The Oral History Center
Allston-Brighton History Room, Brighton Branch Library
40 Academy Hill Road, Brighton, MA 02135
617-548-3122 or 617-782-8483
 
 
Newsletter No. 1: Summer 2003

 

ALLSTON-BRIGHTON ORAL HISTORY CENTER LAUNCHED
 
The Brighton-Allston Historical Society is proud to announce the launching of an oral history initiative funded by grants from three agencies (the Harvard/ Allston-Brighton Community Fellowship Program, the Allston-Brighton/ Boston College Neighborhood Fund, and the Carnegie Foundation), that will enable the Society and its partner in the endeavor, the Brighton Branch Library, to undertake an expanded oral history effort with state-of-the-art equipment.
 
The Allston-Brighton Oral History Center will be staffed on a full-time basis for a period of one year by John David Perry, a recent Harvard graduate with much experience in oral interviewing. John understands how valuable oral history is, and he is deeply committed not only to collecting the recollections of Allston-Brighton residents, past and present, but also to making these resources more accessible to scholars and to the general public alike.
 
The Allston-Brighton Oral History Center will be headquartered in the Local History Room at the Brighton Branch Library at 40 Academy Hill Road, Brighton Center, and will operate under the general supervision of local historian Dr. William P. Marchione, with assistance from the Head Librarian of the Brighton Branch Library, Paula Posnick.
The Oral History Center will be the permanent depository of all of the Historical Society's oral history resources, past and present, some dating back to the inception of the organization in the late 1960s. Future interviews will generally be videotaped, with excerpts placed on the Brighton-Allston Historical Society webpage at http://www.bahistory.org.

Why Oral History?

The life stories of immigrants traveling into the unknown, the sacrifices of the men and woman who fought in the great World Wars, and the experiences of ordinary people struggling to make it here in America, are the stories that define our nation's existence, and are also the individual and collective histories that embody the Allston-Brighton community and the Allston-Brighton experience.

Each of us, as we live our lives, as we interact with our families, neighbors, co-workers, and the community at large, is both witness and participant in this unfolding historical process and has something of value to contribute to the accumulation of the "records of history" upon which future generations will judge our time.

Collecting and preserving the recollections of those who shaped our time and defined our community is, of course, the special responsibility of the local historical society, and the Brighton-Allston Historical Society is proud to be taking up the challenge with new vigor.

A Permanent, Inclusive Community Institution

A primary goal of the Oral History Initiative will be to create a permanent community institution. Too often oral history initiatives peter out after a time. The key to long-term success, in our view, is broad-based community participation---the involvement of just as many individuals, agencies, and organizations as possible in the effort. For the Oral History Center to succeed, the entire community, in all of its richness and diversity, needs to be drawn upon, needs to be given a stake in the success of the venture.

Thus volunteers of all ages and occupations will be encouraged to share their life stories with the Center's interviewers. In addition to collecting interviews, the Oral History Center plans to sponsor regular workshops to train volunteers in the techniques of collecting oral history. Participants will also be encouraged to collect the stories of family members, friends, and neighbors---of whomever is capable and willing to help us weave as complete an historic tapestry as possible.

Finally, the Oral History Center should be viewed as a form of community empowerment. The people of Allston-Brighton, under the auspices of the Brighton-Allston Historical Society, the Brighton Branch Library, and the Allston-Brighton Oral History Center, now has a greater opportunity than ever before to provide a more complete, inclusive, and accurate picture of our collective experience of Allston-Brighton.

 

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