Research African-American history Oct. 18

With thousands of hours of video interviews with prominent African-Americans, the HistoryMakers Digital Archive allows Cornellians to learn about American history from the people who made it.

Julieanna Richardson, founder and executive director of the archive, leads an interactive session on how to make the most of the database, Oct. 18 at 4:45 p.m. at the Africana Studies and Research Center. Free and open to all, the talk is cosponsored by the Africana Library.

Over the past 18 years, Richardson and her team have collected oral histories from figures prominent and unsung, from the oldest living black cowboy to Barack Obama when he was an Illinois state senator. "I'm Barack Obama. That's spelled B-A-R-A-C-K, O-B-A-M-A," Obama said in the 2001 interview.

Interviews, organized by story, can be accessed through Cornell University Library as a resource on topics including African-American food, fashion, culture, history and religion. 

“These stories are fascinating and significant not only to scholars of black history, but of American and world history in the modern era. It crosses all disciplines,” said Africana Library Director Eric Acree.

– Melanie Lefkowitz

Media Contact

Jeff Tyson