“COVID-19 has affected all of us in many ways. It has been a historic time that some UMD professors are documenting and doing a project on. The project is called “Stories of Wisdom from Bodies in Separation: Archiving the Coronavirus Pandemic Through the Lens of Humanities.”” Read full story here and see the link to oral histories here.
Blog
Treating HIV
Here’s a short podcast interview who has been treating HIV for 40 years.
A COVID-19 Project
“There are many across the Ozarks eager to put 2020 in their rear view mirror and forget it even existed, but one local history focused website is looking to preserve what life was like in the time of pandemic. “COVID-19 Diaries: Life in the Ozarks During the 2020 Pandemic” will record short videos of Ozarks residents providing an oral history of the way the pandemic impacted them, their family, their work, and their social circle.” This is an example of a COVID project, read the full story here and see the website here.
Stories from Wonboyn Bushfires
“An oral history project documenting the events of the summer bushfires on the community of Wonboyn is now available on the Bega Valley Shire Library Service website. The seven accounts of Wonboyn locals and visitors chart the events and aftermath of the out-of-control Border Fire that hit the small coastal village in early January.” Read full story, including link to the website, here.
Make-up Artist to US Presidents Dies
“Lillian Brown, a media consultant who hosted a Georgetown radio show heard around the world and did makeup for U.S. presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to Bill Clinton, died Sept. 13 at the remarkable age of 106.
Brown, who was CBS News’ makeup artist for 40 years, even advised John F. Kennedy to wear makeup in the first-ever televised presidential debate in 1960 with Richard Nixon.” Read full story here and listen to an interview with Lillian Brown here.
Tattoos in the Military
Remote Interviewing Resources (USA)
“The Oral History Association is proud to announce the release of its new suite of remote interviewing resources. These resources are a product of the COVID-19 pandemic and the requirement to cease face-to-face interviewing for the health of both narrator and interviewer. By March 2020, many of us found ourselves sheltering in place, trying to learn how to do our jobs from home. For those working in oral history, remote interviewing became a pathway to continue essential oral history work. This guide is meant to be a resource to practitioners as they work through the numerous questions that arise with this method.” See this website.
Latinos and COVID-19
“Oral history has a way of transforming black-and-white, two-dimensional events from the past into full technicolor stories with a personal touch. Since 1999, the University of Texas at Austin’s Voces Oral History Project has been the leading Latinx oral history archive, chronicling the stories of those who’ve served in the military, fought for civil rights and helped build the foundation for civic and political engagement for future generations. A more recent phenomenon has sparked a new collection for Voces — the coronavirus pandemic plaguing the Latinx community.” Read the article with a link to the project here.
University COVID Project
“The project’s website invites participants to share stories and images about their lives during the ongoing pandemic, to be interviewed for an oral history project or to “upload digital items that represent and document the SBU experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.” This is an example of a COVID project, read full article here.
Code-breaker Dies
“Lady Ellen Elizabeth Reed, née Langstaff, worked from 1939 to 1945 in an intelligence division at Bletchley Park, the home of British codebreaking. Bletchley Park is where the Germans’ Enigma code was broken by a team led by mathematician Alan Turing, who was portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in the 2015 film, The Imitation Game.” Read full article with link to oral history here.