In November 2005, LSU transferred more than 200 copies of taped interviews documenting the history of Old South Baton Rouge to the Carver Branch Library at a reception hosted by the Community University Partnership and the East Baton Rouge Parish Library System.

Petra Munro Hendry, Ph.D., director of the McKinley High School Oral History Project, described the ten year collaborative relationship between the College of Education, T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History, School of Social Work, Service Learning Center and the Old South Baton Rouge Community as “An example of the possibilities for action research in building community.” Dr. Hendry is an Associate Professor in the College’s Department of Curriculum & Instruction.

With impact nationally and locally, these oral histories highlight the important role the Old South Baton Rouge community played in the civil rights movement. The tapes include narratives on the 1953 Baton Rouge bus boycott, the pioneering strides in education for African Americans, and some of the earliest documented organizing for voting rights. These oral histories also capture the history of the churches, businesses, social clubs, and organizations in the Old South Baton Rouge area.

Remarking on the McKinley High School students who documented and preserved their own history with the initial interviews of Old South Baton Rouge residents, Dr. Hendry said, “This speaks to the vast potential of high school students to be active agents in the writing of history not just passive recipients. Research of this nature enhances our understandings of who we are as community and the profound potential of collaboration.”

Assistant Professor Lilly Allen’s social work students formatted the materials electronically to facilitate searches and created a paper form for borrowing. LSU service-learning students listened to the tapes and wrote abstracts to accompany the audio material. Now that the tapes are housed at the Carver Branch Library, students and the general public will have the opportunity to listen to the rich history of this community from the perspectives of those who lived it.