Share Your Story
How you can contribute
Oral histories have traditionally been conducted with an interviewer asking questions to a narrator (interviewee). But, other options exist for documenting personal experiences. This page lists some options, including: (a) recording your own oral history; (b) sharing journal or diary entries; (c) showcasing forms of creative expression, such as poetry, mele, or art; and (d) interviewing the oral history of a family member or friend.
(A) Record your own oral history
In a traditional oral history, an interviewer will ask you questions to answer. For this project, you will be answering a set of questions that will help future researchers understand the impacts of COVID-19 on people's daily lives. Click here to see the questions and learn more about what it takes to interview yourself.
(B) Share journal or diary entries
Columbia University also recently announced a project titled "NYC COVID-19 Oral History, Narrative and Memory Archive" that will draw on survey data, life history interviews, and written testimonials in the form of diary entries to document the lived experiences of individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following Columbia's lead, we are also asking for your written testimonials about how COVID-19 has impacted you and your ʻohana.
(C) showcase your creativity
Many people are finding creative outlets to pass the time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have art you would like to share as part of our project, please upload a picture (or video) to the form here. Poetry, mele, and other forms of creative expression are welcome.
(D) Interview a family member
If you want to conduct your own oral history interview, we encourage you to sit down with a family member and record their life story. You can start your own family genealogy this way, or build on an existing genealogy. Keeping good social distancing practices in mind, set aside at least 30 minutes to sit in a quiet place and record. You can also record an interview over the phone or online through a platform like Zoom to practice good social distancing. If you want to create a video recording, click here to see how to do so on Zoom. The Voice Recorder or Voice Memos apps are pre-installed on Microsoft or Mac computers for audio only options. You can also record on your smart phone with Voice Memos for iPhone users or a free recording app for Android users.
If you would like more information about how to conduct your own oral history please contact us.