Project 2020: An Oral History
Poster Number
16
Session Title
Poster Session 1
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
History
Abstract
Project 2020 began as an Oral History Project conducted in Fall 2020 by Winthrop University graduate students in the Department of History. The goal was to conduct interviews that explored the various ways in which Americans were experiencing and being impacted by the various watershed moments that emerged during 2020 (the global pandemic, social unrest, financial challenges, issues with healthcare, etc.). The students in Dr. Dixon-McKnight’s graduate class in the fall understood that they were living in a time of history and that it was important to capture it. Most often, we are unaware of those moments that will be historically noteworthy until they have already been a part of the past. The year 2020 is unique in that we were and are able to recognize its historic significance in the moment. Dr. Dixon-McKnight’s students interviewed a wide range of folks exploring themes such as education, healthcare, essential workers, and Americans and their international experience in the midst of a worldwide pandemic). It is important to record as much of this history as we can while it is still fresh on the minds and in the hearts of those of us who have lived it. During the fall semester of 2021 and the spring semester of 2022, Dr. Dixon-McKnight and I have recorded interviews and experiences with multiple members of the Sun City community in Indian Land, South Carolina. During these interviews, we have met a wide variety of individuals who have shared their experiences and stories on the year 2020 and how they have molded into new beings since the pandemic. These experiences have been recorded and will be uploaded into the Louise Pettus Archives for individuals to learn more about the stories of the American people during the year of 2020. It is important to have these firsthand accounts of this critical moment in the nation’s history. As research is being conducted on the subject, Winthrop University will be able to offer researchers and members of the community an abundance of information.
Start Date
15-4-2022 12:00 PM
Project 2020: An Oral History
Project 2020 began as an Oral History Project conducted in Fall 2020 by Winthrop University graduate students in the Department of History. The goal was to conduct interviews that explored the various ways in which Americans were experiencing and being impacted by the various watershed moments that emerged during 2020 (the global pandemic, social unrest, financial challenges, issues with healthcare, etc.). The students in Dr. Dixon-McKnight’s graduate class in the fall understood that they were living in a time of history and that it was important to capture it. Most often, we are unaware of those moments that will be historically noteworthy until they have already been a part of the past. The year 2020 is unique in that we were and are able to recognize its historic significance in the moment. Dr. Dixon-McKnight’s students interviewed a wide range of folks exploring themes such as education, healthcare, essential workers, and Americans and their international experience in the midst of a worldwide pandemic). It is important to record as much of this history as we can while it is still fresh on the minds and in the hearts of those of us who have lived it. During the fall semester of 2021 and the spring semester of 2022, Dr. Dixon-McKnight and I have recorded interviews and experiences with multiple members of the Sun City community in Indian Land, South Carolina. During these interviews, we have met a wide variety of individuals who have shared their experiences and stories on the year 2020 and how they have molded into new beings since the pandemic. These experiences have been recorded and will be uploaded into the Louise Pettus Archives for individuals to learn more about the stories of the American people during the year of 2020. It is important to have these firsthand accounts of this critical moment in the nation’s history. As research is being conducted on the subject, Winthrop University will be able to offer researchers and members of the community an abundance of information.
