Out of the Archives Podcast
Out of the Archives is the National Public Housing Museum’s oral history-based podcast, created from interviews with public housing residents across the United States.
Each episode presents a curated selection of one or more interviews from our oral history archive. Find transcripts, links to full archival interviews, and other notes and resources in each episode description.
Don’t miss an episode—subscribe and find more from Out of the Archives on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, PocketCasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Season 5 is here!
Browse podcast seasons and episodes
Featured Podcast Episodes
-
Episode 28
DJ Slugo: “Bastard Children of House Music”
This Out of the Archives podcast episode features narrator DJ Slugo, who talks about growing up in the Robert Taylor Homes and the origins of Project House music.
Episode 27
Nekita Thomas: “The Artsy Kid in the Hood”
This Out of the Archives podcast episode features narrator Nekita Thomas, who talks about Chicago’s Dearborn Homes and the designs of the everyday in public housing.
Episode 26
‘How can we make it livable for all?’: Housing Justice is Environmental Justice
This Out of the Archives podcast episode digs into the environmental ramifications of demolition and redevelopment through stories from public housing resident narrators in Miami and Manhattan.
Episode 25
‘We ate good!’: How U.S. policy shaped sharing in public housing communities
In this episode, seven public housing resident narrators recount stories about sharing in community and forced changes to their family structures, shaped by undercurrents of federal policies enacted during the 1950s–1980s that strictly governed what resources were available to whom.
Episode 24
‘Beauty is Remembered’: A Mother’s Fight for Public Housing
Who are the heroes of your neighborhood? In our latest episode, we honor the legacy of Ms. Beauty Turner, the namesake of our flagship oral history training programs. A mother, journalist, historian, and community activist based in the Robert Taylor Homes, Ms. Beauty embodied what it means to devote oneself to their neighborhood and its people.
Support
Out of the Archives is made possible through the generous support of the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
