Our Story: The Black Oral History Project

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.

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