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VHFP Conference 2003
June
1st—June 7
at Howard University.
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All 2003 Fellows
recently attended NVLP’s annual Visionary Heritage Fellows Training
and Leadership Development Conference held June 1st – June 7th at
Howard University in Washington, DC.
During this week-long session, Fellows attended a series of workshops designed
to provide them with intensive instruction in specific areas relevant to their
overall projects. Fellows were trained in all aspects of recording oral histories,
including skills in researching, interviewing and taping. They also received
intensive training in leadership development.
Dr. Camille Cosby led one of the workshops on interviewing skills and
techniques, sharing with Fellows her experiences in interviewing National
Visionaries. In this session, Fellows had the wonderful opportunity to see
excerpts from Dr. Cosby’s interviews, and hear her reflections and advice
on the process of collecting oral history. Dr. Gayle Pemberton from
Wesleyan University delivered a powerful, inspiring lecture on oral history
theory and technique, and NVLP staff led workshops on research, interviewing,
and taping.
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Several National
Visionaries attended this year’s conference, enabling the Fellows to
engage in lively, spirited intergenerational dialogues. Renee Poussaint
facilitated three round table discussions with former New York City Mayor
David Dinkins, Brigadier General Hazel Johnson-Brown, and Former
Congresswoman Cardiss Collins. Artist and educator David Driskell
and activist Dick Gregory were featured lunch guests, sharing anecdotes,
advice, and wisdom on the topic of leadership.
Over the fall semester, Fellows will continue to build their knowledge and
skills in oral history, and will produce videotaped biographical interviews
of their Local Visionaries.