Description:
This is an interview with Isaac Trussoni, who graduated with an undergraduate degree from the African American studies department. Part one and three specifically addresses Trussoni’s experience at UW, both the culture shock of coming to Madison and a self-reflection about his experience as an undergraduate here. The second segment focuses on his time in the African American studies department, which includes what he learned and why he joined the program.
Audio File:
Click Here to listen to segment one (3 mins).
Click Here to listen to segment two (5 mins).
Click Here to listen to segment three (8 mins).
Click Here to listen to all three segments (16 mins).
Click Here to view the interview transcript.
Discussion Questions:
What does this oral history reveal about being a member of both the UW and larger Madison community?
How does this oral history connect with broader histories of discrimination and resistance in both higher education and the United States?
What are the advantages and limitations of using oral histories? What challenges arise when selecting participants, generating questions, and sharing only certain segments of people’s stories?
How did Trussoni adjust to being at UW and how was he able to find community through different university programs?
“Racism is so ingrained deeply with class and gender and sexuality and all these structures of oppression, it’s impossible to talk about one and pretend like the others are insignificant compared to it or like they don’t connect.” How did the Afro-American studies program and Trussoni’s studies at UW help him understand systemic discrimination and intersectionality?