Speaker 1: On theme is a production of iHeartRadio and fair Weather
Speaker 1: Friends Media.
Speaker 2: You are stars.
Speaker 3: When I think back to family gatherings past, I don't
Speaker 3: really remember the food I ate or the gifts I received.
Speaker 3: I don't remember what the weather was like, or who
Speaker 3: was on CPE time showing up to the function. I
Speaker 3: remember the laughter. I remember the story share Like when
Speaker 3: I visited my grandma after my grandpa had passed, she
Speaker 3: told me about the time he won the casino jackpot
Speaker 3: on Friday the thirteenth. He didn't speak the entire way home.
Speaker 3: He was gripping his gun and had his head on
Speaker 3: a swivel. Or when my big cousin came by the
Speaker 3: kid's table to let us know that everybody at the
Speaker 3: club mistook her for Eve because she had platinum blonde
Speaker 3: hair and Paw Prince tatted on her. And the thing is,
Speaker 3: those stories aren't going in nobody's American history textbook, but
Speaker 3: it's still a part.
Speaker 2: Of my family history.
Speaker 3: These small anecdotes make up a tapestry of what life
Speaker 3: was like for Grandma, Grandpa, Mama, Daddy, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins,
Speaker 3: that one person you're not really sure how you relate
Speaker 3: it to them, but they always around.
Speaker 2: So they family.
Speaker 3: It all adds up and it's all important.
Speaker 1: Sometimes the stories flow freely and other times they need
Speaker 1: some prompting, like that quiet uncle who just smokes his
Speaker 1: cigarettes and minds his business, but has a ton of tales.
Speaker 1: So today we're talking with annebar Johnson, an oral historian
Speaker 1: who created a guide specifically to help us keep the stories,
Speaker 1: the laughter, and the learning going. And i'm eves join
Speaker 1: us as we become armchair archivists.
Speaker 2: My name is Ambar Johnson.
Speaker 4: I'm an urban planner and oral historian based in New
Speaker 4: York City.
Speaker 1: Ambar created a guide to help us collect family oral
Speaker 1: histories just in time for gatherings.
Speaker 3: What goes into preparing to collect these stories.
Speaker 4: Just being really curious and having the time and space
Speaker 4: to really absorb and listen. In terms of oral history
Speaker 4: as a practice, it really is a preparation of the mind, body,
Speaker 4: and soul. You know, you have to really show people
Speaker 4: that you're listening. So that doesn't mean like scroll on
Speaker 4: on your phone while people are talking, like maintaining eye contact,
Speaker 4: being open that the questions that you want to ask
Speaker 4: or not the questions they want to answer, and being
Speaker 4: ready to go on the journey that they want to
Speaker 4: take you on, not the one that you thought that
Speaker 4: you were about to be on. So it's a lot
Speaker 4: of surrender that I think you have to have, and
Speaker 4: surrender and some humility as well.
Speaker 1: I'm glad that you brought up humility because I was
Speaker 1: thinking that it seems like you need to have a
Speaker 1: certain level of confidence too, so I could see how
Speaker 1: that doesn't need to venture too far into arrogance. But
Speaker 1: you have to be confident to be like, I'm the
Speaker 1: one to ask these questions and to get these answers
Speaker 1: from my family members. So what is your experience of
Speaker 1: gaining confidence to be able to collect these stories?
Speaker 4: The confidence it really came from curiosity, to be quite frank, like,
Speaker 4: I never thought of myself as like I'm the anointed
Speaker 4: one to go and ask these questions. I really just
Speaker 4: notice everyone's busy, and they're living their lives, and people
Speaker 4: are living in different places, and I just got cheered
Speaker 4: a lot of the times. I think some of the confidence,
Speaker 4: especially if you're in a larger family, is being okay
Speaker 4: with multiple truths, being that like you can grow up
Speaker 4: in the same household and there's how many people are
Speaker 4: in that household, there's that many perspectives. I noticed that people,
Speaker 4: especially family members, they are as comfortable with answering the
Speaker 4: questions as you are asking them.
Speaker 2: So if you're like him and and HI like, uh,
Speaker 2: you know, well I don't know, you know, but.
Speaker 4: I mean if you want to it's like nobody but
Speaker 4: I want why should I talk to you?
Speaker 2: You know, like you don't even know? Your question is
Speaker 2: what do you want to say?
Speaker 4: So just like clearly asking the question and creating the
Speaker 4: space for it to be answered starts to develop the
Speaker 4: confidence between both people to really open up. Because when
Speaker 4: you think about it, especially with black Southern families where
Speaker 4: the culture can be you know, children are meant to
Speaker 4: be seen and not heard of. A lot of us
Speaker 4: grew up with that, and also makes you think, well,
Speaker 4: when's the last time that my elder or this older
Speaker 4: person in my family, when was the last time they
Speaker 4: were truly heard?
Speaker 3: You did talk about like different family members having different
Speaker 3: perspectives on the same situation same time. How do you
Speaker 3: balance that when you're talking to family members? If you
Speaker 3: do balance it, because I know that in your guide
Speaker 3: you say it's not for social media or it's like
Speaker 3: for your family, But is there are you like, this
Speaker 3: is the record of what happened? Or do you just
Speaker 3: let it be that everybody says something half in a
Speaker 3: different way.
Speaker 2: Yeah, everybody says their piece.
Speaker 4: So one of the things I think is awesome about
Speaker 4: oral history and the practice two things.
Speaker 2: One, it's not.
Speaker 4: Necessarily about getting all the exact facts and when we're
Speaker 4: correct in that moment. It's really about understanding the events
Speaker 4: that happened over time from the perspective of the person
Speaker 4: who shared it, and in their perspective, you understand more
Speaker 4: about the context of their life, society and how that's
Speaker 4: shaped them. And two, the awesome thing about oral history
Speaker 4: is that you're recording these events for the future to
Speaker 4: take into consideration as they're moving through life.
Speaker 3: How do you navigate emotionally charged topic?
Speaker 2: One?
Speaker 4: I prepare myself what before even going in of like,
Speaker 4: am I even able to retain how I think of it?
Speaker 4: It's almost like if you were to ask someone how
Speaker 4: are you doing, and then they really told you how
Speaker 4: they felt, do you even have the capacity to listen
Speaker 4: to that and hold that no matter what it may be.
Speaker 4: That's really the orientation that I have just asking some
Speaker 4: of the questions in general, and then knowing that I
Speaker 4: may ask something a little personal.
Speaker 2: In relations to our black families.
Speaker 4: Sometimes I ask a heads up or I just test
Speaker 4: before like doing like a formal thing with them where
Speaker 4: I'm like recording and all.
Speaker 2: They'll be like, oh, well, you know.
Speaker 4: Like that's really hard, or I affirm the hard feeling
Speaker 4: or touchy subject, and if they want to share more,
Speaker 4: I let them. If they don't, I really just.
Speaker 2: Leave it at that.
Speaker 1: Are there any centering practices that you have before asking
Speaker 1: the questions to prepare or any that you've seen anybody
Speaker 1: else do that you would recommend.
Speaker 4: I make sure to take lots of walks and meditate.
Speaker 4: I create a lot of stillness for myself before and
Speaker 4: after to make sure that I'm fully present and I'm
Speaker 4: aware of how these stories are impacting me as well.
Speaker 3: Are there any other lessons or themes that you see
Speaker 3: as you collect these oral histories.
Speaker 4: I've really learned how to see people as people. I
Speaker 4: think at times within families that can be really hard
Speaker 4: to do because there's like particular roles that people play.
Speaker 4: It's just really inspiring to just see them as these
Speaker 4: as people, not just folks that I'm tethered to by
Speaker 4: blood or like the systems that I'm meant, but it's like, oh,
Speaker 4: I would actively choose to talk to you, like it's
Speaker 4: it's been really interesting to see how the relationships have
Speaker 4: changed by understanding their life more. And it's been really
Speaker 4: great too to just understand their values. I think that's
Speaker 4: that's really been a game changer.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's amazing how long you can know someone but
Speaker 3: not really know them because you never ask them much
Speaker 3: and they vice versas, never asked you that much, so
Speaker 3: you just know them as this like archaetype, like the
Speaker 3: bodybuilding uncle.
Speaker 2: Or you know the one who can cook real well, yeah.
Speaker 3: Like you. But it's like, yeah, like everyone's living like
Speaker 3: these whole complicated, messy, interesting lives and then all those
Speaker 3: stories are right there if if only you take some
Speaker 3: time to let them open up and you open up
Speaker 3: to them. You mentioned recording, Like, what are some tools
Speaker 3: that you use while collecting oral histories?
Speaker 4: You can use your phone if you want to record,
Speaker 4: just like the recording button that you have, and I
Speaker 4: would say it's even valuable too, it's just not record
Speaker 4: at all, like just being able to be present and.
Speaker 3: So once you record how do you save it? How
Speaker 3: do you preserve it? What's that process? Looking like?
Speaker 4: It's always good to have, like it's saved in three
Speaker 4: different places because you never know what will happen with technology.
Speaker 4: I use like my external drive to like organize by
Speaker 4: like date family member, and I've been thinking about like
Speaker 4: finding ways to transcribe those and print those so it
Speaker 4: can at least have it for the record, not just
Speaker 4: like for myself, but to share with other relatives too,
Speaker 4: and like future generations so that they can ask some
Speaker 4: follow up questions to another family member who may have
Speaker 4: that answer.
Speaker 3: Okay, this there's a multi layered process going on.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's it's a lot of work, like honestly, like
Speaker 4: it's a lot of steward and like fine combing and
Speaker 4: typing and all that other stuff. So I don't recommend
Speaker 4: you doing it by yourself, like and like really like
Speaker 4: getting help because it's I don't think it's something that
Speaker 4: someone should be doing alone because it is just so much.
Speaker 4: But often I think everybody knows that person and their
Speaker 4: family who's the one who has all the photos and
Speaker 4: knows all the stories.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but also everyone has such different relationships with each other,
Speaker 3: and I saw in the guide you said start with
Speaker 3: dessert first, like the people who you like and who
Speaker 3: like you, So that's going to be different for everybody, right,
Speaker 3: So having multiple people is like, okay, well, I know
Speaker 3: you really get along with cousin Pam, and you know,
Speaker 3: I want to go talk to Peaches, And.
Speaker 1: I know you were going to say Peach.
Speaker 2: Everybody got to Peaches. You gotta teaches in your family. Yes, too.
Speaker 3: Do I know her real name? Absolutely not. I know
Speaker 3: it's not Peaches, but like spreading that around so everybody
Speaker 3: is involved, and like there's more skin in the game
Speaker 3: for everybody in the family or for more people in
Speaker 3: the family. Where can folks be in contact with you
Speaker 3: or follow you on the inner webs.
Speaker 4: So you can find me for the most part of
Speaker 4: my newsletter, my Dandelion Studios newsletter on flow desk. You
Speaker 4: can find me there to share more stories practices than
Speaker 4: my journey as I try to figure this out.
Speaker 3: Thank you so much for coming on with us, and
Speaker 3: I love this conversation. I am getting ready for when
Speaker 3: I see my family on Christmas.
Speaker 1: Yes, a lot of people will get a lot of
Speaker 1: value out of this and be able to have such
Speaker 1: intimate and loving conversations with people and their family from
Speaker 1: this in ways that I think feel so accessible that
Speaker 1: they don't have to, like you said, feel intimidated by it.
Speaker 1: So I think it's really nice that you've provided this
Speaker 1: for everybody.
Speaker 4: Oh, thank you so much for making space to talk
Speaker 4: about because it's really exciting.
Speaker 2: Thank you and thank you anytime. Thanks y'all.
Speaker 3: More on collecting family histories after the break. Okay, So
Speaker 3: to summarize Ambar's astute points, be upfront. Let your family
Speaker 3: members know what you want to do, that you want
Speaker 3: to ask them some questions, and have those questions prepared.
Speaker 3: That being said, let the conversation flow. The guide is
Speaker 3: just that, a guide, it's not a roadmap. Other things
Speaker 3: might come up and that's great. And remember to not
Speaker 3: press too hard. If someone isn't comfortable answering certain questions,
Speaker 3: that's okay. Let the conversation flow and move on to
Speaker 3: a different topic. This guide is for the entire family,
Speaker 3: Ambar says. Don't feel pressure to put it all on
Speaker 3: yourself to collect these family stories. Get some folks who
Speaker 3: are interested too to join you. You'll have fun and you'll
Speaker 3: create a stronger bond. And now eas will put Mbar's
Speaker 3: guide to use as she speaks with one of her
Speaker 3: family members, Larry Miller.
Speaker 1: I wanted to talk to you about some of your
Speaker 1: family stories. Where were you born and when were you born?
Speaker 2: And what's your name?
Speaker 5: My name is Larry Thomas Miller. I was born in Atlanta,
Speaker 5: October to twenty eighth, nineteen forty nine, Grady Memorial Hospital.
Speaker 5: I'm a Grady baby. My parents, I loved them so
Speaker 5: and they was from Jonesboro, Georgia, And that's basically who
Speaker 5: I am and where I came from.
Speaker 1: So do you have any favorite memories from your childhood?
Speaker 6: Yeah, one was my father.
Speaker 5: I never will forget. I was in high school and
Speaker 5: he allowed me to go to a basketball game. And
Speaker 5: my high school was Samuel Howard Archer. We lived in
Speaker 5: Perry Holmes, which was the Projects, and basically he told
Speaker 5: me I could go, and so when I went out
Speaker 5: the door, he came out of the door and he screamed.
Speaker 6: You better be home by ten thirty, and all of
Speaker 6: my friends laughed.
Speaker 5: And that was my nickname all the way through high school,
Speaker 5: ten thirty. In my year book, they called me ten thirty.
Speaker 5: So that's one that I'll never forget. That my dad
Speaker 5: giving me the nickname ten thirty.
Speaker 2: Were you back by ten thirty?
Speaker 1: No, I figured And all this was in Atlanta, right.
Speaker 6: Yes, And it lasted in period home of a period boulevard.
Speaker 2: So he was strict.
Speaker 6: He was very strict.
Speaker 1: So do you still feel like that, you still enjoyed
Speaker 1: your time in your childhood?
Speaker 3: Oh?
Speaker 6: I wouldn't.
Speaker 5: I wouldn't. It made me the man I am today.
Speaker 5: I never would forget. One of the first jobs I
Speaker 5: had was I to Plains Georgia and I met Jimmy
Speaker 5: Carter when he was just a peanut farmer. He wasn't
Speaker 5: he was just he was growing peanuts, him and his
Speaker 5: brother's Billy, and he hadn't he wasn't even the air
Speaker 5: and even been the governor yet. And he allowed us,
Speaker 5: gave us a little plot of land where we put
Speaker 5: up our first brick creek plant and we started making
Speaker 5: brick creek and which was a hollow, low bearing block
Speaker 5: but the size of a brick. And we built houses
Speaker 5: out of that. And the first project was in Plains Georgia.
Speaker 5: We built African Village in Plains Georgia, which is there today,
Speaker 5: and we built it for the black people.
Speaker 1: And I think my last question is how do you
Speaker 1: feel about your life today? I know that's a big question.
Speaker 5: At my age of seventy four, I can really say
Speaker 5: that I'm proud of myself, of who I am. I'm
Speaker 5: really at peace. Came a full circle. But at seventy four,
Speaker 5: I'm still full of energy and I'm just really waiting
Speaker 5: to be spiritually led. Everything I ever did, I've been
Speaker 5: spiritually led. And one thing I found out is that
Speaker 5: when I spiritually led to do something, all resources are
Speaker 5: there for me. But when I try to force things
Speaker 5: and as they say, plan and before and push things
Speaker 5: forward without first being heaving the vision, it fails. So
Speaker 5: at this point I'm still a visionary, I'm still spiritually led,
Speaker 5: and I just thank God for the life that I have. Now.
Speaker 3: That was a great interview, Eves. I never knew all
Speaker 3: that about Larry.
Speaker 1: I want to thank you. I learned quite a bit
Speaker 1: from Mbar's guide, and I was really happy to talk
Speaker 1: to Larry. I mean, he has a great story, so
Speaker 1: it was a good time.
Speaker 3: Larry makes your job easy exactly.
Speaker 2: Thanks Larry.
Speaker 3: And now it's time for role credits, the segment where
Speaker 3: we give credit to a person in place or thing
Speaker 3: throughout the week.
Speaker 1: And today we'll be doing our role credits with Ambar
Speaker 1: from the beginning of the.
Speaker 3: Episode, Eves, Who or what would you like to give
Speaker 3: credit to this week?
Speaker 1: I think that I would like to give credit to
Speaker 1: people who are really open, So people who are open
Speaker 1: to strangers and being personable and loving and operating and
Speaker 1: loving kindness with people that they don't know, people who
Speaker 1: are empathetic. I think that's what I want to give
Speaker 1: credit to today.
Speaker 3: Nice, I would like to give credit to workers. I've
Speaker 3: been thinking more about my position, my class position, and
Speaker 3: we've seen a lot of strikes and union organizing, labor
Speaker 3: organizing this year, and I've I've been thinking more of
Speaker 3: myself as working class. I feel like middle class is
Speaker 3: like a fake term they've given us to make us
Speaker 3: a little complaceance.
Speaker 1: And middle has a wide range. Middle can mean a lot.
Speaker 3: Of things, but it's like you're working class if you
Speaker 3: have to work to live. Yes, and that's me. So
Speaker 3: I would give credit to the workers of the world,
Speaker 3: am Bar. Who or what would you like to give
Speaker 3: credit to?
Speaker 4: I think, naturally, who I would like to give credit
Speaker 4: to are all the family historians, the unsung heroes of
Speaker 4: our memories us and stewards of our culture. They do
Speaker 4: a lot of research and spend a lot of time
Speaker 4: figuring out the things that a lot of us want
Speaker 4: to know and having those answers for us and passing them.
Speaker 2: So yeah, shout outs to all the family historians. I
Speaker 2: love it.
Speaker 1: And you can keep up with Ambar through her newsletter
Speaker 1: Dandy Lyons Studios. And you can find a link to
Speaker 1: Ambar's guide on collecting family stories in this episode's description
Speaker 1: or in the show notes for this episode at on
Speaker 1: Theme dot Show.
Speaker 3: And that's all for this week. See you next time.
Speaker 1: See you on the Flip Side. On Theme is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio and Fairweather Friends Media. This episode was
Speaker 1: written by Eves Jeffco and Katie Mitchell. It was edited
Speaker 1: and produced by Tari Harrison. Follow us on Instagram at
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