Preserving and Sharing Voices of Latinx Omahans

Through a collaborative effort between UNO’s Office of Latino and Latin American Studies (OLLAS) and UNO Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections, 22 bilingual oral histories from the Voces of a Pandemic Collection, part of the Conversaciónes: Latino and Latina Voices of Omaha project have been recorded, preserved, and shared online. The project was funded in part by Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, UNO’s Office of Research and Creative Activity, and UNO Libraries' Eugene S. and Sunny M. Thomas Fund for Innovation.

The Conversaciones: Latino and Latina Voices of Omaha project is part of UNO Libraries' strategic priority to cultivate, share, and preserve digital resources and scholarship. A portion of the Voces oral histories collected as part of the project were created in collaboration with the Voces Oral History Center at the University of Texas at Austin. All the oral histories provide insight into the experiences of individuals and communities, sharing the stories of survival and triumphs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The recorded memories and stories are a legacy to future generations through the voices of people who lived in and made local communities. The stories collected by OLLAS Director Cristián Doña-Reveco, Ph.D., and faculty member Isabelle Beulaygue, Ph.D., for the Conversaciones project are of lasting importance. Through UNO Libraries’ website they are freely available to community members and researchers online while being preserved for future generations.

About Conversaciones: Latino and Latina Voices of Omaha

Conversaciones: Latino and Latina Voices of Omaha is an ongoing project, seeking to collect oral histories documenting the Latino experience with COVID-19 in Omaha via the Voces of a Pandemic Collection. The Oral History Project on Latino Railroad Workers in the Midwest is also an ongoing project, part of the Conversaciones project, and a collaboration between OLLAS and the Union Pacific Railroad Museum. Contact Cristián Doña-Reveco, Ph.D., Director of OLLAS at cdona@unomaha.edu if interested in participating.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha Libraries

UNO Libraries fulfill the UNO mission through dynamic services, highly qualified and adaptive personnel, unique and extensive collections, and accessible learning spaces and environments. Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library on UNO’s Dodge Campus provides UNO students, faculty and staff, and the Omaha community with the resources and materials needed to excel academically and professionally. 

About Humanities Nebraska

Conversaciónes: Latino and Latina Voices of Omaha was one of many grants funded by Humanities Nebraska (HN) in 2021. HN awards more than $257,000 in grants each year.  

Created in 1973 as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Humanities Nebraska (HN) is an independent, non-profit organization governed by a volunteer board of public and academic members. Humanities Nebraska funds programs that explore Nebraska's heritage, build community awareness, and strengthen our ties to cultural traditions at home and abroad. 

The Nebraska Cultural Endowment is a public/private partnership that designates funds to HN for distribution.  

Any non-profit group is eligible to apply for a grant from HN. The HN staff is available for grant consultation and will read proposal drafts. Contact the HN office if you need assistance with a project idea.

 For a copy of Humanities Nebraska grant guidelines, contact HN at 215 Centennial Mall South, Suite 330, Lincoln, NE 68508, phone 402-474-2131, fax 402- 474-4852, or e-mail at info@humanitiesnebraska.org. The entire grant guideline packet is online at: www.humanitiesnebraska.org.