August Wilson House’s Your Story Matters project presents “Uncovering the History in Your Attic,” Thursday, Feb. 24. The virtual event is from 6-8 pm.
The Black History Month program will feature two components. The first is an unveiling of a collection of oral histories done of residents, teachers, activists, artists, and others who have ties to the Hill District. The histories and multimedia projects were done in collaboration with local writers and photographers, and with University of Pittsburgh students who are part of the Digital Narrative and Interactive Design class taught by Dr. Jessica FitzPatrick.
Your Story Matters is an initiative that is part of August Wilson House’s community outreach. It is designed to inspire and educate Hill residents, and others, to use oral histories as a tool for documenting family ancestry and history. The collection of oral histories will become a part of August Wilson House’s archives and be used by researchers, families, or others interested in knowing the history of the Hill and its people.
Ervin Dyer, an August Wilson House board member who coordinates Your Story Matters, said that oral histories help to “unsilence” the broad social, economic, political, and family dynamics that were – and remain – a part of Hill District life and history.
“Unfortunately, too often African American stories are devalued. We hope this workshop will show participants the value of working to preserve their families’ history.”
The students’ multimedia projects are also designed to give families a sense of how creative and vibrant the oral histories and storytelling can be.
The second component will feature a workshop on preserving and telling histories through family artifacts. It will be led by Monica Haynes, an award-winning writer and amateur genealogist, who has been researching her family history for more than 20 years.
Her workshop, “What’s In The Box?” will explore how family trinkets and other material treasures can help participants uncover family stories.
“Every find doesn’t have to be something worthy of ‘The Antique Road Show,’” she said, “but seemingly insignificant items can help tell the story of a family or ancestor.”
She believes every family should know the stories behind how they came to be.
The program is done in partnership with Pitt’s Hill District Community Engagement Center.
August Wilson House is a community arts center that will live in the restored Hill District home where the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, August Wilson, was born and lived the first part of his life. The center is scheduled to open in 2022.
To register for the free virtual workshop event on Feb. 24, email Dyer at edyer@pitt.edu.
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