How to build an oral history career and do good social justice work

Wednesday, October 24th
1:00 – 2:00 pm Eastern

In this call we’ll talk with Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz, a Doctoral Candidate in the field of International and Multicultural Education, and a resident artist at the Red Poppy Art Housein San Francisco. Her research is an oral history of the successful experiences of Grassroots Educators with marginalized learner populations during the No Child Left Behind era.

We’ll talk about career paths for oral historians: Some graduate students may come to their programs intending to apply and secure a tenure track professorship. What other fulfilling opportunities are available to those who have a passion for oral history collection (museums, historical societies, cultural organizations, activist organizations)? What do these alternative career paths look like, and are they “ready made” jobs or professional paths with a social entrepreneurship heart? Moreover, how does one begin to develop a practice that encompasses community-supporting work while also generating a livelihood? Several opportunities abound to contribute oral history support as an in-kind donation of services, however that brings up a different, yet relevant question: should there be a pay scale standard for oral history work?

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