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ËÄÉ«AV and KEDM partner with City of West Monroe for Oral History Project

Published April 26, 2024

WM Oral History

CAPTION: Representatives from ËÄÉ«AV, KEDM Public Radio, and the City of West Monroe pose with participants of the oral history project. Twelve West Monroe residents were interviewed for the project.ÌýÌý


WEST MONROE, LA – The University of Louisiana Monroe and KEDM Public Radio recently partnered with the City of West Monroe for the West Monroe Oral History Project in honor of the city’s 140th birthday in 2023. A special presentation of the project was held at the West Monroe Convention Center on April 16, 2024. The event was co-hosted by the West Ouachita Senior Center.ÌýÌý

The project consisted of 12 West Monroe residents being interviewed by ËÄÉ«AV faculty members. Each of these residents shared stories and recounted moments of West Monroe's history, dating back from the 1940s to the present day. A 30-minute video was compiled using clips of these oral histories and was shown at the community event and featured remarks from Dr. Jeffrey E. Anderson, the Associate Director of the School of Humanities at ËÄÉ«AV.Ìý

ËÄÉ«AV School of Humanities faculty who served as interviewers for the project were Associate Professor Dr. Will Rogers, English program coordinator;ÌýAssociate Professor Dr. Ann Rodriguez, program coordinator for Communication; and Assistant Professor of English Dr. Meredith McKinnie.Ìý

The full-length version of each oral history video will be available on the City of West Monroe website in the near future. KEDM will air highlights of the oral histories during Morning Edition and All Things Considered and will post longer versions at KEDM.org and in podcast form.Ìý

The project was funded in part by a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in the information produced does not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.Ìý

For more information, contact the West Monroe Mayor's Office at (318) 396-2600 or email mayorsoffice@westmonroe.la.gov. Ìý

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