Oral History

Ethan Allen Homestead Enrichment Program: The Bennington Storehouse 10/20/2019

The Battle of Bennington actually took place near Hoosic, New York. So why was it called the Battle of Bennington? Bob Hoar, historian and docent at the Bennington Battlefield State Historic Park, will speak about the storehouses that were the target of the British forces at the Battle of Bennington.

Labor, Social Justice, and the Return of the Strike 10/17/2019

Professor of Media Studies at Rutgers University, Deepa Kumar is the recipient of the Dallas Smythe award for her engaged scholarship and the Georgina Smith award for her work on gender and race equity. She is recognized as a leading scholar on islamophobia and empire both nationally and internationally, and her book Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire has been translated into several languages.

As an activist and then president of Rutgers’ faculty union, Deepa Kumar played a leading role in a contract campaign that led to a ground-breaking settlement, winning not only on bread and butter issues and job security for vulnerable faculty, but also around gender and race equity. She will discuss this experience of ‘bargaining for the common good’ in the context of recent strike victories in education and other sectors of the US workforce.

In such times the Lecture Series remains committed to providing a space for critical discussion and political organizing.

Many thanks from the board of the Will Miller Social Justice Lecture Series. We could not do this work without your support. Please support our mission to bring diverse and powerful social justice thinkers and activists to Vermont.

Ohavi Zedek Lunch & Learn: Journeys to Lithuania - Echoes of the Past, Realities of the Present 09/19/2019

Ohavi Zedek members Mark Banks and Aaron Goldberg share historical perspective and experiences from family heritage trips to their ancestral home.

Stump the Chumps: Former State Representative Tom Little 08/15/2019

Tom Little joins hosts Bill Keogh and Joey Donovan on this episode of Stump The Chumps.

Glimpses of Hope - Third Party Perspective: Interview with Kim Allbee 08/02/2019

Dennis Wrest speaks with Kim Allbee, of the UVM Catholic Center, about his own spiritual journey during his graduation from the University.

Warren Spinner on City Trees 07/25/2019

An interview with former City of Burlington Arborist Warren Spinner on the street trees of Burlington. Edited as part of an internship by John Clifton.

Artful Word: Abenaki Heritage Festival Lake Champlain Maritime Museum 06/23/2019

"Accompany award-winning producer James Gero on an enlightening voyage of exploration. Extricate yourself from a world regulated with all the bells and whistles of modernity. Journey to a world forgotten by most but not by all. Meet Chief Don Stevens, majestic and elegant spokesman of the Abenaki people. Big as a bear, larger than life, a Native American down to earth; a diplomatic and congenial storyteller and leader extraordinaire. Walking in his footsteps is like walking down the path he has not forgotten, a path of peoples of ancient civilizations, trade, water travel, and vast commerce.

The native peoples inhabited and thrived on this continent. The first inhabitants of their sacred waterways, hunting, and fishing grounds, living and loving, free peoples and their own communal embrace. For over 30,000 years they thrived unmolested and greatly prospered. Listen to stories of their spirit gods and fables of moral righteousness. Relive their language and all the wisdom that they hold close to their hearts, then and now.

If you can listen, you now will hear the true history of great civilizations, friends, and loving families. This land is the land of the first peoples. Throw out your history books and now recognize the real peoples, the first inhabitants of this continent, the native Americans."

- written by James A. Gero