The University of Pittsburgh Library System is pleased to announce the online availability of 300+ oral histories of African American migrant and European immigrant populations to the Steel Valley.
Five audio oral history collections that are available in the Archives & Special Collections Department of the University Library System were digitized, transcribed and are now available online and was made possible through a grant from the Recordings at Risk Program of the Council on Library and Information Resources.
The interviews primarily highlight the experiences of minority communities, their lives, and their voices in Western Pennsylvania from the 1970s to the early 2000s. This project digitizes a selection of oral history materials related to African American and European immigrant workers in Pittsburgh’s Steel Valley. Combined, these materials will create a rich digital collection of primary sources sharing first-person accounts of African American migrants and European immigrant workers in the Pittsburgh area.
Electronic audio files and transcripts are now available on two of the Libraries Open Access digital libraries: Historic Pittsburgh and ULS Digital Collections.
Online access to these first-person narratives will enable researchers in the academic and community spheres to utilize a rich body of voices to explore the Pittsburgh region and its past.
Collections included in the Project:
Recordings of the Southern Blacks' Migration to Pittsburgh Oral History Project (1976) Created by Dr. Peter Gottlieb, as a Pitt Doctoral Student Project, this collection contains 33 cassettes/23 interviews documenting Southern Blacks’ relocation to the region during the Great Migration (1916-1930). Interviews discuss personal lives, labor strikes, and activities surrounding the steel industry.
Ethnic Fraternal Organizations Oral History Project Collection (1975-1976) Created by Pitt’s Department of History, this collection contains 422 cassettes/235 interviews exploring the roles and influences of ethnic fraternal organizations in Pittsburgh, including African American, Jewish, Croatian, Italian, and Polish groups.
Homestead Album Oral History Project Records (1975-1977) Created by Pitt’s Pennsylvania Ethnic Heritage Studies Center, this collection contains 31 cassettes/20 interviews with individuals from various ethnic backgrounds, including African American, Slovak, Irish, and Polish communities in the Steel Valley.
State and Local Government Archives Oral History Collection (1996-2002) Created by Pitt’s Archives Service Center, nine selected interviews with local African American political figures about regional politics.
Pittsburgh Renaissance Project: The Stanton Belfour Oral History Collection (1971-1973) Created by Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, five selected interviews on six cassettes capturing the Pittsburgh Renaissance redevelopment plan.
