Description
"Archiving the Diverse Voices of the Champlain College Community is a new project from the Champlain College Archives that aims to collect first person accounts from those affiliated with the college both past and present, most notably people of color. Champlain students and employees utilize the Archives to understand the past activities and varied experiences of individuals associated with Champlain; however, a significant archival silence has been noted relating to the perspective of students of color.
To rectify this omission, through the methodology of oral history, employees, students, and alumni will be asked to document their varied viewpoints in their own unedited words. These recordings will be placed in the Archives and will be accessible for future research and to celebrate the voices of students of color on campus.
This presentation will display insights on the early stages of this project including goals, previous oral history projects on campus, along with steps taken to ensure representation and sensitivity are being taken seriously. Included in this discussion will be an inquiry of questions and challenges such as researching equitable interview technology, focus group findings, and research conducted regarding third-party references.
The aim of this project is to create an opportunity to reflect on how dominant power structures can create archival silences and to encourage members of the Champlain College Community to share their stories with the future. "