In the late 1990’s, the Krueger-Scott Cultural Center undertook an ambitious oral history project that conducted over 100 interviews with African American Newarkers who had migrated to the city between 1910-1970, as well as those whose local roots spanned generations. The project—led by KSCC Director Catherine Lenix-Hooker and project coordinator Mageline Little, with the assistance of historians Giles R. Wright II, Clement Alexander Price and the collective wisdom of volunteers from Bethany Baptist Church—generated a collection of narratives that offer a rich, nuanced understanding of Newark’s history.
Interviewees responded to a detailed 14-page questionnaire focusing on local life in Newark as well as on the migration experiences of those who undertook the journey and the lives they made for themselves upon arrival. Citizen volunteers were trained to interview their peers, resulting in narratives both data rich and conversational, allowing the listener an opportunity to eavesdrop on history by listening to those who made it.
Through the efforts of the Rutgers University-Newark Center for Migration and the Global City —in partnership with the Graduate Program in American Studies, Dana and Alexander Libraries, Newark Public Library, Newark Museum, New Jersey Historical Society and Randforce Associates—the digital indexing, cataloging and online archiving of the Krueger-Scott Collection will enable us all to better situate Newark and New Jersey history in both community and national narratives of the African American migration, civil rights struggles, and urban history.
Rights Statement
The content in this portal has been made available for preservation, research, and educational purposes. Individuals or organizations wishing to reproduce, publish, distribute, display, perform, or otherwise use any part of the portal content, other than by quoting excerpts as a fair use, must apply for and obtain written permission from the Center for Migration and the Global City at Rutgers University-Newark. In applying for such permission, the user will be required to describe the purpose of the work, the extent of the use, and the form in which it will appear. Proper attribution must be provided and the following credit line should appear in citations: Krueger-Scott African American Oral History Project, Center for Migration and the Global City, Rutgers University-Newark.
Credits
Samantha J. Boardman, Ph.D.
Project Manager/Campus and Community Relations
As a Project Manager, Boardman performed curation, maintained cross-institutional partnerships, trained graduate student workers in audio indexing software and entering preliminary metadata into the RU Core digital archive. Boardman supervised students in verifying provenance of project materials in support of rights and permissions documentation. Boardman developed exhibits and exhibition materials, curricula, and multimedia projects based on the collection.
Kalaivani Ananthan
Repository Applications Manager
RUL Integrated Information Systems
Provided guidance on the ingestion of digital resources from the Krueger-Scott collection into the RUCore digital repository.
Marty Barnett
Digital Applications Specialist
RUL Integrated Information Systems
As part of her responsibility for customizing RUCore portals, Barnett configured the repository search and display tool for use in the Krueger-Scott Portal to enable the selection and presentation of the collection resources for researchers.
Isaiah Beard
Digital Data Curator for RUcore
Determined and established best practices in digital asset management to ensure long-term preservation of and access to Krueger-Scott materials stored in the RUCore digital repository.
Mary Ann Koruth
Web/Graphic Designer
RUL Integrated Information Systems
Conceived the website design and coordinated the internal website development.
Yuhwei Ling
Web Developer
RUL Integrated Information Systems
Created the website architecture, in addition to generating coding and implementation.
Rhonda Marker
Repository Collection Manager
Consulted Krueger-Scott team members and stake holders on all aspects of the project.
Chad Mills
Digital Library Architect and Application Developer for the Rutgers Community Repository; RUcore
Managed the access to and retrieval of interviews across digital formats.
Krista White, MLIS
Project Manager/Digital Humanities and Digital Library Services
As a Project Manager, White liaised among Rutgers University Libraries (RUL), co-Project Manager Samantha Boardman and Center for Migration and the Global City (CMGC) Director Tim Raphael. White oversaw digital file stewardship and assisted with metadata cleanup, portal implementation, and quality control testing. White verified compliance with national metadata preservation standards determined by the Library of Congress (METS).
Janice T. Pilch
Copyright and Licensing Librarian
Applied legal expertise and addressed rights and permissions issues for the project, including legal analysis and description, due diligence, research, drafting of documentation, and negotiations.
Randforce Associates
Project Consultants
Established by Michael Frisch, the mission of Randforce Associates is to advance oral history scholarship and public practice in the digital age. (consultant team members: Michael Frisch, Douglas Lambert, Judith Weiland, Melanie Morse, and Arnold Alt)
Tim Raphael
Associate Professor of Arts, Culture and Media
Founding Director, Center for Migration and the Global City
Founding Director, Newest Americans
Rutgers University-Newark
Since 2009, Raphael has been coordinating the effort to ensure the preservation, discoverability, and accessibility of this remarkable collection.