There is no movement without “movers and shakers.” The Rural Organizing Voices oral history project has recorded the stories of over 40 local and state leaders, organizers and allies.  These are the people who started, shaped, and continue to make the Rural Organizing Project and its statewide Human Dignity network what it is today.

We have recorded nearly 100 hours of archival quality audio and video material from several dozen narrators representing groups in over 20 of Oregon’s 36 counties. Together, these narratives provide insight into a largely under-documented aspect of Oregon’s social and political history. They speak not only to ROP and its member groups’ history, but also to the unique experiences of rural Oregonians, particularly those marginalized from dominant culture: pioneers of rural Oregon’s LGBTQ communities, Vietnam war veterans and conscientious objectors, people of color, immigrants and their allies.

Click on individual narrators’ names below to learn more about their role in advancing democracy and human dignity in rural Oregon and to listen to interview highlights. Complete interviews will eventually be available through the University of Oregon Special Collections and University Archives. In the meantime, to request access to the full interviews, contact: sarah@rop.org.  Click here for more information on the interview process and methodology.