oral history to explore the implications and obligations that come with sharing interviews with the public. Please note that the second workshop will be capped at 15 participants in order to allow space for dialogue and resource sharing. Participants will be selected from a brief application process to ensure a diversity of voices and experiences in the space.

Nancy Bercaw is a Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History where she also serves as Deputy Director for the Center for Restorative History. Before joining NMAH, Nancy was the lead curator for the landmark Slavery and Freedom exhibition at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

Patty Arteaga serves as the Project Coordinator for the Center for Restorative History and Project Lead for the Undocumented Organizing Collecting Initiative at the National Museum of American History. Her work focuses on community centered practices in the museum’s collection, oral histories, documentation, and partnerships.

José Centeno-Meléndez is a historian from Prince George’s County, Maryland, who collaborates with diverse communities to advocate for the recognition of marginalized histories. He serves as the Oral Historian for the Undocumented Organizing Collecting Initiative.

Image Description:Two brown, mixed-race men sit on a couch with their bodies turned towards one another in preparation for an oral history recording. The man to the left is wearing a black t-shirt and green pants. He is holding an avocado pillow as he speaks to the man in the right, who is wearing dark glasses, a tan sweater, and blue pants. The man to the right is holding an audio recorder and is wearing a pair of over-the-ear headphones. Both are sitting in a living room and are surrounded by a coffee table with papers, a laptop, batteries, and bags of snacks.

Wed, Feb 23, 2:00pm – 5:00pm (Part 1)

Wed, Mar 2, 2:00pm – 5:00pm (Part 2)
The Alchemy Between Oral History and Art 
Antígona González and Melina Alzogaray

On one hand, we will share experiences working with Latin American communities in situations of oppression: we will deeply examine the work of oral sources, archives, memory and artistic languages. On the other hand, we propose a laboratory space with exercises in which to reflect on the role of the interviewer; as well as on the works the participants have in the development process. We want to generate a space of learning and collective creation.

At the end of this workshop, participants will have the following experiences:

• References and tools for the interdisciplinary work between the oral history and art.

• Artistic and poetic exercises that will allow them to develop their ability to be fully present in the interview practice.

• Coordinates, maps and work scores to integrate the alchemy in their personal projects between oral history and art.

Antígona González holds a BA in journalism and studies in Performing Arts (UANL). Besides working as a creator and performer in mostly documentary theatrical pieces, she has also been engaged in production for performing arts pieces and festivals, as well as in areas like lighting design, technical direction for theater; feature and documentary films, oral history community-based projects, and community organizing. Co-founder of Aguaardiente Colectivo that develops community art projects based on the oral history interview process. Member of Teatro Línea de Sombra since 2007. She has collaborated with El Rinoceronte Enamorado, la Rubia Co, La Percha Teatro (México), Cie Carabosse (France), The Commons Choir, FABnyc, Downtown Art, IATI Theater, Superhero Clubhouse (NYC), among others. Artist-in-residence at Downtown Art, 2016 (NYC). In 2020 with FABnyc, developed the exhibition/performance On being home while feeding the lungs, a memory project based on oral history interviews by phone with elderly residents of the LES (NYC) during the first 5 months of isolation due to the pandemic.

Melina Alzogaray has a Bachelor’s Degree in History from the National University of Cordoba. She defines herself as a creative investigator on oral history. She put forward “Memoria Migrante: Un proyecto de memoria, arte y encuentro cultural ambulante” [“Migrant Memory: A project of memory, art and itinerant cultural encounter”], which is currently part of the Aguardiente artistic collective. In Spain, Mexico, New York and Argentina, she was part of more than 30 collective memory projects to reconstruct the history of different Latin American communities based on theoretical and practical reflection on oral history, in its intersection with different artistic languages.

She has worked as a professor responsible for the training of artists and researchers in the social sciences in the delivery of courses and seminars on the use of memory and oral history as useful tools to develop artistic projects. Melina lives in Cordoba since 2014. She currently coordinates Vivero Cultural: Fábrica de Plantas en las Sierras Chicas de Córdoba, Argentina.

Image Description: 11 people standing backwards with their arms locked facing a wall made of wooden crates.

Wed, Mar 9, 5-8PM EST
Oral History as Decolonial Pedagogy
Zaira Arvelo Alicea, Ricia Anne Chansky, Marci Denesiuk, and Bryan Ramos Romero

Led by the coeditors of Mi María: Surviving the Storm, Voices from Puerto Rico, in collaboration with student and narrator contributors, discussants will frame the conversation through a foundation of decolonial practice that position students as research partners in and outside of the classroom. Speakers will share examples from the development process of Mi María, a collection of seventeen narratives about the aftermath of the 2017 hurricane, eight of which began as course projects. Additional attention will be given to the common core-aligned curriculum constructed in conjunction with the book, one that works to be inclusive of students in Puerto Rico as well as those in the continental US.

Zaira Arvelo Alicea is a Puerto Rico based and trained educator. She currently runs a small business dedicated to educational and language services from her native Puerto Rico. Her story is featured in the Mi María book, and she developed the curriculum that accompanies it.

Ricia Anne Chansky is professor of literature in the English Department at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and co-editor of Mi María: Surviving the Storm, Voices from Puerto Rico. Her research focuses on interdisciplinary and multimodal life narratives, and she is directing a new Oral History Lab on her campus.

Marci Denesiuk is a Canadian writer with a background in journalism and creative writing who currently teaches in the English Department at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and is the co-editor of Mi María: Surviving the Storm, Voices from Puerto Rico.

Bryan Ramos Romero is a senior student majoring in English with a teacher certification in the University of Puerto Rico at the Mayagüez Campus. He is currently involved with collaborating in the Mi María: Puerto Rico After the Hurricane oral history project, among other public inequality-based projects. His interview with his father is included in the Mi María book.

Image Description: Photo of Carlos Bonilla Rodríguez's house after Hurricane Maria took its roof and walls (ABOVE) and cover of the book Mi María: Surviving the Storm, Voices from Puerto Rico (BELOW).

Fri, Apr 8, 2:00 – 4:00pm
Media, Dialogue, & Liberatory Imagination
Damon A. Williams and Daniel Kisslinger 

AirGo cohosts faciliitate an interactive workshop exploring how communities, organizations, and individuals can create humanizing subject-to-subject dialogue to address personal and structural power dynamics and reimagine the archives they are building for the more liberatory and creative, as well as bring a power analysis to materials they are excavating from already-existing archives. Participants gain tangible tools for to-the-root dialogue, best practices for engaging with existing archival materials, and organizing strategy for reimagining the archival practices of their campus, organization, or community.

Damon A. Williams is a movement builder, organizer, hip-hop performing artist, educator and media maker from the south side of Chicago, and Cohost of AirGo. He is the co-director of the #LetUsBreathe Collective, an artistic activist organization creating community enrichment events throughout the streets of Chicago and in their movement building community center The #BreathingRoom Space, with the mission of utilizing cultural production and popular education to redistribute power and resources, eradicate systemic violence, and transform inequity. Damon is also a Community and Cultural Organizer at the Chicago Torture Justice Center, a community center for Chicago police torture survivors that seeks to address the traumas of police violence and institutionalized racism through access to healing and wellness services, trauma-informed resources, and community connection.

Daniel Kisslinger is a Chicago-based host and producer who creates dialogue-based media showcasing the stories, voices, and artworks of communities challenging power, reconfiguring public life, and reimagining our world. He is the Cohost and Co-Executive Producer of AirGo, a weekly podcast and cultural media hub in Chicago that reshapes the culture of the city and beyond for the more equitable and creative. He is also the Executive Producer of VS, a Poetry Foundation podcast hosted by poets Danez Smith and Franny Choi, and editor of CTU Speaks!, a podcast produced by the Chicago Teachers Union. He also works as a consultant helping organizations, individuals, and companies build humanizing, subject-to-subject podcasts from scratch.

Image Description: Two radio hosts sitting on stools with microphones in a recording studio, one of whom is raising his hand.