Gateway to Merced Interviews
Principal Investigator:
- Jayson Beaster-Jones
Graduate Fellow Team Members:
- Chiquitha Aminsalehi
- Adam Fleenor
- Shiloh Green Soto
- María Elena Arias-Zelidón
Community Research Collaborators:
- Livingston Historical Society
Project Summary:
The Gateway to Merced Oral History project is designed to strengthen ties between UC Merced and the diverse ethnic and geographic communities of the City of Merced. We aim to contribute to the cultural and economic revitalization of the city and provide an inclusive, hands-on humanistic experience for residents of Merced County from every community. In conjunction with local stakeholders and organizations, we collected experiences of, and with, Merced residents to represent them in a variety of media and to weave the complex tapestry of our city’s peoples, institutions, and histories. In Summer 2021, researchers collected and documented archival data from the Livingston Historical Society, initiated planning for the Livingston Centennial Celebration, collected oral histories of members of Merced’s Black churches, generated an art map of public art in Merced city, and met weekly as a team with members of the Merced community.
Project Outcomes:
Film:
- Livingston Community Stories
Website:
Presentations:
- Beaster-Jones, Jayson. “Gateway to Merced.” University of California Merced, October 11, 2021.
- Beaster-Jones, Jayson. “Livingston Centennial Celebration Oral Histories.” Merced County Courthouse Museum, Merced, October 25, 2022.
Oral History Archive:
- Calisphere, UC Merced Library (in process)
