Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Online

BCRI Oral History Project

Documenting the Movement

Since 1994, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute has conducted and preserved over 400 interviews with Movement leaders, participants and historians, as well as local community members, businesspersons and elected officials.

<Oral History project director, Dr. Horace Huntley (l), interviews Movement participant Theodore Hendricks (r).

Transcripts, Video & Audio recordings
Oral History Project interviews are available to the public in a variety of formats, including print transcripts, video recordings, and audio tape recordings. Go to the Online Resource Gallery to view video clips or visit the BCRI Archives in person to access this vast collection of stories that document social change in Birmingham and the U.S. South during the 20th century.

On-going project
The BCRI Oral History Project is an on-going initiative of the BCRI Archives. Project Director and University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) faculty member, Dr. Horace Huntley, conducts interviews on a continual basis while also working on a book of selected oral history interviews to be published in 2004 by the University of Illinois Press.

Project Support We thank The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Alabama Power Company and BellSouth for funding that enabled purchase of broadcast-quality video equipment now used in filming all Oral History Project interviews.

What is Oral History?

Oral history is the oldest form of gathering and preserving memories of the past.

The carrier of the historical tradition in the ancient African empire of Mali was the griot. Today, oral history is accomplished by finding individuals willing to share their stories in a formal interview setting recorded for posterity.

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