In a gripping Baltimore Sun feature story on the lives of former steel mill workers after the closing of Sparrows Point, video documentaries from the UMBC project “Documenting Cultural Heritage in Partnership with Communities” (supported by BreakingGround) offer important first-person perspectives on life and work in the community.
UMBC students interviewed former mill employees while learning about oral and audiovisual storytelling and documentation. The steelworkers shared their stories of working at the mill, the impact the Sparrows Point closure has had on the community, and the future of the industry locally and nationally. Bill Shewbridge (New Media Studio) and Michelle Stefano (American Studies) collaborated to bring to life a project that introduced students to the ideas, techniques and ethical considerations that underpin qualitative research, particularly from a community-based, out-in-the-field perspective.
Tags: BreakingGround, CAHSS
