University of Washington, Tacoma. Community History Project.

Established by Michael Honey in 1991, the University of Washington, Tacoma's Community History Project has developed out of an ongoing series of classes, offered periodically, in which students research local history and interview people in the community about their lives, knowledge of Tacoma and its environs and opinions about a wide range of issues. Its initial goals were to document the history and ethnic diversity of the Tacoma area and to raise awareness of important aspects of history that often are ignored or lost. These interviews are recorded, transcribed, edited and deposited in the University of Washington, Tacoma Library to make them as accessible as possible. Since the class was first convened, students have collected oral histories from numerous residents of the area, representing a wide range of occupations and ethnic groups, some of which include business people, civic and community activists, union members, African Americans, Japanese Americans, Latinos and Native Americans.