Essay by Morgan P. Vickers
Image Courtesy of the Community Histories Workshop
I was excited to discover Future Histories Lab at UC Berkeley because it echoes community-based narrative work I experienced firsthand as an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC, I took an American Studies course entitled Downtown North Carolina, taught by Dr. Robert Allen, a passionate, joyful, and generous scholar whose research is deeply rooted in communities across North Carolina. Structured around a series of community surveys, personal history research, and oral history interviews, the course changed my academic trajectory and, ultimately, the trajectory of my life. It ignited within me a deep passion for public humanities scholarship, and opened the door for me to work with the Community Histories Workshop (CHW), directed by Dr. Allen himself.
Image Courtesy of the Community Histories Workshop
Founded in 2016, the CHW “works with local communities to recover, preserve, and share the memories, stories, and materials that reflect the multi-layered histories of place.” Originally funded by the National Historical Publications & Records Commission, the CHW is now affiliated with the Center for Urban and Regional Studies, the Department of American Studies, the School of Education, and the School of Medicine at UNC, among several other departments and institutions. Independently and in partnership with both undergraduate- and graduate-level courses, the CHW spearheads projects centered around digital humanities, oral histories, adaptive reuse, K-12 pedagogy, the history of medicine, and more.
The breadth of projects and community partnerships the CHW has produced over the past four years is demonstrative of the type of work the Future Histories Lab can spearhead over the next three years throughout the duration of the Mellon grant, and beyond. Through intentional community partnerships in the East Bay, public-facing and project-oriented classrooms at the undergraduate and graduate levels, interdisciplinary faculty engagement, and cross-departmental organizing, Future Histories already has the foundation to produce similarly engaged, illuminating, connective, and innovative projects and scholarship in the years to come.
Image Courtesy of the Community Histories Workshop
As an undergraduate research assistant with the CHW, my job was to help document community narratives through oral history initiatives and community history days, compile historical data from archival materials to produce digital humanities projects, and act as a historical consultant on Digital Loray, the Rocky Mount Mills project, and the Dorothea Dix Park History Initiative. As a Graduate Student Researcher and Web Designer with Future Histories Lab, I helped shape the Future Histories narrative, establish a foundational public humanities presence at UC Berkeley, and design an online architecture to help support community-oriented scholarship for years to come.
Image Courtesy of the Community Histories Workshop
When I joined the CHW team, it was small, consisting of a few faculty members, two graduate students, and two undergraduate research assistants. Today, the team of twelve works with hundreds of community stakeholders, several institutional partners, half a dozen fellows, and dozens of undergraduate and graduate students inside and outside of the classroom. Likewise, the Future Histories team is currently small, consisting of a few faculty members and student assistants; yet, under the impassioned leadership of Susan Moffat, I envision it blossoming into a robust course catalog, an expansive network of community partners, a broad association of faculty from across the University, and a wide pool of talented, engaged, and brilliant students from around the globe.
I am forever indebted to Dr. Allen and the CHW. Whenever anyone asks me about my undergraduate experience, I tell them about how Dr. Allen always told me, “Dig where you are.” To me, the statement means: there is history in your town, your neighborhood, your community, your life, and your world; go find it. I pass this mantra along to Future Histories community members, faculty, staff, and students as you embark upon your inaugural year. Dig deep, plant roots, and, ultimately, grow.