Emory Oral History Program: Home

Current Projects

Stories during the Coronavirus Pandemic:

How has the coronavirus pandemic impacted you? The Emory Oral History Program is collecting stories from the Emory community during the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)/COVID-19 outbreak and ongoing pandemic. We invite anyone who considers themselves part of the Emory University community to share their oral history. 

Bearing witness to this unprecedented event by sharing our thoughts and experiences offers tremendous value. Your stories will give voice to our shared narrative. You will also help us understand how we are navigating the tremendous challenges in a rapidly changing context. Recording, preserving, and making oral histories available contributes to the historical record, creating resources for our shared university community and for future researchers, educators, and the engaged public.

To participate in this project, sign up here! 

Underrepresented Voices at Emory:

We are continuing to interview for our Underrepresented Voices series. If you identify as a Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, or first-generation college student and would like to participate in this project,  sign up here! 

Meet Our Staff

Information and Resources

The Emory Oral History Program welcomes everyone to express their different experiences. Sometimes these stories may include traumatic events. While our role and responsibilities are to help you tell your stories as you choose, we are not professional psychologists or therapists. Here are resources for information and professional support:

• Emory Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): click here
• Emory Faculty Staff Assistance Program (FSAP): click here

Resources and Information on the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19):

• Emory University Resources and COVID-19 Updates: click here
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Information on the novel Coronavirus (COVID-10): click here

What is Oral History?

Oral history interviews are a dynamic process of co-creation whereby individuals' lived experiences are recorded in their own words and as they choose to narrate them. The interview is the cornerstone of oral history, a guided exercise that is usually conducted in a one-on-one setting. The oral historian and the narrator together investigate living memory and create a resource that can help others to understand the impact of social phenomena on people’s lives from a personal perspective. The Emory Oral History Program (EOHP) aims to preserve the stories and experiences of people with a broad audience in mind. We approach oral history as a humanistic method of discovery that incorporates technology and archival practices with the goal of better understanding our communities and the world we live in.

For more information please refer to the Oral History Association’s resources here.