Browne, Elmore, February 24, 2006

The Avery Research Center Averyite oral histories collection contains 23 oral history interviews arranged in six series according to the decade that the interviews were conducted. A majority of the oral histories were conducted by Avery Research Center employees, but there are also a handful of oral histories that were done independently of the Avery Research Center and later donated that are included in this collection. Within each series, the oral histories are arranged alphabetically by last name. Greater detail about the contents of each oral history can be found at the file level abstract of each oral history interview. Each oral history, when available, includes a transcript and any supporting documentation like questions, notes, and interview release forms. Transcripts do not currently exist for every interview and work to create them is ongoing.

The contents of the oral histories vary greatly with the Avery Normal Institute and its impact on the interviewees' lives often being mentioned, but not always the focus. Other topics covered in the oral histories include participation in the Civil Rights Movement, careers in the military and public education, the history of Sullivan's Island, Charleston neighborhoods, social customs, and activism.

Series I: Oral History Interviews, 1976

Series II: Oral History Interviews, 1986-1987

Series III: Oral History Interviews, 1996-1997

Series IV: Oral History Interviews, 2000-2009

Series V: Oral History Interviews, 2015

Series VI: Oral History Interviews, Undated