By PHILLIPS COMMUNITY ORAL HISTORY PROJECT PARTNERS
Welcome back to the Phillips Community Oral History Project monthly update. The update is an important part of the Project’s outreach to the Phillips Community intended to share key progress milestones and to remain accountable to the people of Phillips.
Project interviews continue, with over ten hours of video and audio recorded so far! According to Ella Kampelman of Phillips West, the initial list of interview subjects has been mostly completed, and the project is now expanding to “a slightly wider circle of interviewees.” This broader reach will be critical to a more complete story of Phillips. People who are interested in contributing to that story are encouraged to reach out to us at the email provided at the bottom of the update.
J Randolph, executive director of Phillips West Neighborhood Organization, has been heartened by the community connections people have expressed in their interviews. Randolph said, “We heard a lot about how Franklin Avenue has changed over the years. When asked to describe Phillips in one word, Gloria Hayes said ‘home’ … which is such a simple statement but one that echoed a lot of what other folks have said in their interviews.”
In one interview, Phillips resident Jim Smith stressed how he values the community as a Native person. He first moved to Phillips forty years ago. His recollections mentioned the countless powwows across the neighborhood, especially in Cedar Field Park near Little Earth. Smith was always moved by “everyone together in space.”
We also have a couple of technical updates related to the Oral History Project’s final public form. First, we have begun the process of transcribing the interviews into text format. This is a time consuming process that requires care to make sure people’s voices are represented accurately. Second, the project is considering the use of StoryMaps interactive mapping software to help organize and present interconnections between interview texts, videos and other media. The University of Minnesota has offered technical support with this tool. Phillips Oral History Project partners want to be transparent about these technical decisions so community members can be confident their stories are presented in the appropriate form.
If you have questions or comments about this update or the project, or are interested in participating or volunteering, please reach out to info@unitedphillips.org. Accountability to our communities is a core commitment for this project, and we want this column to facilitate that dialogue.
