Description
"The Boston Research Center at Northeastern University Library in collaboration with the Boston Public Library recently launched the Harriet Tubman House Memory Project. This community-driven project driven by the I Am Harriet Coalition and the United South End settlements aims to collect, preserve, and center the stories and memories of people affiliated with Harriet Tubman House, a much-loved community space located at the corner of Massachusetts and Columbus Ave which was demolished in early 2020. This oral history project illuminates the Harriet Tubman House’s history through the lived experiences of past residents, students, employees, and community activists humanizing this space post demolition while adding to the scholarship of settlement houses in Boston’s South End.
Oral histories conducted as a part of this project have been transcribed, and the recordings and transcripts will be digitally housed in the Northeastern University Archives, which will provide public access to the collections online in complement to the Lower Roxbury Black History Collection. The two interviews conducted for this practicum created testimonies of community action and resilience and contributed to a more nuanced history for the Harriet Tubman House, United South End Settlement, as well as the ongoing trauma of displacement through urban renewal and gentrification in the South End. This project provided professional experience in oral history interview techniques and transcript editing, community-driven archival projects, and completed requirements for the Oral History course taught by Dr. Summaya Ahmed at Simmons University.
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