Black United Front Oral History Project

Biography, Historical Narrative, Language

This exhibit focuses on biography: the specifics and nuances of individual lives. Our curatorial voice seeks to convey the pluralistic and encompassing approach of the BUF. We understand the intent of activists to be inclusive in their orientation toward social justice and shared ancestry, rather than to reify racial thinking. Our editorial policy is to represent the descriptor "Black" with a capital "B" when the sources compel us. Readers will notice some varied usage--black, Black, and African American, and occasionally "Negro"--in the quoted narratives. This variance reflects the language and perspective of the individual narrators. None of these categories or rhetorics are a "perfect fit." Instead, this exhibit acknowledges the utterly historical and imperfect nature of language to express human truths, truths which rarely stand still.

Patricia Schechter, Ph.D., Professor of History, Portland State University

Research and Curation

Rebekah Averette, Jackie Casem, Ken Coleman, Mike Dicianna, Alecia Giombolini, Alexandra Hawes, Adam LaMascus, Kira Lesley, Rell Ohlson, Joshua Ross, Ryan Wisnor