Introduction to (NE)LA Stories
What is (NE)LA Stories?
(NE)LA Stories engages with community members who have lived and shaped the local cultural landscape of Los Angeles from the second half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, with a particular focus on the distinctive community of Northeast Los Angeles. Our methodology is to have Occidental College students meet with and interview community members to collect their oral history stories of everyday life, culture, work, and political activity in Los Angeles.This project is an important part of a sustained effort by Occidental College (spearheaded by the Institute for the Study of Los Angeles (ISLA); Oxy Arts; and Occidental Library, Special Collections and Archives) to document this region's rich history through personal interviews of its inhabitants and cultural contributors.
In the pages which follow, you will find a wealth of perspectives on the diverse and multifaceted Los Angeles urban region. We are thrilled to share these priceless materials with the public, in the spirit of community and reciprocity, but please do respect the rights and dignity of those who so generously provided these unique stories. Transcripts, photographs, and other materials - often video and/or audio recordings -are all freely available and viewable on smart phone, tablet, or computer.
In the handy Table of Contents at the top of your screen, you will discover several paths through this collection. Here are a few ways to begin exploring this archive:
- Our Storytellers: An Alphabetical Index of Storytellers and their Interviews
- Topics: Common Subjects Touched On in the Interviews [A Work in Progress]
- Our Interviewers: An Alphabetical Index of (Usually Student) Interviewers
- Chronological Listings: The Interviews thus far were Conducted in Phases Associated with Specific Occidental Courses and Projects
- Phase I: Jeremiah Axelrod’s “Countercultural Northeast LA: The Arts of Resistance” [CSP 70] in Spring 2019
- Phase II: Jan Lin & Jeremiah Axelrod’s “Los Angeles Urban Cultures and Countercultures” [CSP 19] in Fall 2019
- Phase III: Jan Lin’s “Urban Sociology” [SOC 270] and Jeremiah Axelrod’s “American Urban History” [UEP/History 205] in Spring 2021
- Phase IV: Jeremiah Axelrod & Debra Scacco’s “Transportation and Place” [UEP 295] in Spring 2022
In addition, we are pleased to provide some additional materials pertinent to this community oral story-gathering project:
The image on the home page shows Andy Ledesma restoring the "Tenochtitlan" mural with the Quetzalcoatl Mural Project.