Summer Avenue Oral History Project

Summer Avenue, a six-mile section of US Highway 70, one of the first paved, signed highways in the US, has been known by a number of names over the years — the Broadway of America, Bristol Highway, and most recently, Nations Highway. But for the market owners, restaurateurs, and retail owners in this oral history collection, Memphis is simply home. During this SouthTalk, attendees will hear from the three collaborators who collected these oral histories. They will screen short documentaries featuring some of the restaurateurs, market owners, and retailers interviewed for this project, which were filmed by Spivey, a documentarian living and working in Memphis, Tennessee who earned a B.F.A. in photography from SCAD, and both an M.A. in Southern Studies and an M.F.A. in Documentary Expression from the University of Mississippi. Anderson was the oral historian for the Southern Foodways Alliance. She managed and conducted oral history work throughout the South. Delerme joined the University of Mississippi’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Center for the Study of Southern Culture in the fall of 2013. She specializes in migration to the US South, with interests in race relations, integration and incorporation, community development, and social class inequalities. This event is cosponsored by the Southern Foodways Alliance and the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. SouthTalks is a series of events (including lectures, performances, film screenings, and panel discussions) exploring the interdisciplinary nature of Southern Studies. To learn more about the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and the SouthTalks series, please visit the Center\u27s website