Associate Specialist Rayna Fujii and Associate Professor Rosela Balinbin Santos, in the UH Mānoa College of Education School of Teacher Education (STE), were awarded a $24,000 Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) grant from the Library of Congress.
Their project, Empowering and Liberating Historical Perspectives Through Oral Histories, aims to provide a space for stories, past and present, in a time when many identities and voices are being silenced. Fujii and Balinbin Santos will work in partnership with the College of Social Sciences Center for Oral History and Hamilton Library.
“Sharing stories is such a significant part of our local culture here in Hawaiʻi,” Fujii said. “The health of our communityʻs past, present, and future depends on the pilina we continue to develop and the stories we pass on. Bringing oral histories to our elementary classrooms teaches students and educators the powerful practice of ʻtalking story,’ giving our youngsters the opportunity to show bravery in sharing their stories as well as empathy when listening to others.”
Empowering and Liberating Historical Perspectives Through Oral Histories will provide in-service educators with professional development opportunities to think critically about the values and history of Hawaiʻi and its people by highlighting oral histories from locally based catalogs and libraries. Participants will be able to investigate local as well as national archives and databases and learn how to use these systems in their classrooms.
“This TPS grant is an incredible opportunity!” Balinbin Santos said. “There is power in listening to the oral histories of our ancestors, those who gifted us their ancestral intelligence, wisdom and insight, and whose stories were their spoken word and the truth they lived. We hope that this project will inspire educators and motivate their students to have the courage to share their own truths, knowing that their voices, their experiences, and their narratives are invaluable and have the potential to be transformational and inspire change.”
