Interviews - I See My Light Shining

Interviews

836 Hours

Oral history interviews are firsthand testimonies of people’s experiences of history. These interviews invite narrators (interviewees) to talk about their own histories, giving unparalleled insights into life decisions, actions, and experiences that may not already be part of the public record.

Filters

Collections
Topics
Locations
Go to interview

Tressa Gunnels

Retired lieutenant, veteran, detective, and mental health advocate

Corona, CA

Robin Coste Lewis
Collection

Tressa Gunnels

Gunnels reflects on her upbringing, military service, becoming a lieutenant in law enforcement, her work's physical and psychological impacts, the dynamics of policing, her transition into retirement, and her passion for travel.

Robin Coste Lewis collection

Corona, CA

Play
Interview

Go to interview

Charnetta Hutson

Portland mentor and performing arts ministry founder

Portland, OR

Renée Watson
Collection

Charnetta Hutson

Hutson reflects on finding her father, navigating life as a Black woman in Portland, her spiritual growth through Das PHAT Ministries, gentrification's impact on her community, her mother's legacy, and performing arts ministry.

Renée Watson collection

Portland, OR

Play
Interview

Go to interview

Thomas Kaulukukui

Former judge, Hawaiian warrior, teacher, and advocate

Honolulu, Hawaii

Natalie Diaz
Collection

Thomas Kaulukukui

Thomas Ka’auwai Kaulukukui Jr. recounts his journey, sharing Hawaiian culture, lore, and personal history, while reflecting on education, martial arts, and the island's transformation post-statehood.

Natalie Diaz collection

Honolulu, Hawaii

Play
Interview

Go to interview

Egyptt LaBeija

Trans rights activist, Godmother of LaBeija, and filmmaker

New York, NY

Jenna "J" Wortham
Collection

Egyptt LaBeija

LaBeija discusses her life, including her childhood, surviving on the piers of NYC, familial acceptance, embracing her trans identity, and finding love and stability amidst chaos, forging a path of resilience and self-awareness.

Jenna "J" Wortham collection

New York, NY

Play
Interview

# Faith and Spirituality

Go to interview

Lila McKay

Chicago native and advocate for early childhood development

Chicago, IL

Eve Ewing
Collection

Lila McKay

McKay discusses her early life at the Cabrini-Green projects, navigating teen pregnancy, fostering her children's education, attaining a chemistry degree at age fifty, nurturing her family, and her aspirations to open a daycare.

Eve Ewing collection

Chicago, IL

Play
Interview

Go to interview

Richard Pettiford

Educator, mentor to Black youth, and DJ

Portland, OR

Renée Watson
Collection

Richard Pettiford

As a beloved figure at Jefferson High School, Pettiford reflects on his childhood, career, the role Black women played in his journey, navigating fatherhood, and witnessing the impacts of gentrification in Portland.

Renée Watson collection

Portland, OR

Play
Interview

Go to interview

Adolphe Pierre-Louis

Haitian-born photojournalist

Albuquerque, NM

Ellery Washington
Collection

Adolphe Pierre-Louis

Pierre-Louis recounts growing up in Haiti and his path to becoming a distinguished photojournalist in New Mexico. He discusses encountering and overcoming racial profiling, his connection to his community, and bias education work.

Ellery Washington collection

Albuquerque, NM

Play
Interview

Go to interview

Nancy Rosado

Orlando, FL

Denice Frohman
Collection

Nancy Rosado

Rosado reflects on her experiences during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, work in mental health support within law enforcement, retirement, advocacy work, and commitment to documenting history through photography.

Denice Frohman collection

Orlando, FL

Play
Interview

Go to interview

Cheryl Russey

Long-time educator and Albuquerque native

Albuquerque, NM

Ellery Washington
Collection

Cheryl Russey

Russey shares her deep roots in Albuquerque, reflecting on her family's legacy, her career as a public school teacher for 45 years, raising children in a changing city, and her community involvement through church and relationships.

Ellery Washington collection

Albuquerque, NM

Play
Interview

Go to interview

Joycetta Woods

Arkansas-born telephone operator and Chicago resident

Chicago, IL

Eve Ewing
Collection

Joycetta Woods

Woods narrates her life path, from her childhood on an Arkansas farm to her move to Chicago during the Great Migration. She discusses the challenges of segregation, her education, work experiences, and the changes she witnessed.

Eve Ewing collection

Chicago, IL

Play
Interview

Shuffle Shuffle Shuffle Shuffle Shuffle Shuffle Shuffle
Expand
‘But I would never want to live in a world
with one race. I just wouldn’t.’
Glenda Love
curtain