The Fight for Knowledge
Class Projects Student Projects
The Fight for Knowledge
Civil Rights & Education in Richmond, Virginia

An Era of Uncertainty

An Oral History Project

 
 
 
 
 

We are grappling with a singular historical moment as we experience COVID-19. A century from now, people will want to know about the coronavirus. What was it like to live during a pandemic? Documenting a range of day to day experiences, as well as reflections on this time in the context of Richmond’s fraught racial history, will provide future generations with a glimpse into the challenges people faced—as well as the meaning they made. Cultural and educational institutions across the city, including the University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Union University, the Richmond Public Library, and The Valentine, are collaborating to build an oral history archive of this unprecedented period in Richmond history, as a way to foster connections with present and future communities. 

Participants will be interviewed several times over a few months. Both scholarly research and personal experience demonstrate the extent to which the passage of time shapes our memory and understanding, particularly of traumatic or emotionally charged events. 

 

Project Partners

 
 
 
FFK Background-01.png
 

Get in Touch

We will use a variety of approaches to interviews to accommodate all levels of comfort, including group chats hosted on Zoom or held in an outdoor space, as well as individual, socially distanced interviews. 

If you are interested in learning more about being a participant in this documentation project, please fill out the form to the right.