Michelle Little

Michelle Little is an oral historian living in Birmingham, Alabama. She has been interviewing Alabama natives for over a decade and is passionate about preserving local stories. Prior to working as an independent oral historian and audio producer, Little founded an oral history program at Samford University. She designed large scale interview projects and developed methods to incorporate oral history and podcasting into the classroom. Since leaving Samford in 2019, she has worked extensively with the Southern Foodways Alliance and WBHM 90.3. She recently produced an oral history based walking tour of Birmingham's Central Business District.

Little holds a bachelor’s in History from Samford University and a master’s in Theological Studies from Beeson Divinity School. She previously served on the Emerging Professionals Committee and the Independent Practitioners Task Force of the Oral History Association. Michelle is married to Terry and they have a Jack Russell, Molly. When she is not researching and interviewing, Michelle enjoys trying out recent additions to the Birmingham food scene and is always on the hunt for the best latte.

What is akousate?

There is one word in the Greek language that means hear, listen, and learn. One verb for three actions humans don't always connect.  

I came across this vocabulary word years ago during my first semester of Greek. I asked my professor how one word could hold three different meanings. Citing an example of asking his son to take out the garbage, he explained the combined meaning. If he asked him, "Son, did you hear me?" he is not asking if his son actually heard the command to take out the garbage. He is asking if he is listening to him with the intent to understand and to take action.

We encounter many people with diverse backgrounds every day. We exchange pleasantries, the time of day, perhaps a short story during a layover at an airport. But do we listen with the intent to learn about their life experiences? Do we absorb their stories and perspectives with the active intent to enlarge our own view of the world around us?

Oral history combines hearing, listening, and learning both in the moment of the interview and in perpetuity. It captures stories that may otherwise be lost to time and creates resources for future generations.