In libraries and archives, efforts to document underrepresented communities and diversify collections can be fraught with political tension. We explore an interdepartmental collaboration to create and preserve a digital collection documenting the Urban Native Relocation Program of the mid-to late-twentieth century in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Involving the Grand Valley State University Libraries, the Kutsche Office of Local History, and the university's Native American Advisory Board, the project serves as a model not just for collaborative collection development but also for community engagement and outreach. We find that process is as important as product in developing collaborative digital collections.

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This article explores one developing model for framing ethical, mutually beneficial collaborations between a predominantly White, non-tribal serving university and urban Native American communities. Called Gi-gikinomaage-min (We are all teachers): Defend our History, Unlock Your Spirit, this oral history documentation initiative is informed by the developing literature on best practices for archiving Native American resources as well as by revolutionary critical pedagogy. Focusing on the impact of federal Urban Relocation Programs, the project is the first collaborative effort to focus on documenting experiences of Native Americans in the Grand Rapids, Michigan metropolitan area to create a publicly accessible archive of material that can be used for teaching, research, and other educational purposes. By reflecting on the work of this project to date, we aim for these efforts to become part of the larger, international conversation.

Focusing on the potential for narrative-driven, community-based projects to foster intergenerational connections and mobilize communities on behalf of social justice, this chapter aims to serve as a guide for practitioners. The guidance offered here was developed over two decades of work on oral history and narrative-based projects in a range of national and community contexts that include South Africa and the Americas. Beginning with a short overview of core concepts in narrative and decolonial theory and method, readers are taken through a series of seven questions designed to help them establish a practical, ethical framework for designing, launching, and maintaining narrative based projects of their own. The chapter concludes with a reflection on self-care for practitioners, a too often neglected component of academic or professional fieldwork.

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