Union County, NJ – March 23, 2022 – Oral history has become a popular way to preserve personal experiences, family heirlooms, and community heritage. Now, Union County residents can learn how to create their own oral histories, thanks to the new “Introduction to Oral History Workshop” on Wednesday, April 6, at 6:00 p.m., at Liberty Hall Academic Center and Exhibition Hall on campus. from Kean University. , at 1003 Morris Avenue #2 in Union Township.
The event is free and open to the public. Attendance is by appointment. No pre-registration is required.
“The Board of Commissioners encourages all Union County residents who have an interest in family or personal histories to come to the workshop and learn how they can help preserve the past and inform future generations,” said Union County Commissioner’s Chair Rebecca Williams. “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to thank Kean University and the Union County Historical Society for their partnership in this project.”
The practical oral history workshop will introduce participants to the practice of oral history. Participants will be able to apply the principles of oral history during the workshop, using any topic of their own interest, from current events to life stories and community stories.
The workshop will be presented by Dr. Abigail Perkiss, Assistant Professor of History at Kean University.
Dr. Perkiss is the editor of the Oral History Review and vice-president of the association Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region. She completed her JD/Ph.D. in United States History from Temple University and earned a graduate certificate from the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine.
Dr. Perkiss’ current project is Hurricane Sandy hits New Jersey’s Forgotten Shore, an oral history documenting the impact and aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in three neighborhoods along Sandy Hook Bay. The project was developed in the classroom with Kean undergraduate students in 2013.
She is also the author of Making Good Neighbors: Civil Rights, Liberalism, and Integration in Postwar Philadelphiaan examination of intentionally integrated neighborhoods in the second half of the 20th century, author of the forthcoming book, Looking out to sea: Hurricane Sandy on New Jersey’s Forgotten Shoreand co-author of a manuscript for the game-based history program Reacting to the Past at Barnard College titled, Changing the Game: Title IX, Gender, and Athletics at American Universities.
The oral history workshop is part of a series of history lectures jointly organized by the Union County Board of Commissioners through the Office of Cultural Affairs and Heritage, Kean University and of the Union County Historical Society.
For more information about the series, contact John Prescott, History Program Coordinator in the Office of Cultural Affairs and Heritage, at 908-436-2912 or [email protected].
The Bureau of Cultural Affairs and Heritage is a division of the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation. For more information on all programs and activities, visit ucnj.org/cultural, email [email protected], or call 908-558-2550.
For information and updates on all Union County services during the COVID-19 outbreak, including free vaccination, free testing, emergency food distribution, and other emergency services. support, visit ucnj.org/covid19. General information about COVID-19 is available from the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.
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For all Union County programs and services, visit ucnj.org, call the public information line at 877-424-1234, email [email protected], or use the online contact form .
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