Video chat: Friday, February 21, 1pm-2:15pm eastern time. Sliding scale; free for Groundswell members.

Eventbrite - E-Security for Oral Historians in the Age of Trump

As people using oral history for social justice, we often collaborate with and record the stories of people, such as undocumented immigrants or queer and trans people, who are particularly vulnerable to potential harm if their stories are shared in ways they did not consent to. And as activists, we may be targets of surveillance. What do social justice oral historians need to know about cyber security? Where do we draw the line between being paranoid and being naive? In this chat, we will share strategies and skills for managing electronic security for oral history projects.

Note: This is not a formal training, but a conversation in which we will all share our experiences. Those who do not have experience with these types of security practices, as well as those with lots of experience, are welcome to join.

Co-facilitators:

Talya Cooper is the digital archivist at the Intercept, a news website focused on longform investigative journalism, where she supports reporters in their work on the Snowden archive and other sensitive document sets. Previously, she was the archive manager at StoryCorps. She holds an MLIS from Pratt Institute and a BA in anthropology from Barnard College.

Indie Skoric holds a Ph.D. in Human Development from Fielding Graduate University and two master’s degrees (International Relations; Gender Studies). She is Adjunct Assistant Professor at Kingsborough,where she launched the Immigration HUB, started an immigrant women’s support group, founded our Immigration Day event, and participated in Brooklyn Public Scholars Project (2012-2014). Indira has extensive development experience with large organizations (such as the International Organization for Migration) and advises a number of community based groups and organizations (Reconciliation and Culture Cooperative Network, Women in Black, etc). Her scholar-practitioner work has been recognized through awards and fellowships: a Revson Fellowship (Columbia University), the Union Square Award for Organizing in NYC, and an AAUW Fellowship. In 2013, she was awarded The U.S. President's Voluntary Service Award by President Barack Obama. Indira is working on two book projects: one on Gender and Sexual Violence in War and another on women and immigration. She is a mother of 12 year old athlete and an avid snowboarder.

Amy Starecheski is a cultural anthropologist and oral historian whose research focuses on the use of oral history in social movements and the politics of urban property. She is the Co-Director of the Oral History MA Program at Columbia University. In 2016 she was awarded the Sapiens-Allegra “Will the Next Margaret Mead Please Stand Up?” prize for public anthropological writing. She received a PhD in cultural anthropology from the CUNY Graduate Center, where she was a Public Humanities Fellow. Her book, Ours to Lose: When Squatters Became Homeowners in New York City, was published in 2016 by the University of Chicago Press.