Collecting oral histories can help fill important gaps in collective history and individual stories — especially in communities of color.
Oral historian Elena Foulis, associate professor and director of Spanish Language Studies at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, has spent years collecting the oral histories of Latinos in Ohio and Texas.
She authored "Embodied Encuentros: Oral History Archives of Latina/o/e Experiences" as a guide for preparing the next generation of oral historians.
The book outlines how individuals can gather oral histories in Latino communities, emphasizing equitable and culturally sustainable practices.
Foulis spoke about the impact that collecting these stories can have on a community.
“Being in front of a person face-to-face and listening — for many of them, getting to tell their experience and their story for the first time is a big deal. [It’s] in their own voices and their own memories,” she said. “That moment is very special and very intimate.”
Foulis emphasized the importance of understanding the community interviewers are working with and engaging with individuals in compassionate ways.
“It’s thinking of this project, of this encuentro, as long lasting,” she said. “It’s not just that particular moment when we hit record and stop, but really it starts before and after the interview is collected.”
Foulis will be reading from "Embodied Encuentros" at San Antonio's Guadalupe Latino Bookstore, May 2 at 2 p.m. It's free to attend.
See COVID-era videos of Foulis’ Ohio State students performing the oral narratives of Latinos in Ohio below:
