Are you or someone, or a group, you know working on an oral history project and need help getting started? The Southwest Oral History Association will award up to three mini-grants with the total amount awarded up to $1500. The SOHA Mini-Grant applications are due by Wednesday, January 5, 2022. For more details and how to apply, visit https://www.southwestoralhistory.org/awards.html

Alva Moore Stevenson, Past President of the Southwest Oral History Association (2011-2013), is part of the efforts to recognize the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) all-Black 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Alva has supported the initiative to honor the 6888th, or “Six Triple Eight,” with the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal as the “first and only all-Black WAC unit deployed overseas during WWII” [1]. Her mother, Lydia Esther Thornton, served in the Six Triple Eight, inspiring Alva to share the story of her mother and other WWII women veterans. Alva wishes that her mother was alive to receive this honor, but she petitions to award the Six Triple Eight with the Gold Medal in her memory.

Thank you

The Southwest Oral History Association advances memory and community work through contributions from you and fellow oral historians. We are grateful for you as part of the SOHA family, acknowledging how you and many have sustained us these forty years since the organization began in 1981. 

We wish you and your loved ones all the best this holiday season and new year.

SOHA Membership
Your membership in SOHA provides meaningful opportunities for exchange and discussion of matters of common interest in oral history throughout the American Southwest and beyond.

SOHA membership dues apply only for the calendar year—so please renew your SOHA membership in January (if you are not already a lifetime member). Learn more about our membership at https://www.southwestoralhistory.org/mission.html, including how to join and/or renew your membership. Renew/Join SOHA directly via https://sworalhistory.square.site/.

Donate
We also welcome donations that support SOHA, including our annual conference, workshops, scholarships, and grants for oral history.

You can donate to SOHA at https://sworalhistory.square.site/. Scroll down the webpage to “Donate” or to the “General Fund.” You can click on either option to donate a specific amount to SOHA.

SOHA 2022 CFP
We would like to remind everyone to submit their proposals for the annual SOHA conference to be held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas this coming April 1-3, 2022 with the theme of “The Memories Matter: Oral History, Hope, and Community.”

This will be the first time SOHA plans to meet in person since the COVID-19 pandemic started, but there will be virtual options to participate in the conference too. We are accepting proposals until January 15, 2022 via this link: https://bit.ly/SOHA2022CFP.

See our conference webpage for more details: https://www.southwestoralhistory.org/conference.html. Please spread the word about the SOHA 2022 conference and call for proposals. 

SOHA Oral History 
In commemoration of SOHA’s recent 40th Anniversary, we are launching the SOHA Oral History Project to record and share memories of SOHA members. Anyone who wishes to share their experiences with SOHA or wants to conduct oral histories of SOHA and its members, please contact us at soha@unlv.edu. We plan to conduct some oral histories during the 2022 SOHA conference at UNLV.

SOHA 2022 Mini-Grants
SOHA is also accepting applications for the 2022 Mini-Grants for oral history projects. Applications are due by January 5, 2022. Learn more about the mini-grants and how to apply at https://www.southwestoralhistory.org/awards.html.

Thank you, and Happy Holidays! We hope to see you all (virtually and/or in person) in Las Vegas for SOHA 2022 in April.

-The Southwest Oral History Association

The Fall/Winter 2021 SOHA Newsletter is now available! Please download, read, and share it widely:

We have exciting updates from our SOHA family. SOHA President Dr. Farina King shares insights from SOHA at OHA 2021 and the special panel featuring SOHA’s 40th Anniversary. Folks can watch the recording of the SOHA at 40 panel on our SOHA YouTube channel:

The newsletter features contributions and articles from Dr. Summer Cherland, Jennifer Keil, Cynthia Castaneda, Ele Anedda, Joyce Moore, Teagan Dreyer, Midge Dellinger, SOHA 2021 Mini-Grant Recipient HD South (Home of the Gilbert Historical Museum), Dr. Francisco E. Balderrama, Daisy Herrera, and Dalena Sanderson-Hunter.

SOHA Secretary Dalena Sanderson-Hunter provides a report about the 16 July 2021 SOHA Membership Meeting, which addresses SOHA efforts and initiatives to “dismantle structural racism and the impact of bias in its guidance to oral history projects, educational programs and resources, and aid in securing funding for worthy oral history projects.”

SOHA 2022 Conference Co-Chairs Summer Cherland and Ryan Morini highlight the “Top 10 Reasons why you should present at the 2022 SOHA conference.” It’s time to organize and submit SOHA 2022 Conference proposals before January 2022. Remember to save the dates for SOHA 2022 April 1-3 at UNLV. Learn more about it and how to submit a proposal at https://www.southwestoralhistory.org/conference.html

We are also accepting applications for the 2022 SOHA Mini-Grants due by January 5, 2022. Visit our SOHA website for more details: https://www.southwestoralhistory.org/awards.html

Please renew your SOHA memberships and join us. We welcome donations to sustain our growing oral history programs and community-centered work. We appreciate and value all your support!

The Southwest Oral History Association announces the 2022 Annual Conference, “The Memories Matter: Oral History, Hope, and Community,” Call for Proposals.

We are accepting proposals until January 15, 2022 for the conference to be held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from April 1-3, 2022.

Please click on this link to fill out the form for proposal submissions: https://forms.gle/Jemhdv84ZZ6Cb5MS8

The Southwest Oral History Association is a non-profit organization that prioritizes academic and professional volunteerism, research, and membership. The limited funds we raise go toward administrative costs, scholarships, and research mini-grants. Therefore, we do not generally award financial honoraria for guest speakers, keynote addresses, or special performances, unless arranged through private donors.

Review our attached Call for Proposal announcement:

The Southwest Oral History Association is pleased to honor Dr. Francisco Balderrama and his body of work in oral history with the James V. Mink Award for 2021. We are delighted to honor Dr. Balderrama for a full career of outstanding contributions to the field of oral history.

Big news SOHA@OHA 2021 is on target, and we hope to see all of you at the Oral History Association (OHA) annual meeting hosted virtually, October 9-14, 2021. SOHA members receive a special discount on their conference registration. We emailed SOHA members with the link to register. Please email us at soha@unlv.edu if you have any questions.

Visit www.oralhistory.org/annual-meeting/ for more information. The deadline for proposals has passed, but we want to encourage as many people as possible to attend the SOHA at OHA 2021 virtual conference.

Save the dates for SOHA-sponsored sessions and activities at the OHA 2021 conference, including:

5:30 pm-7 pm Eastern Time (ET), Tuesday, October 12: SOHA Social Hour

12:30 pm-2 pm ET, Wednesday, October 13: SOHA at 40: Past Presidents and S’mores Remembering Challenges, Solutions, and Accomplishments

3 pm-4:30 pm ET, October 13: Southwest Oral History Association: Reactions from our first virtual boot camp

12:30 pm-2 pm ET, Thursday, October 14: SOHA Awards Ceremony

 For all SOHA members presenting at OHA, please let us know so that we can highlight your panels and designate your session as SOHA-sponsored. If you have any images to use for promotion, please share them with us.

We hope to see you all at SOHA@OHA 2021!

Here are some more SOHA affiliated sessions for the OHA 2021 virtual conference:

Congratulations to our 2021 SOHA Mini-Grant Recipients!