? Speaker 1: The Missouri State Journal, a weekly program, keeping you in touch with Missouri State University. Nicki Donnelson: Many would say, "Springfield is a friendly city with an ugly past." However, it's more than the lynching’s that took place on the square in 1906, that tarnished the reputation. To more fully understand the cultural climate that has been prevalent in the Ozarks for so long, three Missouri State University Faculty members have developed a living archive of testimonials and oral histories of the African American experience in the Ozarks. I'm Nicki Donnelson. Today, I have Lyle Foster and Lucie Amberg as my guests. Foster, an Instructor in the Sociology Department, tells us about the project, The Journey Continues. Lyle Foster: It's really looking at a particular time period for the African American community in Springfield. Obviously, most of the community is aware of some of the things that happened at the earlier part, in terms of the 1900s, but we're looking at a particular, since the event in the square in 1906, what was the day-to-day life like for the African American community, and in what ways was it like other communities in the country, and in what ways was it singular or unique to life here in the Ozarks? Nicki Donnelson: Through the interviews the team has conducted, Foster says they are learning more about historical Springfield. Including neighborhoods and shopping districts, that had been all but forgotten. This work, supported by a grant from the Missouri Humanities Council, will preserve the stories and reveal the landscape for future generations. Lyle Foster: We've heard some wonderful, and I would be happy to say amazing stories, of life in Springfield and in the larger Ozarks. Particularly during the 1950s and '60s, and '70s, and they're talking about things such as going to Lincoln High School, which of course, was an all-black high school that was very pivotal to the life of the black community in Springfield. They're talking about Springfield, in terms of the day-to-day experience here, as there were national events, such as the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, or John Kennedy. Obviously, public accommodations was another very interesting issue, because there was segregation here in Springfield, so when you couldn't go to particular restaurants or stores, what was the experience like to look in the window, but perhaps could not go in, or if you could go in, you had to go in through a particular door. And so, it's kind of getting those day-to-day experiences, and we're also hearing things that we didn't know before, kind of about an area, for example, called Jones Alley, which was a black business district, which was very, very vibrant, but today, it doesn't exist and many people today, never heard about it. We're also hearing about the names of neighborhoods that don't exist in the same form anymore, as well. Nicki Donnelson: The project began as Foster and Dr. Tim Knapp, also a Sociologist, collaborated on a series of KSMU interviews in Spring, 2016. They saw a potential in spreading the stories further and documenting them more thoroughly. So, they requested assistance from Amberg, Per Course Faculty member, who also serves as the Strategic Communication Specialist for the College of Arts and Letters. Eagerly, she jumped at the chance to join this effort. Lucie Amberg: We decided we would treat this as a living history, because it is the Journey Continues, it's about the story as it's unfolded, as it will continue to unfold in the future, and so we decided a website would be a good home base for all of those pieces of content, and we wanted to look at the different ways to tell the story. So, as someone who teaches Media, and Journalism, and Film, I was really interested in what do we do, how do we use the tools of digital storytelling to capture this part of history that's so big and so multi-faceted? We're now looking at different ways to meet with people in the community. Record them on video. Record them on audio. We're writing, and this content, all becomes sort of a mosaic of these different experiences that we hope will create a very rich picture. Nicki Donnelson: Amberg notes, "That the funding for the Missouri Humanities Council, has been critical in producing the videos and web components." Though many stories have been collected, the team hopes that more will be revealed and unveiled, as more people hear about the project. Lucie Amberg: There is an end date on the grant itself, but our vision for this has been that this is project that can live, and breathe, and from my field, that's one of the interesting things about it. I love the idea that maybe a future journalism student could contribute a story, because it is the Journey Continues. It's about how this story is going to continue to stretch on and unfold. Lyle Foster: But, if there are people in our larger community who are interested, they may be sharing their experiences. Particularly in previous decades, of what life was like, how they maybe came to Springfield, how did they experience Springfield growing up, in terms of what were the jobs in the community? What was significant experiences that they had growing up in Springfield? We're still interested in those stories. Nicki Donnelson: The work of Foster, Amberg, and Knapp, can be found at missouristate.edu/journey. If you or someone you know would like to share your story, you can contact them through the Journey Continues website. Again, that's missouristate.edu/journey. That was Lyle Foster and Lucie Amberg. I'm Nicki Donnelson for the Missouri State Journal. Speaker 1: For more information, contact the office of University Communications at 417-836-6397. The Missouri State Journal is available online at KSMU.org.