Welcome to the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program

Attention UF students! We are now accepting applications for our Spring 2025 internship, HIS4944: Introduction to Oral History.

This 3-credit course meets weekly on Tuesdays from 1:55pm – 4:55pm.

Linguistics and SPOHP Awarded Digital Justice Grant

This grant from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) will deepen work started on an NEH grant, Reanimating African American Oral Histories of the Gulf South. We will focus on the oral histories of students within Putnam County, Florida who attended the first Black schools in Florida before integration.

A Racial Reckoning in Gainesville

UF’s Ytori magazine highlights SPOHP’s Challenging Racism at UF initiative. “In oral history, we learn about the power of storytelling. This reveals truths that can sometimes be very uncomfortable,” SPOHP director Dr. Paul Ortiz told Ytori. “If we’re going to be a top-tier research institution, we need to use the tools of historical research to make the university a more welcoming place.”

“Interwoven Waters:” Using Oral History to Document Florida’s Waterways

Vasilios Kosmakos, SPOHP researcher and founder of the Florida Naturalist Project, curated a digital exhibit about the “story of water in Florida” for the Matheson Museum. Explore the exhibit here.

Sharing the Underground Railroad’s Oral Histories

With a $350,000 federal grant, UF researchers will showcase recordings that tell how antislavery activists secretly assisted those escaping slavery.

SPOHP is an award-winning, social-justice research center engaged in experiential learning initiatives all over the world. Our team of student researchers, interns, volunteers, and staff are dedicated to gathering, preserving, and promoting living histories of individuals from all walks of life. SPOHP is committed to using critical historical inquiry and digital humanities production to encourage civic engagement and dialogue between the past, present and the future.

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