Vibrant Lives: Discovering Our Roots of Black Vermont is a community-driven public oral history initiative illuminating the often-unseen histories, stories, and living legacies of Black Vermonters—past, present, and future developed by Rajnii Eddins and René Rentería. Learn more here.
Join us for the exhibition opening and a dynamic panel featuring youth interviewers and community interview participants will share reflections on the oral history process, the meaning of preserving Black stories in Vermont, and what it means to see their lives and legacies honored in a museum setting.
The multimedia project, featuring audio-visual essays on a website and a public photo exhibit at the Fletcher Free Library starting February 28, is an oral history focused on Black residents of Burlington, Vermont. Over time, Vibrant Lives seeks to build a representative "community archive" of diverse voices, ultimately illustrating the changing character of Vermont and contributing to public conversations about these demographic shifts.