Historical Research Center | CSU Bakersfield
Historical Research Center | CSU Bakersfield

Celebrating Black Heritage:

Stories from Kern County

This on-going project seeks to document the history of the Black community in Kern County through oral history, digital history, and an archival artifact collection program. Information collected will be featured here on the Historical Research Center (HRC) website and will serve as a clearing house of information for researchers. Examples of items that we are looking for include photographs, various documents (such as birth, marriage, death certificates or other documents affiliated with your family history), newspaper clippings, yearbooks, and scrap books. We are also looking to document the history of the various church organizations in the community. Items submitted for consideration will be, with permission, digitized and stored in the Walter Stiern Library’s digital library. Anyone can contribute!

For more information contact Chris Livingston at clivingston@csub.edu

Featured Collections

Oral History
Photograph Collections
 Biographies
Documents

Community Archiving Projects

Title: Honoring: Legacy and Inspiring Future Date: Not visible Creator / Publisher: Historical Research Center (HRC), CSU Bakersfield Document Type: Community outreach flyer Location: Not visible (affiliated with CSU Bakersfield, Kern County, California) Brief Description: This flyer invites community members to share their family stories and historical experiences as part of a public history initiative. Titled “Honoring: Legacy and Inspiring Future,” the outreach emphasizes collecting stories, voices, and milestones that have shaped communities. The flyer includes contact information, a QR code for a survey, and the website for the Historical Research Center at CSU Bakersfield. Full Extracted Text: Your Story Matters HONORING Legacy and Inspiring Future Share your family story with us Fill out our survey Share your stories, voices, and historical milestones that have shaped the world, and inspire change, growth, and unity. MORE INFO 661-654-6127 HRC.CSUB.EDU Detailed Description / Context: This outreach flyer reflects a public history initiative by the Historical Research Center (HRC) at California State University, Bakersfield, encouraging community participation in documenting local and family histories. The visual collage of historical figures suggests an emphasis on diverse community narratives and intergenerational memory. Public history projects such as this often seek oral histories, photographs, documents, and personal accounts to preserve community heritage, particularly for groups historically underrepresented in official archives. By inviting individuals to “share your family story,” the initiative aligns with broader efforts in community archiving, inclusive historical preservation, and civic engagement. The inclusion of a survey QR code and contact information indicates a structured data-gathering effort, likely connected to exhibitions, research collections, or digital archives. Such initiatives contribute to documenting social change, migration, civil rights struggles, neighborhood development, and cultural contributions within Kern County and the broader Central Valley region.