A group of students and faculty at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), are working on a new oral history initiative to document the lives of African American leaders in the local Monterey County.
Jeremias Zunguze, associate professor of ethnic and gender studies, first developed the project in 2024 with support from the NAACP’s Monterey County Branch President Lyndon Tarver, who had the idea to preserve the histories of local Black leaders for future generations. In combination with local interviews, Dr. Zunguze and students from CSUMB’s African Heritage Research Collaborative have participated in archival research, conducted qualitative analyses, and examined existing historical sources to preserve a robust history of Monterey County’s Black community.
For their initial interviews, students spoke with local residents with experience in education, leadership, business and entrepreneurship, housing, and community development. The interviewees were asked about their upbringing, education, careers, civic engagement, and experiences overcoming barriers as they contributed to the Monterey Bay community. The next round of interviews will focus on health and wellness, the arts, social action, and veterans’ experiences. Ultimately, the discussions will be transcribed and published into an online digital archive that is accessible to the public.
Speaking to the project’s progress, Dr. Zunguze said, “It’s going well. The community members we’ve interviewed appreciate the project, and together we’re preserving an important history that future generations will be able to learn from.”
Prior to joining the CSUMB faculty in 2023, Dr. Zunguze taught as an associate professor of Africana studies at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in Hispanic languages and literatures from the University of California, Berkeley.
