Exploring Skyline Farms, Alabama Through Oral History

Marjorie Hunt argues that we are all bearers of tradition, from the young to the old. Oral histories are rich primary sources that offer invaluable insights into our history, culture, and heritage. Part of the importance of conducting an oral history is preserving these first-hand accounts of history and culture for the general public. Have students type a transcription of their interview (For some examples of oral history transcriptions search the Library of Congress Collection, Voices from the Days of Slavery). The heading should include the name of the interview and the interviewee, the location, the date, and if the transcription was edited by the interviewee. Also, have students include copies of any photographs they took during the interview. Make sure the photographs have appropriate captions that describe the image (i.e. who took the image? When was it taken? Where was it taken? What is the image of?) For good examples of titles and descriptions of images, search the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-And-White Negatives Collection (keyword: TVA) and read the titles of some of the images. Work with the librarians at the local school or community library to archive the oral histories.