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=CCHS Oral History Project= // “ We all have stories to tell, stories we have lived from the inside out. We give our experiences an order. We organize the memories of our lives into stories. Oral history listens to these stories. Oral history is the systematic collection of living people’s testimony about their own experiences. Historians have finally recognized that the everyday memories of everyday people, not just the rich and famous, have historical importance. If we do not collect and preserve those memories, those stories, then one day they will disappear forever.” //- Judith Moyer, [|Step-by-Step Guide to Oral History], 1993.

In //Life is So Good,// George Dawson shares his personal story of growing up in the segregated southernUnited States. He believes that it is important to remember and to pass on the story of his family and of his own life. In fact, sometimes his own memory is closer to the truth than newspapers written during his early years. For example, the lynching of his friend Pete was not mentioned in any newspaper.

Inspired by Dawson's life story, World History students at Coyle and Cassidy High School gathered the oral histories of family members and members of their communities. This website contains an archive of their stories, as well as student reflections on the interviewing experience.