Becoming Armchair Archivists

On theme is a production of iHeartRadio and fair Weather Friends Media.

You are stars.

When I think back to family gatherings past, I don't really remember the food I ate or the gifts I received. I don't remember what the weather was like, or who was on CPE time showing up to the function. I remember the laughter. I remember the story share Like when I visited my grandma after my grandpa had passed, she told me about the time he won the casino jackpot on Friday the thirteenth. He didn't speak the entire way home. He was gripping his gun and had his head on

Of my family history.

These small anecdotes make up a tapestry of what life was like for Grandma, Grandpa, Mama, Daddy, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, that one person you're not really sure how you relate it to them, but they always around.

So they family.

It all adds up and it's all important.

Sometimes the stories flow freely and other times they need some prompting, like that quiet uncle who just smokes his cigarettes and minds his business, but has a ton of tales. So today we're talking with annebar Johnson, an oral historian who created a guide specifically to help us keep the stories, the laughter, and the learning going. And i'm eves join us as we become armchair archivists.

My name is Ambar Johnson.

I'm an urban planner and oral historian based in New York City.

Ambar created a guide to help us collect family oral histories just in time for gatherings.

What goes into preparing to collect these stories.

Just being really curious and having the time and space to really absorb and listen. In terms of oral history as a practice, it really is a preparation of the mind, body, and soul. You know, you have to really show people

I'm glad that you brought up humility because I was thinking that it seems like you need to have a certain level of confidence too, so I could see how that doesn't need to venture too far into arrogance. But you have to be confident to be like, I'm the one to ask these questions and to get these answers from my family members. So what is your experience of gaining confidence to be able to collect these stories?

The confidence it really came from curiosity, to be quite frank, like, I never thought of myself as like I'm the anointed one to go and ask these questions. I really just notice everyone's busy, and they're living their lives, and people are living in different places, and I just got cheered

So if you're like him and and HI like, uh, you know, well I don't know, you know, but.

I mean if you want to it's like nobody but I want why should I talk to you?

You know, like you don't even know? Your question is what do you want to say?

So just like clearly asking the question and creating the space for it to be answered starts to develop the confidence between both people to really open up. Because when you think about it, especially with black Southern families where the culture can be you know, children are meant to be seen and not heard of. A lot of us grew up with that, and also makes you think, well, when's the last time that my elder or this older person in my family, when was the last time they were truly heard?

You did talk about like different family members having different perspectives on the same situation same time. How do you balance that when you're talking to family members? If you do balance it, because I know that in your guide you say it's not for social media or it's like for your family, But is there are you like, this is the record of what happened? Or do you just let it be that everybody says something half in a different way.

Yeah, everybody says their piece.

So one of the things I think is awesome about oral history and the practice two things.

One, it's not.

Necessarily about getting all the exact facts and when we're correct in that moment. It's really about understanding the events that happened over time from the perspective of the person who shared it, and in their perspective, you understand more about the context of their life, society and how that's shaped them. And two, the awesome thing about oral history is that you're recording these events for the future to take into consideration as they're moving through life.

How do you navigate emotionally charged topic?

One?

I prepare myself what before even going in of like, am I even able to retain how I think of it? It's almost like if you were to ask someone how are you doing, and then they really told you how they felt, do you even have the capacity to listen to that and hold that no matter what it may be. That's really the orientation that I have just asking some of the questions in general, and then knowing that I may ask something a little personal.

In relations to our black families.

Sometimes I ask a heads up or I just test before like doing like a formal thing with them where I'm like recording and all.

They'll be like, oh, well, you know.

Like that's really hard, or I affirm the hard feeling or touchy subject, and if they want to share more, I let them. If they don't, I really just.

Leave it at that.

Are there any centering practices that you have before asking the questions to prepare or any that you've seen anybody else do that you would recommend.

I make sure to take lots of walks and meditate. I create a lot of stillness for myself before and after to make sure that I'm fully present and I'm aware of how these stories are impacting me as well.

Are there any other lessons or themes that you see as you collect these oral histories.

I've really learned how to see people as people. I think at times within families that can be really hard to do because there's like particular roles that people play. It's just really inspiring to just see them as these as people, not just folks that I'm tethered to by blood or like the systems that I'm meant, but it's like, oh, I would actively choose to talk to you, like it's it's been really interesting to see how the relationships have

Yeah, it's amazing how long you can know someone but not really know them because you never ask them much and they vice versas, never asked you that much, so you just know them as this like archaetype, like the bodybuilding uncle.

Or you know the one who can cook real well, yeah.

Like you. But it's like, yeah, like everyone's living like these whole complicated, messy, interesting lives and then all those stories are right there if if only you take some time to let them open up and you open up to them. You mentioned recording, Like, what are some tools that you use while collecting oral histories?

You can use your phone if you want to record, just like the recording button that you have, and I would say it's even valuable too, it's just not record at all, like just being able to be present and.

So once you record how do you save it? How do you preserve it? What's that process? Looking like?

It's always good to have, like it's saved in three different places because you never know what will happen with technology.

Okay, this there's a multi layered process going on.

Yeah, it's it's a lot of work, like honestly, like it's a lot of steward and like fine combing and typing and all that other stuff. So I don't recommend you doing it by yourself, like and like really like getting help because it's I don't think it's something that someone should be doing alone because it is just so much. But often I think everybody knows that person and their family who's the one who has all the photos and knows all the stories.

Yeah, but also everyone has such different relationships with each other, and I saw in the guide you said start with dessert first, like the people who you like and who like you, So that's going to be different for everybody, right, So having multiple people is like, okay, well, I know you really get along with cousin Pam, and you know, I want to go talk to Peaches, And.

I know you were going to say Peach.

Everybody got to Peaches. You gotta teaches in your family. Yes, too.

Do I know her real name? Absolutely not. I know it's not Peaches, but like spreading that around so everybody is involved, and like there's more skin in the game for everybody in the family or for more people in the family. Where can folks be in contact with you or follow you on the inner webs.

So you can find me for the most part of my newsletter, my Dandelion Studios newsletter on flow desk. You can find me there to share more stories practices than my journey as I try to figure this out.

Thank you so much for coming on with us, and I love this conversation. I am getting ready for when I see my family on Christmas.

Yes, a lot of people will get a lot of value out of this and be able to have such intimate and loving conversations with people and their family from this in ways that I think feel so accessible that they don't have to, like you said, feel intimidated by it. So I think it's really nice that you've provided this for everybody.

Oh, thank you so much for making space to talk about because it's really exciting.

Thank you and thank you anytime. Thanks y'all.

More on collecting family histories after the break. Okay, So to summarize Ambar's astute points, be upfront. Let your family members know what you want to do, that you want to ask them some questions, and have those questions prepared. That being said, let the conversation flow. The guide is just that, a guide, it's not a roadmap. Other things might come up and that's great. And remember to not press too hard. If someone isn't comfortable answering certain questions,

I wanted to talk to you about some of your family stories. Where were you born and when were you born?

And what's your name?

My name is Larry Thomas Miller. I was born in Atlanta, October to twenty eighth, nineteen forty nine, Grady Memorial Hospital. I'm a Grady baby. My parents, I loved them so and they was from Jonesboro, Georgia, And that's basically who I am and where I came from.

So do you have any favorite memories from your childhood?

Yeah, one was my father.

I never will forget. I was in high school and he allowed me to go to a basketball game. And my high school was Samuel Howard Archer. We lived in Perry Holmes, which was the Projects, and basically he told me I could go, and so when I went out the door, he came out of the door and he screamed.

You better be home by ten thirty, and all of my friends laughed.

And that was my nickname all the way through high school, ten thirty. In my year book, they called me ten thirty. So that's one that I'll never forget. That my dad giving me the nickname ten thirty.

Were you back by ten thirty?

No, I figured And all this was in Atlanta, right.

Yes, And it lasted in period home of a period boulevard.

So he was strict.

He was very strict.

So do you still feel like that, you still enjoyed your time in your childhood?

Oh?

I wouldn't.

I wouldn't. It made me the man I am today. I never would forget. One of the first jobs I had was I to Plains Georgia and I met Jimmy Carter when he was just a peanut farmer. He wasn't he was just he was growing peanuts, him and his brother's Billy, and he hadn't he wasn't even the air and even been the governor yet. And he allowed us, gave us a little plot of land where we put up our first brick creek plant and we started making brick creek and which was a hollow, low bearing block

And I think my last question is how do you feel about your life today? I know that's a big question.

At my age of seventy four, I can really say that I'm proud of myself, of who I am. I'm really at peace. Came a full circle. But at seventy four, I'm still full of energy and I'm just really waiting to be spiritually led. Everything I ever did, I've been spiritually led. And one thing I found out is that when I spiritually led to do something, all resources are there for me. But when I try to force things and as they say, plan and before and push things

That was a great interview, Eves. I never knew all that about Larry.

I want to thank you. I learned quite a bit from Mbar's guide, and I was really happy to talk to Larry. I mean, he has a great story, so it was a good time.

Larry makes your job easy exactly.

Thanks Larry.

And now it's time for role credits, the segment where we give credit to a person in place or thing throughout the week.

And today we'll be doing our role credits with Ambar from the beginning of the.

Episode, Eves, Who or what would you like to give credit to this week?

I think that I would like to give credit to people who are really open, So people who are open to strangers and being personable and loving and operating and loving kindness with people that they don't know, people who are empathetic. I think that's what I want to give credit to today.

Nice, I would like to give credit to workers. I've been thinking more about my position, my class position, and we've seen a lot of strikes and union organizing, labor organizing this year, and I've I've been thinking more of myself as working class. I feel like middle class is like a fake term they've given us to make us a little complaceance.

And middle has a wide range. Middle can mean a lot.

Of things, but it's like you're working class if you have to work to live. Yes, and that's me. So I would give credit to the workers of the world, am Bar. Who or what would you like to give credit to?

I think, naturally, who I would like to give credit to are all the family historians, the unsung heroes of our memories us and stewards of our culture. They do a lot of research and spend a lot of time figuring out the things that a lot of us want to know and having those answers for us and passing them.

So yeah, shout outs to all the family historians. I love it.

And you can keep up with Ambar through her newsletter Dandy Lyons Studios. And you can find a link to Ambar's guide on collecting family stories in this episode's description or in the show notes for this episode at on Theme dot Show.

And that's all for this week. See you next time.

See you on the Flip Side. On Theme is a production of iHeartRadio and Fairweather Friends Media. This episode was written by Eves Jeffco and Katie Mitchell. It was edited and produced by Tari Harrison. Follow us on Instagram at on Themeshow. You can also send us an email at hello at on Theme dot Show. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.