NYU will host an unveiling of a ground-breaking oral history project on New York’s Department of Sanitation and Freshkills Park with a presentation and discussion on Monday, May 9, 7-8:30 p.m. at NYU’s Languages and Literature Building, 19 University Place (at 8th Street).

Department of Sanitation, Freshkills Park Oral History Project Unveiled with Presentation, Discussion—May 9 at NYU
NYU will host an unveiling of a ground-breaking oral history project on New York’s Department of Sanitation and Freshkills Park with a presentation and discussion on Monday, May 9, 7-8:30 p.m. at NYU’s Languages and Literature Building. The project is comprised of the recollections of engineers, sanitation workers, and Staten Island residents, among others, who highlight the labors of waste on which the city relies and describe the most ambitious park project that New York has seen in the last 150 years.

New York University will host an unveiling of a ground-breaking oral history project on New York’s Department of Sanitation and Freshkills Park with a presentation and discussion on Monday, May 9, 7-8:30 p.m. at NYU’s Languages and Literature Building, 19 University Place (at 8th Street).

The project is comprised of the recollections of engineers, sanitation workers, and Staten Island residents, among others, who highlight the labors of waste on which the city relies and describe the most ambitious park project that New York has seen in the last 150 years. These collections, which will be accessible to the public through a website that will go live on May 9, promise to add vital but previously unheard voices to the city’s understanding of its history.

At the unveiling, oral history researchers will describe the inspiration for and development of this work. They will also share insights gleaned from interviews with Department of Sanitation (DSNY) personnel and with planners responsible for managing both the city’s day-to-day waste and the legacy it leaves. Guests include the narrators who are the founding participants of these archives.

The Oral History Project is co-sponsored by the New York City Department of Sanitation, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York University’s Draper Program in Humanities and Social Thought, and Columbia University’s Oral History Research Office.

The event, part of the Freshkills Park Talks series, is free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 212.998.8070. Reporters interested in attending must RSVP to James Devitt, NYU’s Office of Public Affairs, at 212.998.6808 or james.devitt@nyu.edu.

Freshkills Park Talks focus on topics related to the reclamation and development of Freshkills Park. The series is organized by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation in conjunction with a variety of citywide partners.

Press Contact

James Devitt
James Devitt
(212) 998-6808