You don’t have to be a first responder to participate in UNLV Libraries’ “Remembering 1 October” oral history project, although it’s fine if you are. “We want to show how Las Vegas [rallied] together to support each other,” says Claytee D. White, director of UNLV’s Oral History Research Center. “You could’ve stood in line to give blood the next day, went home to bake cookies for survivors, been a Lyft driver who took people to the hospital, the person who designed the resiliency center, an attendee or first responder.” With a goal of inclusivity, the project is looking for both expected and unexpected narratives.
The first story was given Oct. 25 and the project will be accepting stories for two years. Transcripts will be made available online for researchers as well as the general public. “We know this is going to be used by lots of people who are about to go through the same experience; we want to give them a full picture,” White says. To tell your story, call 702-895-2222.
This story originally appeared in the Las Vegas Weekly.