Southern Blacks' Migration to Pittsburgh Oral History Project
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Audio and transcripts from the 23 oral history interviews in this collection are available online. The content of the interviews spans the life histories of the individuals and addresses the topics of community and family life from the turn of the century to 1976. The full names of the interviewees are not included in the materials online in accordance with the agreement between Peter Gottlieb and the interviewees made at the time of recording. A grant from the Recordings At Risk Program from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) made the digitization of these oral histories possible during the 2022-2023 academic term. As part of this project, all transcripts were machine-generated with minor edits for intelligibility and to identify speakers when possible. Transcripts may contain inaccuracies, misspellings, or omissions depending on original audio clarity.
A Notice on Harmful or Offensive Language
While using the Southern Blacks’ Migration to Pittsburgh Oral History Project, please consider its context. These interviews were recorded in 1976. Due to the nature of these historical materials, there are occurrences of language, positions, and values that do not align with our values and practices at the University of Pittsburgh.
When harmful, offensive, or misrepresentative language is present and part of the original archival materials, it is recognized as best practice to retain such information so as not to censor or alter the historical record and to maintain an understanding of the context and time period in which these items were first created.
What's in the entire collection?
The collection consists of oral history interviews conducted by Peter Gottlieb. In addition, the collection contains 12 interview indexes with subject descriptions created by Gottlieb to accompany selected interviews. Abstracts for each interview are also available as part of the collection finding aid.
About the Southern Blacks’ Migration to Pittsburgh Oral History Project and Peter Gottlieb.
In 1976, Peter Gottlieb interviewed individuals who migrated from the southern United States to Pittsburgh and nearby communities, particularly Homestead, between 1916 and 1930. Gottlieb incorporated information he obtained from these interviews into his dissertation, “Making Their Way: Southern Blacks' Migration to Pittsburgh, 1916-1930" (Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, 1977). He then deposited copies of the interviews he conducted in what is now the University Library System Archives & Special Collections.
Gottlieb later expanded his dissertation and published a book with the same title through the University of Illinois Press. He went on to hold several positions in archives, including nearly 20 years as the Wisconsin State Archivist, and to serve in professional archival organizations and boards. From 2009 to 2010, Gottlieb was president of the Society of American Archivists.
