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Visit the new Cotton Club Museum and relive history!

The Cotton Club site consists of the Cotton Club/Blue Note (often referred to as the Hall), the Perryman Grocery Store, and four shot-gun houses. All of the buildings are on the 1950 Sanborn Map in their current locations. The CCMCC project aims to restore for adaptive use all six buildings, creating a heritage tourism destination that will provide a glimpse of African American life during the period of racial segregation in the United States.

Join us for “La Casita Encuentro (Reunion)” on Wednesday Oct. 3rd in Ustler Hall, at 6pm!

Participate in a public dialogue between founding members of UF’s Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures, known as “La Casita,” and those who were there during its earliest years. Our participants include the students who petitioned and labored to create the house, and the faculty who supported their efforts and/or became involved once the institute was up […]

SPOHP Staff Members Featured in The Loop article, will appear in Muse Magazine

Under the direction of Jeffrey Pufahl, the College of the Arts presented the premier of the documentary play Voices from the March in January 2018 during the closing ceremonies of the University of Florida 2018 Social Justice Summit. Voices from the March pieces together the experiences of UF students and staff involved in the Women’s […]

Video of Dr. Ortiz Book Talk

Click this link for a videotaped version (87 min.) of the 8/28 book talk presented at Smathers Library East by Dr. Paul Ortiz, Director of SPOHP, on his recent book: An African and Latinx History of the United States. It was kindly co-sponsored and hosted by the Smathers Libraries’ Latin American and Caribbean Collection. YouTube […]

Home Away from Home: Remembering Refugees in Florida

Welcoming Gainesville and Alachua County and the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida are holding a public event titled “Home Away from Home: Remembering Refugees in Florida” on September 20, 2018 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm at Pugh Hall Ocora (296 Buckman Drive Gainesville FL 32611). The event will feature the oral history of refugees in Jacksonville, Florida, collected by Seyeon Hwang, a doctoral student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Florida, and various state-wide and national efforts in refugee advocacy, followed by a talk-back session with refugees and refugee resettlement professionals from Florida.

Check Out Our Students’ Reflections On Our Annual Mississippi Freedom Trip

Check out these reflections our students wrote just after their successful and exciting trips doing oral history fieldwork in the Mississippi Delta as part of our Mississippi Freedom Project! The Mississippi Freedom Project (MFP) is an award-winning archive of 200+ oral history interviews conducted with veterans of the civil rights movement and notable residents of […]

Commemorating Black and Brown Wednesday

As we work diligently on our documentary project on the history of Institute of Black Culture and Institute of Hispanic and Latino Affairs, today we commemorate the one-year anniversary of Black and Brown Wednesday, a historical moment at the University of Florida. On July 12, 2017, No La IBCita and their supporters, protested the proposal […]

SPOHP Scholars present at National Civil Rights Conference

SPOHP Undergraduate Research Coordinator Oliver Tesluma and undergraduate Political Science major, as well as SPOHP alums Assistant Professor Jessica Taylor of Virginia Tech and George Washington University doctoral student Candice Ellis, presented papers at the 8th National Civil Rights Conference, which took place on June 17-20, 2018 in Meridian and Philadelphia, Mississippi. This year’s conference theme was “Lets Rise, Advocate, Educate and Cooperate.” Their papers were presented during a panel presentation entitled, Recording Civil Rights History: the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP) and the Mississippi Freedom Project.

Intersections Grant Awarded!

Dr. Paul Ortiz and SPOHP will take part in developing UF undergrad courses on Intersections of Global Blackness and Latinx Identity through an Intersections Research-Into-Teaching Grant from the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere & Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This Intersections group will emphasize how popular culture, visual arts, and performance reverberate globally through […]

Telling Gainesville: A Film Screening

Please join military veterans and their families for a special Veterans Day film screening of the play “Telling Gainesville.” Telling Gainesville is part of a nationwide initiative by the National Endowment for the Humanities that connects civilian audiences with veterans in a creative, supportive environment. “Telling Gainesville” ran to standing-room- only audiences at the Actor’s […]

Voices from the March: A Multi-Media Experience

On January 27th, our Fall interns and staff will be performing an original multi-media play titled Voices from the March at the 2018 UF Social Justice Summit. A collaboration between the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and the Center for Women’s Studies, this verbatim theater piece compiles oral history narratives from the Women’s March on Washington as […]

Farmworkers Irma Relief

Gainesville residents and UF community: there are ways to help the Immokalee community by dropping off goods at multiple on-campus locations. Items will be transported to Immokalee first on September 23, and then again in two weeks. #HurricaneIrmaRelief A list of items includes: Charcoal Lighters Diapers Baby wipes Bug spray Underwear Socks Tarps Non-perishable or canned […]

Florida Queer History: A Pride Extravaganza

The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP)’s Florida Queer History Project is partnering with First Magnitude Brewing Company to bring you “A Pride Extravaganza” on October 15! The event will serve as a fundraiser for SPOHP’s Florida Queer History Project, which will be exhibiting a portrait and oral history interview series from their June 2017 […]

Mississippi Freedom Fieldwork Panel Sept. 27

Mississippi Freedom Fieldwork Panel Presentation Ustler Hall Wednesday, Sept. 27th 3:00 PM On Wednesday the 27th the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program will host a panel of students to discuss their experience interviewing in Mississippi. This panel celebrates SPOHP’s 10th year of sending students out to the Mississippi Delta region to interview those involved in […]

“Surviving & Resisting: Defending DACA A Toolkit For DREAMers.”

We wanted to share a sheet that the directors of the IC-Race (Immigration, Critical Race and Cultural Equity) Lab at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Drs. Nayeli Y. Chavez- Dueñas and Hector Y. Adames developed, “Surviving & Resisting: Defending DACA A Toolkit For DREAMers.” Please share widely with anyone who may benefit from this toolkit; the […]

SPOHP Open House Scheduled for Sept. 29

September 29th from noon to 2 PM, SPOHP is hosting an Open House in the SPOHP office to welcome students and faculty alike to get acquainted with our program, staff and dozens of exciting on going projects. Visitors can expect to enjoy refreshments as they learn about SPOHP’s fieldwork, internships, and volunteer opportunities as well as our many upcoming public […]

SPOHP Intern at the Defend DACA/Save TPS Rally at Orlando City Hall

rally

SPOHP intern Chelsey Hendry Simmons attended the Defend DACA/Save TPS Rally at Orlando City Hall. The rally was held just one hour after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump Administration would be rescinding DACA, the Obama-era executive order protecting over 800,000 undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children from deportation. The […]

MCDA’s Anti-Racism Education Week

MCDA is proud to present: Anti-Racism Education Week. Come join us as we engage in an event series on anti-racism education, self-care, and education on the first amendment. This is a great opportunity to interact with faculty, staff, and peers on how to challenge racism and bigotry on our campus and in our community. TUESDAY […]

SPOHP is Sponsoring this Years Latino Film Festival!

“Since 2005, the Gainesville Latino Film Festival has featured hundreds of groundbreaking, highly acclaimed and thought-provoking films from Latin America. In 2017, our mission continues: to afford Gainesville the unique opportunity to see world-class cinema, innovative shorts, international award winners, and foster diverse experiences that link people through the art of cinema- launching Gainesville as a cultural […]

SPOHP-ed Written by Mississippi Freedom Trip Researchers Published in the Gainesville Sun

Marcela Murillo and Chad Chavira participated in our 10th Annual Mississippi Freedom Project trip last month. Check out their op-ed, “Effects of Till’s Murder Still Felt Today,” through which they reflect on their experiences in the Mississippi Delta. Co-writing credits to UF students Nicole Yapp and Toni-Lee Maitland: Marcela Murillo and Chad Chavira: Effects of […]

Fall 2017 Internship Applications Are Now Available

The Fall 2017 Internship Application is now open!  SPOHP’s semester-long academic internship is available to graduate and undergraduate students for credit as an introduction to the field of oral history. The Fall 2017 Social Justice Initiatives internship offers a space for students to pursue their own interests in social justice research through training and mentoring in […]

Line Wraps Around Theater in Tacoma, WA for “Love and Solidarity”

Filmmaker Michael Honey raves about a successful turn out at a screening of Love and Solidarity at The Grand Cinema in Tacoma, Washington.   Friends, In Tacoma last night, the Grand Cinema theater was packed with about 120 people  and 20 or more lined up outside and unable to get a seat. “Love and Solidarity” looks […]

“Historical Research Reaching a Peak” on History@UF, The Official Blog of the UF History Department

Dr. Jack Davis highlighted SPOHP’s recent research trip to North Carolina for the Appalachian Social Change Project, organized by graduate coordinator Jessica Taylor and Dr. Scott Huffard of Lees-McRae College, assistant professor of history and UF alum.

Oral history festival to be held in Mathews

“Oral history festival to be held in Mathews,” The Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, October 8, 2014. The Virginia Fieldwork in Folklore research trip, organized by SPOHP graduate coordinator Jessica Taylor, was announced by The Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, focusing on the Festival of Oral History and Folklore evening event at Mathews Memorial Library. The research trip to Virginia is supported by […]

Oral history project underway

“Oral history project underway,” by Sherry Hamilton, The Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, September 3, 2014. In anticipation of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program’s annual Virginia Fieldwork in Folklore trip, The Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal wrote about earlier oral histories conducted in Mathews County by SPOHP graduate coordinator Jessica Taylor. Taylor’s interviews laid the groundwork for the October trip, which was conducted in […]

Eleven UF students to research oral history traditions in Virginia

“Eleven UF students to research oral history traditions in Virginia,” by Veronica Lopresti Mingrone, The Independent Florida Alligator, Saturday, September 29, 2014. In October, SPOHP will launch an inaugural folklore and history research team to the tidewater area of Virginia. The Independent Florida Alligator featured news about the upcoming trip, comprised of past and present interns, staff members, graduate […]

Treasures of Panama Canal history reside at UF

“Treasures of Panama Canal history reside at UF,” by Mimi Whitefield, Miami Herald, Saturday, August 9, 2014. The Miami Herald featured information about UF’s Panama Canal history collections in time for a three-day celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 1914 opening of the Panama Canal. August 15-17, exhibitions at UF will feature memorabilia, writings, and oral history interviews, […]

SPOHP Feature in Senior Times, August 2014

“Living History: UF Program Captures Memories Through Recordings,” by Amanda Williamson, Senior Times, August 2014. Pick up a copy or read online today! Senior Times, Gainesville’s local award-winning resource for active Seniors in Alachua and Marion Counties, featured an article on the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program for August 2014. The article is available to read […]

UF students travel to interview veterans of 1964 Freedom Summer

“UF students travel to interview veterans of 1964 Freedom Summer,” by Jeff Schweers, The Gainesville Sun, June 27, 2014. The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program returned to the Mississippi Delta and traveled to Natchez for the 50th anniversary reunion of Freedom Summer with the Sunflower County Civil Rights Organization June 23-29, 2014. Students and staff conducted 35+ […]

Mississippi Summer of 1964: A Santa Clara County judge recalls voting rights struggle

“Mississippi Summer of 1964: A Santa Clara County judge recalls voting rights struggle,” San Jose Mercury News, by Len Edwards, June 19, 2014. In the summer of 1964, Len Edwards, then a law student at the University of Chicago, traveled to Mississippi to participate in voter registration efforts in the Delta area. He lived in Ruleville next […]

Civil rights – Crowd hears rabbis’ riveting story

“Civil rights: Crowd hears rabbis’ riveting story,” The St. Augustine Record, by Laura Hampton, Wednesday, June 18, 2014. On Tuesday, June 17, the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program recorded oral history interviews with rabbis who were arrested during civil rights protests in St. Augustine in 1964. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. invited the rabbis to come to […]

Joel Buchanan: A giant of Florida human rights, history and storytelling

“Joel Buchanan: A giant of Florida human rights, history and storytelling,” The Gainesville Sun, by Paul Ortiz, Wednesday, June 4, 2014. In the Gainesville Sun, Ortiz remembers legendary historian Joel Buchanan. [Buchanan] was an indispensable member of the university community, a tireless speaker who gave countless lectures and informal talks to our students and staff about the histories of […]

Several give stark accounts of segregation-era racism

“Several give stark accounts of segregation-era racism,” The Gainesville Sun, by Jeff Schweers, March 12, 2014. The Gainesville Sun highlighted SPOHP’s public history program, “The Florida Civil Rights Struggle: Past & Present,” on March 12. The program featured four panelists: John Due, Dan Harmeling, Vivian Filer, and Rosemary Florence, civil rights activists looking back on […]

UF students get immersed in the history of civil rights

“UF students get immersed in the history of civil rights,” The Gainesville Sun, by Jeff Schweers, March 10, 2014. In preparation for the upcoming public history program, “The Florida Civil Rights Struggle: Past & Present,” on Wednesday, March 12, the Gainesville Sun highlighted student and staff work in civil rights research and event organizing. Featuring interviews with […]

Paul Ortiz: We Must Ensure Latinos Have Better Access to Healthcare

Paul Ortiz: We Must Ensure Latinos Have Better Access to Healthcare, The Gainesville Sun, by Paul Ortiz, February 2014. In this editorial published in the Gainesville Sun, Dr. Paul Ortiz, director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and associate professor of history at the University of Florida, details problems associated with healthcare access in the Latino […]

ReVisioning Black History Month: Linking African American and Latino Histories

ReVisioning Black History Month: Linking African American and Latino Histories, Beacon Broadside, by Paul Ortiz, February 24, 2014. Dr. Paul Ortiz, director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and associate professor of history at the University of Florida, is currently writing Our Separate Struggles Are Really One: African American and Latino Histories, to published by […]

Sign up with StoryCorps to share a life story for posterity

Sign up with StoryCorps to share a life story for posterity, The Gainesville Sun, by Jeff Schweers, January 22, 2014. From February 26 to March 7, StoryCorps will be interviewing North Central Floridians about their lives as part of a cross-country tour. StoryCorps is national oral history project devoted to recording brief conversations between private citizens, many […]

UF Oral History director merges academics and activism

UF Oral History director merges academics and activism, The Gainesville Sun, by Jovahn Huertas, January 3, 2014. Dr. Paul Ortiz, the director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, was recently profiled in the Gainesville Sun, covering his academics and activist involvement. The article highlights student voices, including SPOHP alum Caroline Vickers, academic colleagues including UF Provost […]

History News Network: “How to Get Funding for Public History” highlighting the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program

How to Get Funding for Public History, History News Network, by David Austin Walsh, January 2, 2014. The History News Network recently published the following article to highlight the ways in which different public history programs generate interest, community support, and funding. Both the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida and “History […]

Gainesville Iguana Highlights “Siempre Adelante” and Freedom Project Interview

“Siempre Adelante: A Look at Faith and the Immigrant Struggle” and “History and the people who make it: Allen Cooper,” The Gainesville Iguana, from the SPOHP Archives and Jessica Taylor, November/December 2013. Allen Cooper, an interviewee in the Mississippi Freedom Project, gave an oral history interview during a Freedom Summer reunion of civil rights workers in […]

Paul Ortiz: Honoring all of Florida’s military veterans

Paul Ortiz: Honoring all of Florida’s military veterans, The Gainesville Sun, by Dr. Paul Ortiz, November 10, 2013. Dr. Paul Ortiz wrote the following editorial for The Gainesville Sun on Veterans Day weekend about the importance of recognizing the service of all military veterans, including African Americans, whose service is frequently ignored in historical narratives. Ortiz points out […]

Coming home at last; Stetson Kennedy’s work to reside at UF

“Coming home at last; Stetson Kennedy’s work to reside at UF,” The Gainesville Sun, by Jeff Schweers, October 22, 2013. On October 22, 2013, a symposium of events celebrated the donation of Stetson Kennedy’s papers to the University of Florida. The official donation was the result of years of work from the Stetson Kennedy Foundation, USF […]

Events mark acquisition; UF celebrates Stetson Kennedy’s work

“Events mark acquisition; UF celebrates Stetson Kennedy’s work” The Gainesville Sun, by Jeff Schweers, October 23, 2013. On October 22, 2013, a symposium of events celebrated the donation of Stetson Kennedy’s papers to the University of Florida. At 6:00 p.m., a panel event featuring Dr. Marvin Dunn, Lucy Anne Hurston, and Dr. Peggy Bulger discussed the legacy […]

Groundswell.org: UF Oral History Program Digs Deep in the Delta

“UF Oral History Program Digs Deep in the Delta” from the Groundswell Blog, October 4, 2013. Groundswell: Oral History for Social Change is a dynamic, active network of oral historians, activists, cultural workers, community organizers, and documentary artists who are using oral history and narrative in creative, effective and ethical ways to support movement building […]

Congratulations to Falana McDaniel and the Samuel Proctor Program

“Congratulations to Falana McDaniel and the Samuel Proctor Program” from the McComb Legacies Project Blog, October 10, 2013. In 2012 and 2013, the McComb Legacies Project from McComb High School in Mississippi joined the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program on its annual Mississippi Freedom Project Research Trip. Last year’s Legacies Project coordinator, Falana McDaniel, will […]

Oral History Reveals Courtship Strategies of Gloucester Youth in the 1940s and 50s

‘“The cool guys in Gloucester, the cool girls in Mathews”: Oral History Reveals Courtship Strategies of Gloucester Youth in the 1940s and 50s’ from the Fairfield Foundation. In August, The Fairfield Foundation wrapped up interviews for an oral history project directed by University of Florida graduate student and SPOHP Graduate Coordinator Jessica Taylor, aimed at recording […]

Gainesville 8 Reunion Brings Recollections, No Regrets

“Gainesville 8 Reunion Brings Recollections, No Regrets,” The Gainesville Sun, by Ron Cunningham, September 8, 2013. August 31, 2013 marked the fortieth anniversary of the acquittal of eight Vietnam veterans, the “Gainesville 8,” indicted for conspiracy to violently disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention. A reunion of the activist veterans, lawyers, and family of jury members […]

Tananarive Due’s parents left her civil rights lessons

Tananarive Due, daughter of civil rights activists Patricia Stephens Due and John Due, remembers the March on Washington from her parents’ stories. USA Today interviewed Tananarive about the event on August 19. Patricia Stephens Due, together with her husband John Due, presented a public program “An Evening with the Dues: Pioneers in the Civil Rights […]