“If you don’t tell it like it was . . . it can never be as it ought to be.”  

Fred Shuttlesworth:  Baptist Minister, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, freedom fighter (Taken from David W. Blight, in Horton and Horton, Slavery and Public History:  The Tough Stuff of American Memory, p. 33)

In 2021, Whittier College embarked upon a history project to unearth the untold stories of Black alumni and Black culture at the college. The focus of this project is to share the authentic and diverse experiences of Black students during their time at Whittier College. In their own words, the video interviews profile alumni from as early as 1956. These oral histories reveal the institution’s history and relationship with the Black community.  The oral history project is sponsored by Academic Affairs and directed by the office of the Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,  Dr. Kay Sanders. The academic leads are Dr. Laura McEnaney and Dr. Shannon Stanton Agbotse, and Danni Salinas ‘22, Jai Battle ‘23, and Jayson Smith ‘23 conducted the interviews.

Transcripts and images from the Our Story: The Black Oral History Project are protected under United States Copyright Law, Title 17, U.S. Code. Fair use under such Copyright Law permits reproduction of single copies of selected items for personal research and private use. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation (such as public display, publication, or performance) of protected items is prohibited except upon receipt of written permission from Whittier College.

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Submissions from 2021

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Fred Lakey (November 1, 2021), Jai Battle

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Stan Sanders (November 17, December 2, and December 11, 2021), Danielle Salinas

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Our Story Interview Questions (Tentative), Danielle Salinas, Jayson Smith, and Jai Battle

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Hugh Butler (November 10, 2021), Jayson Smith

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William E. Kelley (October 15, 2021), Jayson Smith