Black History Month

For Black History Month in 2009, the FAU Libraries' blog, "On and Off the Shelf," featured Pearl City Oral History Collection, a part of the FAU Libraries Digital Collections. Pearl City was Boca Raton’s pioneering African-American community. One of the featured interviews is with Ms. Lois Dolphus Martin where she describes her 1930s segregated school experience at Roadman’s Elementary School, the first school in Pearl City. 

The Digital Collections at FAU also includes the Department of History Oral History Collection featuring an interview with Hattie Mae Pompey of Delray Beach and with Julie Hunter on the Civil Rights Movement.

Race and Change Initiative: Oral histories now available

Excerpts from archival audio and video oral histories on race relations experiences featuring a unique mix of multi-ethnic perspectives are now available for downloading from the new Race and Change Initiative website in the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies.  The Race and Change Initiative creates innovative dialogues on race and differences across cultures in academic and community settings to explore the complexities of racial identity, foster civic engagement and promote racial healing. 

The project is directed by Arts and Letters adjunct professor, author, oral historian and TV producer Dr. Kitty Oliver, and funded by the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties. In interviews, White, Black, Caribbean and Hispanic residents of Palm Beach County provide candid personal insights into segregation, the Civil Rights movement-era, and adaptation to today’s culturally diverse society.