Search Interviews

Originally a celebration of Black History Month, February 2018, Middlebury College's Davis Family Library initiated a series of oral interviews, "In Your Own Words." In them, Literatures & Cultures Librarian Katrina Spencer engages members of the community who trace their...

Recently reconnected friends Huey-Min Chuang [no age given] and Mei-Yi Chen (51) share their childhood immigration and coming-of-age stories and what home means to them. They also talk about their current projects and what they hope for in their rekindled...

Karen Sanchez (61) and her daughter Mercedes Sanchez Meinel (38) talk about their different journeys in motherhood and raising bilingual children.

In this interview, conducted in November 2021 in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, Channon Wilson(16) interviews her mother(46) about her life and the lessons she learned in the city she grew up in. Ms. Taylor shares stories about her happiest...

I discuss the election of 2008 to my father, a Caucasian male at the age of 52. He shares with me his hopes that he held for Obama and whether or not he found Obama to be a promising candidate....

Eugene Milton Williams, also known as "Milton," discusses his life and experience as a member of the Oakland Fire Department. Milton was the first African-American firefighter to integrate Oakland fire houses between 1954 and 1955. This interview was conducted by...

Lusharon Wiley (70) and her fiancé Ernest Dawson (70) discuss Ernest's family, his time attending Pensacola High School during integration, being the first black football player on the team, his time at Tuskegee University and those who encouraged him along...

Phyllis Wimberly ( My Grandmom ) spent her 40 year career as a Washington DC public school teacher integrating her AP English classes. As an activist and teacher her goal was to send kids to college that wouldn’t have otherwise...

Monica Whatley (32) interviews her friend, Bandele [no name given] (73), about his incarceration in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Bandele reflects on what he learned during the 33 years during which he was detained, his relationship...

This is a required class assignment for The University of The Cumberlands. The interview takes place between Andria J. & Anthony J., a couple in Lexington, KY. The interview is an exchange about Anthony's career as the director of a...

Saffron Grace (16) interviews Amari Gaiter (20) about her experiences as a Black student, her commitment to social justice, and how they impact her life.

Aparna talks with Charlotte, a colleague at the same high school, for the first time. Topics include early memories, sense of belonging in a school, communication of beliefs, and generational differences.

This discussion follows my Dad’s sense of community throughout his life: growing up in a predominantly white neighboorhood, joining a social fraternity, marrying a woman outside his ethnicity, and so on. Among other topics, we try to define community, describe...

Summer Cody (23) interviews County Commissioner William “Bill” Proctor (62) about his childhood, his family, and his career as a pastor, an adjunct professor of political science at Florida A&M University, and County Commissioner of Leon County.

Paulette Isaac Napper [no age given] talks with her daughter Tomeka Napper (45) about leaving a record for her grandson so he knows about her life growing up in the south during the 1960s, family traditions, Jim Crow, and black...

Williams Craft [no age given] interviews his spouse Kathy Burnell (54) about her life, her relationship with her parents, childhood memories, and her education and career trajectory.

As a celebration of Black History Month, February 2018, Middlebury College's Davis Family Library has initiated a series of oral interviews, "In Your Own Words." In them, Literatures & Cultures Librarian Katrina Spencer engages members of the community who trace...

Spouses Sylvia Chan-Malik (46) and Badi Malik (51) talk about the garden they have created together in their backyard and how it has served them during the pandemic. The two reflect on their upbringings coming from different racial and ethnic...

Debra Gipson (53) talks with her pastor and friend, Kenneth Moss (65), about her experience as an African American woman in the military. She discusses her decade of time in the military and shares stories of times when she exerted...

One Small Step partners John Agnew (59) and Steven Bates (53) have a conversation about growing up in different ways, race and how they developed their political beliefs.

Friends and colleagues Paloma Saucedo (41) and Boris Ozuna Urueta (37) discuss where they grew up, their experiences as immigrants, and their work in social justice.

Desmond Fernandez shares his experiences with racial identity, microaggressions, activism, and pride for Westerville Public Library's Westerville Voices project.

Me interviewing my mother for the great Thanksgiving listen. In the Interview

Talking about her shift towards loving beautiful, natural African American hair, and wondering about the roots of identity.

As a celebration of Black History Month, February 2018, Middlebury College's Davis Family Library has initiated a series of oral interviews, "In Your Own Words." In them, Literatures & Cultures Librarian Katrina Spencer engages members of the community who trace...