Oral history interview with Gerry Garrison, Marion Van Winkle, and Marylou Handford by Audie Mangold conducted January-February 1993. They share stories about their unique community and discuss the major social and cultural changes that have taken place on the island.

Oral history interview with Bil Moss by Kristina L. Walker conducted April - May 2009. Community leader Bil Moss looks back at six decades of social activism and discusses her involvement in Tacomas civil rights movement. She describes her early work to secure open housing in Tacoma, which arose from her personal struggles to purchase property outside the Hilltop area, and her work with the Tacoma Chapter of the Links on the Sickle Cell Project. Moss touches on a number of her civic and political activities in these three lengthy interviews and shares some insights into the social barriers she has faced as an African-American woman.

Oral history interview with Dawn Lucien by Andrew Fry conducted April-May 2009. Dawn Lucien, a lifelong civic activist and former Tacoma City Council member, examines some of the major political and economic decisions that have affected Tacomas development, particularly that of the downtown core. Areas of focus include the downtown decline following the construction of the Tacoma Mall; Luciens efforts to restore the Pantages Theater and revitalize the Broadway District; and her involvement with the South Puget Sound Education Council, which helped to establish the Tacoma branch of the University of Washington.

Oral history interviews with Zakariyya Alim and Mary Thompson by Gudrun Krause conducted 05/04/2020. Polio, Scarlet fever, Spanish fly, H1N1, Whooping cough, HIV, and now Covid-19 to name just a few pandemics that haunted the USA. All of them spread death and misery throughout the population. This essay takes a look at ordinary people and how they dealt with natural and man- made crises during their lifetime and how they are coping now with the threat of Covid-19. Two people are interviewed for this project, an African American man from Baltimore MD and a White American woman with Scottish heritage from a rural area in WA State. Due to a historic turn of the event, the conclusion is looking into the equal rights protests that are going on all over the country and the world.

Oral history interview with Harold G. Moss by Alison H. Sonntag conducted January-February 1993. Harold Moss reflects on his forty years of social activism in the Tacoma community and shares stories about the citys gradual shift toward racial integration and equality during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. He also discusses his childhood in Detroit, his early campaigns for public office, and his eventual appointment to the city council in 1970, earning him the distinction of being the first African-American to hold a public office in Pierce County. An addendum includes quotations from Mosss inaugural speech after being appointed Mayor of Tacoma in 1994, the first African-American to serve in that capacity.

Oral history interview with JoAnn Tryfon by Mark Kilner conducted between 05/12/2014 and 05/20/2014. JoAnn Tryfon discusses her mother's unbringing in Idaho, father's imigration to the United states and his hat shop in downtown Tacoma. She also discusses her own upbringing, her community involvment and relationship with the Greek Orthodox Church in Tacoma as well as her general experience of being a Greek-American.

Oral history interviews with members of the Jewish community, Rabbi Richard Rosenthal, Steph Farber, and Lucille Hurst by Nardah L. Fox conducted February-May 1992. The interviews with three members of Tacoma's Jewish community, Richard Rosenthal, Steph Farber, and Ruth Hurst, to some degree all touch upon the exodus of businesses (many of them Jewish-owned) from the downtown Tacoma business district. In two interview segments, Rabbi Rosenthal discusses early Jewish settlement in Tacoma, the 1960 merger of existing Conservative and Reform congregations to form Temple Beth El, and adds some details about his early life and training. Farber recounts his beliefs about misguided urban renewal practices of the 1960s and 1970s and reminisces about the many businesses that once flourished in downtown Tacoma. The transcript of the interview with Hurst appears to provide only an excerpt; she discusses her family business, Feist & Bachrach, as well as other downtown Tacoma stores operating prior to 1965.

Oral history interview with Will J. Conner by Barbara A. Smith conducted 02/09/1992. Will James Conner talks about his fifty years in the theater management business and shares some of the history of the Temple Theatre, which he ran from 1932 to 1975. Reflecting back on hundreds of stage shows, music productions, and motion pictures, Conner provides some insight into the changing face of entertainment and entertainment technology before, during, and after World War II. In addition to the Temple, Conner also managed a number of other Tacoma theaters, including the Blue Mouse, the Music Box, the Rialto, and the Roxy (now the Pantages), and he touches upon each of these during this lengthy, in-depth interview.

Oral history interviews with Adriene Tillman and Shirley Aikin by Cheryl Marie Coney conducted 05/11/2011. Adriene Tillman and Shirley Aikin examine the social trends and attitudes that have shaped their experiences as African-American nurses. Particular attention is paid to the interviewees involvement with the Ebony Nurses Association of Tacoma, a local organization that provides professional and personal support to its members. Other topics of discussion include Tillmans union activity with the Washington State Nurses Association, Aikins teaching career at Pacific Lutheran University, and the current strengths and weaknesses of the nursing profession.

Oral history interview with Willie Stewart by Katherine L. Jennison conducted 05/04/2017, 05/12/2017. On the heels of the Brown v. Board of Education decision and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Tacoma School District took voluntary measures to desegregate a select number of schools with high non-white enrollment. The district superintendent, Dr. Angelo Giaudrone, drew attention to the de facto segregation, and primarily focused on two elementary schools: Stanley Elementary, with a black population of 64 percent and McCarver Elementary, with a black population of 84 percent. In 1963, a subcommittee was formed to analyze and study the de facto segregation and provide recommendations for potential solutions. On July 8, 1966, a plan was announced by the school board for an optional enrollment program that relied on closing McCarver Junior High and to provide limited open enrollment to students affected by the closing. The district hired its first black principal, Willie Stewart, in 1970 in order to bridge the divide between the school district and the black community. Stewart led the summer counseling program to work with families on the transition between the closing of their neighborhood school and their new school of their choice. According to the United States Commission on Civil Rights a decade later, the summer counseling program was pivotal to the success of the voluntary desegregation program in the Tacoma School District.

Oral history interviews with Patricia Ditter, David Algers, Bill Bichsel, Doris Barkley, and Barbara Thomashofski by Cynthia A. Thomas conducted February-March 1992. Community members and church leaders reflect on the history and legacy of St. Leo Church, a Jesuit parish located in Tacomas Hilltop neighborhood. Long-time parishioners Patricia Ditter and Barbara Thomashofski and former parishioner Doris Barkley discuss the churchs growing pains in the wake of Vatican II and the subsequent emergence of its social justice ministry. Reverend David Alger, director of Associated Ministries, describes some of St. Leos numerous out-reach programs and shares his thoughts on its position as a spiritual anchor within the community. Lastly, Father Bill Bichsel, a former associate pastor at St. Leos and a well-known social activist, discusses his commitment to social justice and his involvement with several church-related projects, such as the Martin Luther King Center.

Oral history interviews with Dennis Flannigan, Greg Kleiner, and James L. Walton by Janice M. Foster conducted January-Febrary 1994. Pierce County Councilman Dennis Flannigan, Safe Streets program coordinator Greg Kleiner, and Deputy City Manager Jim Walton talk about their involvement with Tacomas Safe Streets Campaign. Interviewees discuss the programs short-term and long-term goals and describe some of the difficulties in organizing grassroots movements.

Oral history interview with Bertil E. Johnson by John Kingery conducted April-May 1994. In this set of interviews, retired Washington State Superior Court judge Bertil Johnson discusses his legal and civic careers, particularly his involvement with the Tacoma Boys Club and his time as presiding judge for the Pierce County juvenile court. He comments on some of the federal and local changes made to the juvenile court system in the 1970s and also touches briefly on some events from Tacoma history, such as the blizzard of 1950 and the adoption of the new city charter.

Oral history interviews with Ruth B. Nordstrom, Anne L. Gregory, Lyn Wilhelm, and Rene Z. Wilson by Crystal Graham conducted February-March 1993. Four female veterans reflect on their military careers and share their connections to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at American Lake. Ruth Nordstrom, a long-time volunteer at American Lake, describes her time as an office clerk for WAAC (Womens Army Corp) during World War II and for WAF (Women in the Air Force) during the Korean War. Anne Gregory, a psychiatric nurse, talks about her experiences in Vietnam as a member of the Army Nurse Corps. Linda Wilhelm, a resident of the domiciliary, discusses her service time in the US Navy during the Vietnam era and describes some of the difficulties she faced as a gay woman in the military. Ren Wilson, a former domiciliary resident, recounts the high and low points of her Army career and talks about the social barriers she encountered as an African-American female officer. All interviewees comment on how the VA can better serve female veterans.

Oral history interviews with Maria Moore and Barbara Laxson by Tom Wilson conducted 05/11/2015, 05/12/2015. The Burley Utopian Community was part of the growing Social Equity Movement of the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries. The origin of the idea of seeding the United States with Socialist Communities came from an organization led by Eugene V Debs. Debs was a veteran of the labor troubles that gripped the nation beginning in the 1880's and culminated with the deaths of thirteen workers during the Pullman Strike. Debs began to believe that the only hope for the workingman was Socialism. With that in mind the national Socialist organization looked for opportunities to spread the Socialism, Washington State was selected as the site of the colony, chosen because of its history of labor activism and a smaller population that would be sympathetic to the cause. Thus was born the town/colony of Brotherhood, a name that was soon surrendered for the commonly used, Burley. Plagued with troubles from the onset, the colony lasted only 15 years. This is story of a community that has survived, not so much physically, but in spirit, a spirit that still holds this small community together today. That spirit can be seen in the words of Barbara Laxson who is a longtime resident who lives in one of the original homes built by the colony where an oral history was recorded. It can also be heard in the words of Maria Moore, an American citizen born in Mexico who lives now in Burley. Mrs. Moore, is a former member of the Burley Community Association the group that is charged with maintaining the community properties, her interview was conducted in the community park. In their words you can begin to understand why it is so important to try to keep and keep the history and the name Burley alive today.

Oral history interviews with Lillian Allen Walker and Carolyn Hershberger by Theresa Harmon conducted 02/1993. Two longtime members of the Kitsap County YWCA share the history of their organization, tracing its evolution from a wartime social club to a community outreach task force. The Lillian Walker interview focuses on the organizations early years, as well as Walkers civil rights activities. The Carolyn Hershberger interview covers the establishment of the ALIVE (Alternatives to Living In a Violent Environment) program and its merger with the Kitsap YWCA in the late 1970s.

Oral history interviews with Shirley J. Winsley and Lorraine Wojahn by Joy Adams conducted October-November 1998. Washington State Senators Shirley Winsley and Lorraine Wojahn discuss their decade-spanning political careers and comment on trends and shifts in American politics.

Oral history interviews with Crystal Inge, Mikyoko Kanda, and Donna Sasaki by Connor Peterson, Yina Finch, and Megan Packer conducted 04/16/2019, 04/28/2019, 04/30/2019. In April of 2019, a Pacific Lutheran University Religion 393 class set out to interview members of the Tacoma Buddhist Temple with the purpose to study the acculturation of religion and the ways that the role of religion in the Tacoma community has changed overtime. The class was broken down into three groups of 3-4 students each in order to interview Miyoko Kanda, Donna Sasaki and Crystal Inge, who are all members of the Tacoma Buddhist Temple. Each person was interviewed in order to glean more information about the time period they were most active in and specific questions regarding temple culture. This project was initiated with the intent to preserve the different perspectives of the members mentioned above through oral history as an ongoing project to collect and archive oral histories of relevant members of Tacoma from its foundation to present day.

Oral history interviews with Aida Mohajer and Ebrahimi by Shadyar Omrani conducted 05/01/2020. Since COVID-19 started to become a global pandemic, it has caused personal and public traumas. Increase in unemployment rate, bankruptcy of small businesses, financial stress to the middle and working-class and the closure of many businesses which relied on peopleΓÇÖs social activities, including the gig industry, tourism industry and restaurants, are additional traumas to the issues of health and life threats people face by the contingency of the virus. By the end of May 2020, more than 2 million Americans were confirmed COVID-19 positive, 113 thousand of whom could not survive. Amongst the most affected populations, the people of color, especially Black Americans and immigrants have been suffering most. This research focuses on immigrant working women from the Middle East, whose life journeys are filled in with several traumas, some intensified during the pandemic. This paper provides two oral history records of two Iranian American working mothers, Aida Mohajer and Mrs. Ebrahimi, who carry historical traumas experienced in two different countries with two different cultures, i.e. Iran, and the USA. The intervieweesΓÇÖ stories show how the experience of trauma is related to the social class and what imposed social factors beyond choice can determine the class and different approaches to traumas.

Oral history interviews with Jean Sonntag, Richard E. Sonntag, Brian Sonntag, Jack W. Sonntag Jr, and George Sheridan by Alison H. Sonntag conducted 02/1994. This collection of interviews explores the personal and political history of the Sonntag family. Jean Sonntag and George Sheridan provide background details about former Pierce County Auditor Jack Sonntag, Sr., while Sonntag's sons (Jack, Richard, and Brian) discuss how their father's legacy has shaped their lives and their own political careers. Area of focus include Jack Sonntag, Sr.'s political philosophy, the evolution of Tacoma's political power structure, and notable accomplishments from each of the Sonntag's public service careers.

Oral history interviews with Kevin Jensen, Ann Petricola, and Joel Baranick by Nora White conducted 05/01/2020. This project is based off of oral interviews, recorded and transcribed, with Thurston County farmers: Ann Petricola and Joel Baranick of Ellis Creek Farm and Kevin Jensen of Riverbend Ranch. The research essay explores the immediate trends seen in small farms during the first four months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020. In a time of great uncertainty and fear, small farms across the US suddenly saw a spike in interest for direct to consumer sales while also facing processing bottlenecks and financial uncertainty. The experiences of Ellis Creek Farm and Riverbend Ranch paint a picture of small farms as safe, flexible, and community oriented sources of food and highlight some of the specific challenges they have faced during this time.

Oral history interviews with Norm Schut, George D. Masten, Howard Jorgenson, Gary Moore, and Esther Stohl by Randy Brooks conducted January-February 1992. Union leaders and activists, Norm Schut, George Masten, Howard Jorgenson, Gary Moore and Esther Stohl discuss their early lives, how they came to be involved with organizing, and their roles in the development of the WFSE local in Washington State.