The Women of Clark Oral History Project: Enriching History, Building Community

Oral history is a powerful tool for illuminating and preserving voices that are often absent from traditional historical records. By capturing lived experiences, personal reflections, and individual perspectives, oral histories deepen our understanding of the past while fostering connections between generations and communities. In higher education, oral history offers a valuable means of documenting the contributions, challenges, and achievements of women whose experiences have shaped institutional culture and change.

In this talk, Visiting Assistant Professor Melinda Marchand (History) and Digital Projects Librarian Katie Stebbins (Goddard Library), joined by students Spencer Levy and Beatrice Leenders, will examine the Women of Clark Oral History Project, an initiative launched through a 2025 grant from the Higgins Institute to document and preserve the stories of women associated with Clark University. Supported by faculty, students, alumni, and community partners, the project has collected dozens of interviews and has engaged more than 30 students as oral historians. This dialogue will highlight the project's development, share stories and reflections from women who have participated, and discuss efforts underway to develop a digital repository that will make these oral histories accessible to future researchers, students, and community members.
Admission is free and open to the public, and lunch will be provided. Guests are encouraged to arrive at 1:15pm for refreshments.
Sponsored by the Alice Coonley Higgins Institute for Arts and Humanities, the Department of History, the Robert H. Goddard Library, and the Alumni and Friends Engagement Office at Clark University