Southern Miss oral history center launches podcast about Mississippi in World War II

The University of Southern Mississippi’s Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage launched a new longform podcast about Mississippians in World War II.

The 10-episode first season of the “Voices of Our People” podcast covers World War II from the Pearl Harbor attack to Armistice Day. The podcast consists of oral histories from Mississippians who experienced the war on the homefront and overseas, as well as storytelling from historians at USM’s Dale Center for the Study of War and Society. Mississippi musician and media personality Bill Ellison serves as the host.

“By combining the insights of our state’s leading scholars with the memories of those who lived it, the ‘Voices of Our People’ series attempts to contextualize our shared experiences with the goal of gaining a more grounded view of history,” said Ross Walton, who leads digital production and preservation at the oral history center and hosts its other podcast called “Mississippi Moments.”

“Each season of the series will examine a different historic event that shaped who we are as Mississippians and Americans,” Walton said.

The 20th anniversary of the USM center’s “Mississippi Moments” podcast inspired Walton to create a new podcast using the oral history center’s extensive collection of oral histories from World War II.

“Often unfiltered and raw, these interviews capture the deep, visceral reactions to such an uneasy age,” said Dr. Kevin Greene, historian and director of the oral history center. “They give voice to the voiceless in a way only qualitative interviewing can.”

Listen to Voices of Our People at this link.

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