August 25, 2018

1:00 pm

Dr. Abigail Perkiss – “Telling the Story of the Community” Oral History Workshop

Come and explore ways to preserve your family and community history through personal experiences in an oral history workshop led by Dr. Abigail Perkiss of Kean University on Saturday, August 25^th at 1 p.m. at the Roebling Museum.

Roebling and Trenton are unique communities, with some important shared themes, experiences and stories. Community oral histories provide a way to understand our shared experiences through different voices and perspectives. How can we record and preserve this type of information in a thorough and accurate way? How do we navigate the roles of the interviewer who asks questions and the person who tells their story? In this hands-on, guided session, participants will develop themes and questions, conduct practice interviews, and talk about how to be a responsible and ethical interviewer. We’ll explore questions like, “How have people been shaped by the history of this community?” and, “What has living in a community with so much history meant in the daily lives of those who call this place home?”

Dr. Perkiss’ workshop, the latest in the Roebling Museum’s Saturday Lecture Series, is presented in collaboration with the New Jersey Council for the Humanities Public Scholars Project. This workshop will serve as a starting point for a larger Museum project intended to invite public collaboration and participation with the Museum’s collection and archives.

 

About Abigail Perkiss, Ph.D.:

Abigail Perkiss is an assistant professor of history at Kean University, broadly trained in U.S. History, oral history, twentieth century urban culture, African American history, public history and legal history. She is the Managing Editor of Oral History Review, Vice President of Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region, and a member of the Reacting to the Past Editorial Board. Abigail is currently directing Staring out to Sea, an oral history project documenting the impact and aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

 

This presentation is appropriate for all ages, and will take place inside the Roebling Museum’s Media Room. It is part of the museum’s monthly Saturday Lecture Series.

This lecture is included with museum admission but seating is limited.

Please call the museum at 609/499-7200 to reserve your seat.