Oral History Project to document Lowcountry Latino experience

With support from The Humanities Council of South Carolina, The Citadel Oral History Program has embarked on an effort to spotlight the diverse experiences of Latinos in the Charleston-area.

"Las Voces del Lowcountry" will include interviews with Latinos on Johns Island, where Mexicans and Central Americans have worked as farm laborers since the 1980s. Other interviews will document the experiences of smaller communities of South Americans and Puerto Ricans living in the region.

The project is designed to raise the profile of the nearly 36,000 Latinos who call the Lowcountry their home and to promote rational and humane conversation regarding immigration, education and employment policies.

The interview transcriptions and audio recordings will be deposited with The Citadel Archives and Museum and exhibited online through The Citadel Oral History Project's partnership with the Lowcountry Digital Library at the College of Charleston.