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| Check out the Oral History Videos. |
More than 15 years ago, I led an ambitious project to record interviews with people about their experiences growing up in the Town of Babylon in the 1930s through 1950s. Admittedly, I was naïve about the amount of work such a project would entail. Not only did we have to find people who would talk to us, they had to agree to let us film their responses to our questions. Luckily, 78 people agreed to participate in our project.
Most of the interviews were filmed in the Boardroom at Babylon Town Hall, and often we had to pause recording because of the ice cream truck music from the adjacent park. The setting may not have been ideal but the interviews were always interesting.
Swati
Srivastava – Filmmaker and History Volunteer
At the start of 2023, filmmaker
Swati Srivastava graciously volunteered to update and organize the digital
files for future preservation, and to create new film clips for the Town of
Babylon YouTube Channel. Wading through the hours of digital film files is a
tremendous undertaking, and Swati has created a wonderful online exhibit showcasing some of these interviews.
From the full interviews, Swati has selected video clips unique to each person and their experiences. The oral history videos may be viewed on the Town of Babylon YouTube Channel, under “Playlists”
Swati is
self-described as a “Former woman in STEM now a woman in FILM.” She is a first generation immigrant and a multi award-winning writer-director & voiceover
artist who has directed several short films, short documentaries, music videos
and political ads. Her films have played at
numerous film festivals and won several awards, including the “most important
story of the year” award from CNN-India aired nationally in India at
prime-time. You can learn more about Swati and her work at: www.TiredAndBeatup.com
Thank you Swati for sharing your time and talents.
Thank you to the Babylon Town Historical Society who has funded software and accessories to facilitate this revival of the TOB Oral History Project.
Oral History Project Staff
Over the course of the project, 2007-2008, interviews were conducted by Town Historian Thomas B. Smith, Historical Archivist Mary Cascone, and graduate student interns Georgia Cava and Cynthia Clynes. The interviews were recorded and edited by student film interns, Nicholas Allen, Sean Costello, Richard Rodi and Paul Taylor.