Oral History Interview Guides
Below are the two Interview Guides that were used by the historians and students of oral history who conducted interviews with Farm Labor Project and Vanguard participants. The interview questions were develoed after research was conducted about the two historical episodes. The guides were refined on the heels of preliminary interviews with some of the interviewees. the interview questionaires are referred to as "guides" since they are intended to offer signposts to the interviewers who should, and do, wander from the guide when the interviewees take the interviewers in unexpected directions.
Oral History Interview Guide:
Farm Labor Project Participants
1. Biographical Information
- Birthdate and birthplace
- Father's name; mother's maiden name; siblings; extended family
- Parents birthplace
- Father's work; mother's work
- Family's daily life and special remembrances -- chores, birthdays, holidays, vacation
- Family's cultural, political, religious life
- Experience growing up during the Depression
- Interviewee's education -- primary and secondary; subjects favored and hated; interactions with teachers; social environment; extracurricular activities; parent's expectations; own expectations and plans
2. College Life
- When and why attended Brooklyn College
- History of other family members attending college
- Subjects studied -- classes/professors liked and disliked
- Major field(s) of interest
- Extracurricular activities (involvement in political, social, religious, cultural organizations)
- Impact of WWII on studies, college life and family life
3. Farm Labor Project Background
- How heard about it and why signed up
- Reaction of family and friends
- First time in rural setting?
- First time out of New York City? First time away from family?
4. Work Experience
- What work did you do? (Harvest and non-harvest jobs)
5. Training
- First time doing physical labor? Impact of work
- Encounters with employers/farmers
- Encounters with farmworkers (African Americans from Florida, Bahamians, and others?)
- Productivity -- what were the expectations and how was productivity measured; general assessment of impact of their work
- Pay -- how was it calculated, when were you paid, and what did you do with pay?
- Impact of weather
- Were there differences in working conditions, assignments and expectations of men and women?
- Work clothes
6. Living Conditions
- Conditions on individual farms and/or camps in Dutchess County, Village of Red Hook
- Food -- quantity, quality, variety, who prepared?
- Bathroom and bathing facilities
- Sleeping facilities
- Chores (gender defined?)
7. Social, Cultural and Religious Life
- Leisure time activities
- Friends
- Romantic involvements
- Encounters with students from Hunter, City and Queens Colleges
- Reactions to and impressions of rural life
- Religious and/or cultural identity
- How maintain religious practices? Attend religious services in town?
- Local responses to Jewish students (religiously observant and non-observant)
- Encounters with local community (cultural exchanges and differences)
- Supervision and involvement of Brooklyn College (supervision of men/supervision of women)
- Tensions between students?
- Tensions between students and Brooklyn College faculty?
- Tensions between students and local residents?
8. (Include following questions for 1943 participants)
- Curricular component; subjects studied, relevance to farmwork, requirements, assignments and grades (do you have copies of assignments?); impact on direction of study at Brooklyn College
- Interactions with professors and director (Biology Professor Ralph Benedict)
- Issues surrounding call for student council
- Life in Morrisville
- Involvement with –The Bean Stalker” (Do you have any copies?)
- Returnees from 1942 season; returnees to 1944 season; compare different seasons
9. General Evaluation
- Overall experience (met and unmet expectations, financial rewards and shortfalls)
- Impact on college life and life after college
- Impact of social relations formed during project: On-going connections with other Farm Labor Project students during and after college?
- Did Brooklyn College sponsor get-togethers during the school year? After graduation?
- Have there been reunions in the past fifty years?
- Have you been back to Morrisville in the last fifty years?
- Impact of war on experience (economic and political impact; international, national and family news)
10. Life After Farm Labor Project
- When completed college; degree; major, GPA; interests and expectations of post-college life
- Employment after graduation
- Family/Married life; children
- Impact of end of the war
- Political, social, cultural, religious life
Oral History Interview Guide:
Vanguard Participants
1. Biographical Information
- Birthdate and birthplace
- Father's name; mother's maiden name; siblings; extended family
- Parents birthplace
- Father's work; mother's work
- Family's daily life and special remembrances -- chores, birthdays, holidays, vacation
- Family's cultural, political, religious life
- Experience growing up during the Depression
- Interviewee's education -- primary and secondary; subjects favored and hated; interactions with teachers; social environment; extracurricular activities; parent's expectations; own expectations and plans
2. College Life
- When and why attended Brooklyn College
- History of other family members attending college
- Subjects studied -- classes/professors liked and disliked
- -Were your professors politically active?
- Major field(s) of interest
- Extracurricular activities (involvement in political, social, religious, cultural organizations)
- Aware of national and international politics: Cold War and McCarthyism
3. Vanguard Background
- How heard about it and why and when joined
- Role and responsibilities on the newspaper
- Kinds of articles she wrote
- Extent of involvement
- Focus and political orientation of newspaper
- Who were the other journalists:
-political orientation (were there communist students on staff if so, effect on paper and other students)
-ethnic, racial, gender composition
-gender equality on newspaper? -vets
Social relations on paper: Did you carry on friendships outside of paper? Have dates with fellow journalists? Crushes? - How did staff get along? Were there conflicts? What were they? How did they get resolved? Involvement of faculty advisor, did s/he read and edit articles?
- Impact of newspaper on campus?
- Was there a competing paper?
-What did family think of involvement with newspaper?
-Did you discuss issues with family members and friends?
4. Suspension of Newspaper and Students
- Describe events that led up to the paper being shut down?
- How did it happen describe scenario
- Were you surprised by Gideonse's actions(as students what did you know about Gideonse before the suspension?)
- How were you affected?
- How did you and others respond?
- Why were students suspended? Who was suspended? How did you and others respond?
- How did others on campus not involved with paper respond (students, faculty, staff)
- How did others off campus respond (families, media, political organizations)
- Were you involved in Draugnav? If so, what was that experience like? What kind of paper did you produce? What happened to Draugnav?
- During any of these events were you scared, angry, exhilarated, empowered?
- What did you learn about yourself during this time?
- What did you learn about college life, Brooklyn College, America?
5. Post Vanguard Life
- What impact did this experience have on the rest of your college career?
- What impact did the experience have on decisions and choices you made after college?
- Post-college academic and professional pursuits
- Post-college political involvements
- Post-college family life, children etc.
- On-going relationships with Vanguard colleagues?