What is the Parkland Digital History Project? It’s a public history initiative exploring the history of the West Louisville neighborhood and its place in the context of the city and the region. The project’s director, Dr. Lara Kelland, assistant professor at the University of Louisville Department of History, has partnered with documentarian and public media producer John Gregory as co-director to create multi-media programs based on oral history interviews with community members and archival research.
During the next few years, students in U of L’s Public History program will conduct oral histories with community residents and activists and curate small projects from these interviews. The project also plans to explore the intersection between recorded history and lived memory through key events in Parklands’ history like the open housing movement and the 1968 uprising. Partnerships with other state and local cultural organizations will provide opportunities for exhibits, community events, and primary/secondary curriculum.
