Oral History for Social Change
Groundswell is a dynamic network of oral historians, activists, cultural workers, community organizers, and documentary artists.
Groundswell Communications Coordinator Fanny García explores the impact of the June 29th Families Belong Together Rally in New York City for which she recorded audio and interviewed participants.
Read MoreIn this Nov. 27th Practitioner Support Network session, Groundswell: Oral History for Social Change hosts Jon Earle and Janice Amaya of the New Sanctuary Coalition in a discussion with participants about oral history with immigrant communities facing deportation proceedings. The PSN also focuses on how use oral histories to create collaborative public facing projects that use theater, public policy research and more.
Read MoreGroundswell contributor and Labor Equity Member Elizabeth Gelvin penned this piece about the Louisiana Abortion Stories Project, an archive of the New Orleans Abortion Fund which collects and holds the stories of folks in New Orleans who have accessed abortion care in Louisiana.
Read MoreLast month, Groundswell's Practitioner Support Network Working Group teamed up with colleagues Patrick O'Shea and Shiu-Ming Cheer from the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) to offer a special PSN chat: Immigration Law for Oral Historians. Check out some key takeaways and listen to the full audio!
Read MoreOn Saturday, August 12th 2017, the Freedom Archives hosted the Bay Area premiere of their new documentary “Symbols of Resistance” at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco. Speaking to a capacity audience of 250 people, the film crew opened the event by discussing the Symbols of Resistance event, held in Colorado in 2014, which originally sparked the filmmaking process.
Read MoreAs the Core Working Group for Groundswell: Oral History for Social Change, the recent events in Charlottesville are at the forefront of our minds and hearts. We mourn the deaths in Charlottesville as well as the structural and state violence that perpetuate racism and white supremacy. Though we know that racism, white supremacy, and hate groups have always existed in the United States, we recognize that this is a particular moment in which white supremacists feel emboldened to act...
Read MoreThe Freedom Archives contains over 12,000 hours of audio and videotapes, as well as thousands of paper materials, which date from the late-1960s to the mid-90s and chronicle the progressive history of the Bay Area, the United States, and international movements for justice. The archives contain in-depth oral interviews; reports on social and cultural topics; voices of organizers, activists and political prisoners; and pamphlets, journals and other materials from radical political organizations and social movements. These materials represent a commitment to anti-imperialism, human rights, and highlighting marginalized voices and organizations normally unheard or distorted in establishment media.
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