Share Civil Rights stories for oral history project
They may be separated by a century, but the two events are highlighted in history books among the most important American civil rights milestones: the Emancipation Proclamation of Jan. 1, 1863, and the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963.
DuPage County residents are encouraged to share their Civil Rights Movement stories for posterity from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 11, with the DuPage County Historical Museum, 102 E. Wesley St., Wheaton.
These accounts will be included in Voices of DuPage, a collaborative oral history initiative between DuPage museums, libraries and historical organizations.
"West Chicago City Museum reached out to area organizations to see if we were interested in participating," said Michelle Podkowa, museum manager and educator at the DuPage museum. "At the time, the museum had been planning an oral history project, so the timing was perfect."
Museum staff will interview interested residents in preparation for the debut of Changing America, a traveling exhibit presented by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History, in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office.
The exhibition is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities and is part of NEH's Bridging Cultures initiative Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle.
The DuPage museum is partnering locally with the Wheaton Public Library for Voices of DuPage and Changing America.
"We're very excited to work with the Wheaton Public Library, (which) was also developing their own project," Podkowa said.
Arriving Jan. 25, 2017, Changing America uses oral histories to convey civil rights experiences and help guests "understand and discuss the relationship between two great peoples' movements that resulted in the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington in 1963," according to ALA.
DuPage Historical Museum curator Ashley Downing plans to blend these stories with another national theme.
"Even though Changing America is based mostly on racial issues, we felt immigrant populations have played a huge role in changing America and we wanted to include that aspect," she said. "Some of their stories and the obstacles they had to overcome are just as powerful and saddening as the exhibit's main focus."
Podkowa hopes to build a versatile collection of poignant, powerful stories for posterity.
"The greatest part about Voices of DuPage is we will have these oral histories in our collection, available for exhibits and educational events to use as teaching tools," she said.
Interviews will be conducted and recorded in the museum auditorium. Guests who can't make it June 11 have other chances from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11; noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10; and 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8.
To learn about the DuPage County Historical Museum, visit dupagemuseum.org. To inquire about interviews for Voices of DuPage, call (630) 510-4941.
For information about Changing America, visit ala.org.
If you go
What: Voices of DuPage - interviews on the Civil Rights Movement
When: Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 11
Where: DuPage County Historical Museum auditorium, 102 E. Wesley St., Wheaton
Info: (630) 510-4941