SHARE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA STORIES WITH SECOND AND THIRD SESSIONS OF VOICES OF DUPAGE

SHARE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA STORIES WITH SECOND AND THIRD SESSIONS OF VOICES OF DUPAGE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: August 9, 2016

DuPage County, Ill.—It can be easy to forget the stories of our ancestors. With the next two sessions of Voices of DuPage—an effort to record local accounts of Civil Rights Era experiences—the DuPage County Historical Museum (102 E. Wesley St. in Wheaton) will help make remembering them easier.

On August 11, 5:30-8P and September 10, 12-4P, DuPage County residents are encouraged to share their Civil Rights Era stories, said Michelle Podkowa, Museum Manager and Educator.

These accounts will be included in Voices of DuPage, a collaborative oral history initiative between DuPage museums, libraries, and historical organizations. The Museum has partnered locally with the Wheaton Public Library, for which Podkowa is “very excited.”

“In our community, the DuPage County Historical Museum and the Wheaton Public Library have chosen the Civil Rights Era as this year’s theme,” she said. “Any memories a resident experienced during that time is relevant to the larger story of DuPage County and the nation.”

Such experiences might include segregation, desegregation, boycotts, sit-ins, the March on Washington, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. and any other aspect of the period.

Podkowa hopes to build a versatile collection of poignant stories for posterity.

“The greatest part about Voices of DuPage is we will have these oral histories in our collection, available for exhibits and educational events to use as teaching tools,” she said.

Museum Curator Ashley Downing believes a community’s memories help shape its future.

“I think Voices of DuPage is a wonderful way of tying the community together,” she said. “It not only links individuals with museums and libraries, but also with each other. Many people have a shared memory, and we want to know what that is in DuPage and preserve it for the future.”

Interviews will be conducted and recorded in the Museum Auditorium.

Guests who can’t make it August 11 or September 10 have a final chance to preserve their Civil Rights Era experiences with Voices of DuPage on December 8, 5:30-8P.

To learn more about the Museum and interviews for Voices of DuPage, call 630.510.4941, visit dupagemuseum.org, or stop in at 102 E. Wesley St. in Wheaton

DuPage Historical Museum curator Ashley Downing tells WDCB News Reporter Gary Zidek about Voices of DuPage: