"No one can tell our stories like we can”: The Ypsi Farmers & Gardeners Oral History Project

Abstract

The Ypsi Farmers & Gardeners Oral History Project [which can be accessed at https://history.ypsilibrary.org/ypsilanti-farmers-gardeners/ ] is a community-driven oral history archive housed at Ypsilanti District Library (YDL), in partnership with the University of Michigan-Dearborn, that shares the wisdom and traditional agricultural practices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and/or working-class farmers and gardeners in Ypsilanti, MI. The project is a continuation of a qualitative dissertation project completed by Project Director, Dr. Finn Bell. Despite being the most vulnerable to experiencing food insecurity, land dispossession, and adverse health outcomes associated with climate change, these farmers and gardeners are often left out of mainstream environmentalist narratives and the climate action agenda. This community-engaged project enables them to tell their own stories, in their own words. During the summer, student researcher Sasha Kindred conducted a literature review about best oral history practices to ensure that the research team continues to center community decision-making during the next phase of this project.