Public History Commons^™

Collecting Hurricane Katrina Oral Histories: Amplifying Campus Voices, Chandler D. Smith

Library Faculty Publications

Background: A look at the process of the creation of an oral history project about Hurricane Katrina at LSU Health New Orleans Libraries.

Description: Hurricane Katrina was a major event for our campus and region. This year is a major anniversary of the event, and we wanted to memorialize the hard work, struggles and stories people had about Hurricane Katrina and its recovery. A search was done to see what oral histories had been done about Hurricane Katrina. Next, we checked with our Institutional Review Board (IRB) to see if approval was needed for the project. Our IRB determined that …

Charlotte Dickerson, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

Oral history recorded for the Bronx African American History Project on August 26, 2020 with Charlotte Dickerson, who grew up in the United Workers Cooperative Colony, or the Allerton Coops, during the 1950s and 1960s. Her mother, Dr. Angie Dickerson, was an African American human rights, peace, and African independence activist as well as a member of the Communist Party U.S.A., the Civil Rights Congress, the World Peace Council, the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women, and other organizations. In her oral history, Charlotte speaks about her childhood in the Coops with her mother, father Buddy, and brother …

Marion "Tiny" Frampton, Wildman, And Mike Sherman - Part 1, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

Part 1 of an oral history with former Black Spades members Marion “Tiny” Frampton, “Wildman,” and Mike Sherman. All three are now leaders of TBS New Direction, a community safety nonprofit founded by Frampton that works with former gang members to make a positive impact on the youth. The interview was conducted by Dr. Steven Payne, Director of the Bronx County Historical Society, and Dr. Mark Naison, Director of the Bronx African American History Project.

Tiny, Wildman, and Mike talk about the conditions in the Bronx in the late 1960s and early ‘70s that led them to join the Black …

Student Senate Meeting Minutes October 22, 2025, Student Senate-Winona State University

Student Senate Meeting Minutes

This document is the official Winona State University Student Senate Minutes for October 22, 2025.

Socialism’S Contribution To An Important Episode In Bronx And New York Music History, Mark Naison

Occasional Essays

At a time when NYC may be electing its first openly Socialist mayor, it is time to share this story about Socialism’s contribution to an important episode in New York Music History.

The Brilliant Muslim Students Transforming Educational Institutions In New York City And The Nation, Mark Naison

Occasional Essays

For the last twenty years, as the Bronx African American History Project has taken its research findings into educational institutions as well as community organizations, I have spoken at or done teacher training in at least thirty schools in the Bronx, and been invited to quite a few schools outside the borough, including Stuyvesant High School. In doing this, one of the things that leaped out at me was not only the growing number of Muslim students in New York City Public Schools, but the number of Muslim students winning academic awards at those schools, particularly becoming class valedictorians and …

Theresa Land Latta, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

Born and raised in the Williamsbridge section of the Bronx, Theresa felt a sense of community as a child and vividly remembers feeling the security of her block. Her southern household, family right across the street, and West Indian neighbors prompted a cultural exchange that encapsulated her youth through socialization, food, relationships, music, and expression. Attending a majority white elementary school, PS 76 was a time where she cherished her teachers, while starting to understand the discrimination and racial circumstances of our country. Olinville Junior High School was a time in which her character of excelling in school was tested …

Crystal Isom, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

Crystal Isom is a New York native and the eighth president of the Bronx chapter, also known as the family chapter, of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Jack and Jill works to improve the quality of life for African American mothers and their children through providing them easy access to new opportunities such as scholarships for college and other job opportunities . Isom was raised within a small family dynamic. Her mother was a seamstress who raised Isom on her own. Isom lived in an apartment in East Harlem with her mother, aunt, and grandmother. Her childhood was filled …

Terrill Hughes, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

Born to parents with roots in Jamaica and Mississippi, Terrill Hughes grew up in the Bronx, which is surrounded by cultural diversity and community pride. His early experiences were shaped by both the challenges of his environment and the strong guidance of family and fraternity brothers. Hughes described how joining Kappa Alpha Psi provided him with not only mentorship but also discipline and purpose, which changed the course of his life. He reflected on his role in helping to charter the Bronx Alumni Chapter and his hopes for expanding undergraduate chapters across local campuses.

In the interview, Hughes highlighted brothers …

Rachel Cheeks-Givan, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

As a Bronx native and long-time resident, Rachel Cheeks-Givan embodies the community service she preaches throughout her work in different organizations, namely Jack and Jill of America, Inc., which focuses on providing a community for families of color. Growing up in Underhill, she had a strong sense of unity amongst other families in her neighborhood and their children. Each house on the block became her house, and each family was a surrogate for her own. Her mother, who immigrated from Puerto Rico, made their home a community pillar, fostering an area full of welcoming energy. Her father and his parents, …

Carline Frazier Crews, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

Carline Frazier Crews’s interview with the Bronx Historical Society’s Director, Stephen Payne, is a captivating collection of stories from diverse racial and economic backgrounds. Born and raised in New York City, by plantation workers from South Carolina, her blend of southern history and city education made for an interesting upbringing that would empower her throughout her life.

A self-proclaimed “thinker,” Crews was labeled an exceptional student in junior high. Although her parents, who lacked a high school education and the ability to read and write, disagreed with her pursuit of education, she was forced by her father to drop out …

Student Senate Meeting Minutes October 15, 2025, Student Senate-Winona State University

Student Senate Meeting Minutes

This document is the official Winona State University Student Senate Minutes for October 15, 2025.

Combatting Road Accidents And Fatalities : The Colonial State, Voluntary Organisations, And Road Safety In Northern Rhodesia, 1940s-1964, Mbozi Santebe

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) experienced an increase in the use of motor vehicles from the late 1920s. Consequently, there was a rapid increase in the occurrence of road accidents from the 1940s onwards. The rise in cases of accidents attracted attention of the colonial state and other stakeholders that embarked on measures to improve road safety. Using a corpus of archival sources, this article examines the measures that the colonial state and voluntary organisations undertook to improve road safety in Northern Rhodesia from the 1940s to 1964. It contributes to scholarly works on the use of motor vehicles in Africa …

Dynamics Of Infanticides Among The Ngoni Of Tanzania, 1850s-1916, Andrew S. Kasambala, Oswald J. Masebo

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

Infanticide is one of the key factors in explaining changes in human populations since the antiquity. This paper examines dynamics of infanticide practices among the Ngoni of Tanzania from the late pre- colonial to the end of German colonial rule in 1916. Relying on primary and secondary sources, it argues that while infanticide remained a critical problem in Songea from the 19th century to the end of German colonialism in 1916, the context in which it was practiced and the interventions devised to alleviate it changed over time. While it was primarily practiced in Songea by pre-Ngoni communal based clans …

Criteria For Rejecting Ideas In African Philosophy : A Historical And Epistemological Analysis, Eric C. Mgalula

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

The rejection of African ideas remains a pivotal debate in African philosophy, centring on tensions between universalist epistemologies and culturally specific criteria. This study synthesizes fragmented discussions into a cohesive framework, interrogating when and why African ideas may be deemed inadequate. It critiques contemporary African scholarship that rigidly adheres to indigenous traditions under decolonial and nationalist imperatives, advocating instead for a balanced approach that harmonizes intellectual rigor with cultural authenticity. Through a historical analysis of key thinkers—from Tempels and Hountondji to Wiredu and Oyewumí—this article historicizes the evolution of evaluative criteria in African philosophy, challenging colonial legacies and romanticized traditionalism. …

Mediation Partiality And The East African Community’S ‘Quiet Diplomacy’ In The Kenyan Post-Election Crisis Of 2007/2008, Rasul A. Minja

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

This article examines the role of East African Community (EAC) in mediating the 2007/2008 Kenyan post-election crisis, analysing its engagement in regional conflict resolution. Despite its mandate to promote peace, the EAC's response was constrained by institutional weaknesses, political dynamics, and reliance on quiet diplomacy. The African Union-backed Panel of Eminent African Personalities, led by Kofi Annan, ultimately led the mediation, sidelining the EAC. Through the analysis of primary and secondary sources, the article indicates that EAC lacked a binding conflict management framework and faced decision-making delays that hindered swift intervention. The partiality of key figures, particularly President Yoweri Museveni …

Jonathan M Jackson, Visions For An African Valley: Histories Of Development In Kilombero, Tanzania Since 1877., Emanuel L. Mchome

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

Research on the history of colonial development and future-making in Tanzania has focused on the racial and class politics that influenced development visions and practices. Studies of postcolonial development history have demonstrated how state leaders and their ideologies shaped nation-building trajectories. Notwithstanding of the temporal dynamics, scholars have analysed how the flow of finance and technical assistance reveals intertwined global forces such as nationalism and the Cold War, and how foreign development assistance shaped development in Tanzania. Visions for an African Valley moves beyond this conventional analysis. Instead of employing ideological lenses in analysis, it specifically examines how colonial and …

Beyond Christianity : German Missionaries’ Heritage In Colonial Mbeya, Tanzania, 1880s-1918, Ashura Jackson Ngoya, Edward Simon Mgaya

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

This article examines the history of German missionaries in the colonial Mbeya, a southwest region of Tanzania, from the 1880s to 1918. It explores how missionaries influenced political, social, and economic changes that had a profound impact on the lives of the local population. The article investigates the secular roles of missionaries, which, although they supported evangelisation, they were not directly non- secular aspects. In doing so, the article considers missionaries' efforts in education, health, agriculture, trade, and tax collection, which sometimes led to them working as colonial intermediaries in certain areas of Mbeya. Based on primary and secondary sources, …

Engineering Inefficiencies And Technical Dependency : A Vital Lens In Understanding Power Outages In Postcolonial Tanzania, 1960s-1990s, Emanuel L. Mchome

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

This article examines how the construction of power infrastructure in the 1960s-1980s shaped the future functioning of the Tanzanian power grid from the 1990s. The article is based on oral sources and archival material collected from the Swedish National Archives in Stockholm, the Tanzania National Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO), the East Africana Section of the Wilbert Chagula Library at University of Dar es Salaam, the Rufiji Basin Development Authority (RUBADA) and the World Bank online sources. The article argues that engineering inefficiencies of some Western planners and builders of TANESCO’s power grid who failed to consider local ecological issues …

Student Senate Meeting Minutes October 8, 2025, Student Senate-Winona State University

Student Senate Meeting Minutes

This document is the official Winona State University Student Senate Minutes for October 8, 2025.

Tyler Dow, Mark Naison, Stephanie Robinson-Ramirez

Oral Histories

Tyler Dow is an actor, rapper, and activist from the Bronx, interviewed here in conversation with Doctor Mark Naison and Stephanie Robinson Ramirez. A 33 year old from Co-op City—the largest housing development in the United States—Tyler gives his perspective on the art and cultural scene of his neighborhood during the turn of the twenty-first century.

Beginning with the background of his familial ties to Co-op City, Dow explains that the first twenty five years of his life were spent in one of the neighborhood’s many high-rise apartments. He describes Co-op City as a proudly middle-class community, one that residents …

Student Senate Meeting Minutes October 1, 2025, Student Senate-Winona State University

Student Senate Meeting Minutes

This document is the official Winona State University Student Senate Minutes for October 1, 2025.

We Have Always Been Here: Trans Oral History Project Grant Application, Finn Vincent-Fix

Historic Preservation Final Projects

This project is a grant application for the HOPE Fund, a permanent community endowment established at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan for the purpose of providing grants to organizations serving local LGBTQ+ communities. The grant would have been used to finance the We Have Always Been Here: Trans Oral History Project (WHABH), which seeks to preserve the stories of transgender individuals living in SE Michigan utilizing the practice of oral history. Grant funding would allow project personnel to conduct, transcribe, publish, and preserve the stories of a marginalized population whose rights are actively being threatened in the highest courts …

Chapter 1: A Brief History Of Archival Appraisal. In Selecting And Appraising Archives And Manuscripts, Michelle Light

Library Staff Publications

This chapter traces the evolution of archival appraisal theory and practice in the United States, situating it within shifting technological, social, and intellectual contexts from the late nineteenth century to the present. In this roughly chronological account, the chapter underscores continuity and disruption in selecting and appraising archival records. It highlights the influence and ongoing critiques of Theodore Schellenberg’s evidential and informational values, as well as subsequent expansions by Maynard Britchford and others. It explores transformative moments such as F. Gerald Ham’s call for coordinated documentation, the development of the Black Box model, the rise of documentation strategy, and the …

0894: G. W. “Jerry” Sutphin River Transportation Collection, 1832-2024, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Gerald W. “Jerry” Sutphin was a nationally recognized river historian from Huntington. He graduated from Mullens High School and Marshall University and became an army officer. Sutphin worked for and retired from the United States Army Corps of Engineers before spending twenty years operating his own business, Visual Information Ltd. The author of Sternwheelers on the Great Kanawha River, he also wrote a number of articles and contributed to numerous publications with words and/or photographs. Sutphin provided historical presentations on the Delta Queen and other large sternwheel excursion boats and served as a consultant for several documentaries and exhibits. Sutphin …

Nosagie Ekhator, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

Growing up in New York City and Pennsylvania, in the city and suburbia, Nosagie Ekhator navigated and rotated between two worlds that shaped his frame of reference. Having built community through this experience, whether it be through the shared memories of moving or Nigerian social clubs and conventions, he was able to create an identity of commonality. Although he felt the differences when shifting through both worlds, he was able to find people that understood his experience, as well as understanding his own individuality through food, music, religion, and being one of the only Africans in his public and private …

Maxine Agee And Kim Mcclain, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

Kim McClain and Maxine Agee, the second and third presidents of the Bronx chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc, both have their own experiences with Jack and Jill of America Inc. that is indicative of a vibrant sense of community created by the women alongside those around them. Kim McClain spent a lot of time on her own or with her siblings growing up as she had busy, hardworking parents – her father was the first black firefighter in Queens, New York, with a bold personality and an eclectic music taste ranging from Johnny Cash to Nat King …

Abdul Qadir Askia, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

Sixth poll mark of the Kappa Alpha Psi (KAP) Fraternity, Abdul Qadir Askia is an African American man who is an accomplished professional in investment operations. He describes his early life as being nurtured with other cultures as he moved around New York City.

His father came to Brooklyn after migrating from California, where he was a member of the Black Panther Party, and where he would meet his mother. Askia lived in Brooklyn until he was seven, when he was sent to a boarding school in Senegal. When he came back, he moved around from place to place, from …

Gregory Delts, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

Growing up and living in the Bronx up until recently, Gregory Delts detailed the institutions and communities that greatly impacted his life and how he has given back. The apartment building in which Greg was raised showcased the diversity of the Bronx and the strong community that they shared among residents. Friends and family alike cared for him and the other kids in the neighborhood by sharing their homes and food with one another. Although he attended the public schools in the Bronx until high school, he was sent to the rigorous Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts for his teenage years. …

Loren "Lory" Trent

African American Funeral Programs

Funeral program for Lorene Trent. Service was held in 2023