RACHEL L. MARTIN
SOUTHERN ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM
410 EAST FRANKLIN STREET
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, CB 9127
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27599-3195
RMARTIN8@EMAIL.UNC.EDU
EDUCATION:
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
CHAPEL HILL, NC
Doctor of Philosophy candidate in Women’s and Gender History.
Dissertation: “Out of the Silence: Remembering the Desegregation of Clinton, Tennessee, High
School”
Advisor: Dr. Jacquelyn Dowd Hall; Committee: William F. Brundage, Laura F. Edwards, Crystal
Feimster, James L. Leloudis.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE
Master of Arts in History. Degree awarded August 2005. GPA—4.0
Thesis: “Built on the Sand: Family and Gender Relationships on Pleasure Island, AL, 1890-1930”
Thesis Committee: Dr. Mary Hoffschwelle, director; Dr. C. Brenden Martin, second reader.
TAYLOR UNIVERSITY
UPLAND, IN
Bachelor of Arts in English Writing and Biblical Literature. Degree awarded May 2002. GPA—3.81
HONORS & AWARDS:
2010-2011
2010
2009
2006-2008
2005
2004
2002-2003
1998-2002
1998-2002
Recipient of the Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowship
Recipient of a Spring 2010 Off-Campus Research Fellowship from the
Graduate School at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Recipient of the Center for the Study of the American South Summer Research Grant
Recipient of summer funding from the UNC history department
Recipient of the Bart McCash Scholarship for superior graduate scholarship
Recipient of a research grant from the MTSU history department
Fellow with the National Center for Leadership
Taylor University Student Leadership Scholar
Alliance Health Services scholarship recipient
EXPERIENCE:
UNC AT CHAPEL HILL
TEACHING ASSISTANT
2009
Helped teach the Social History of American Popular Music in Twentieth Century America. Led weekly
recitation sections to help students learn to read music as a historical document. Graded papers and tests
submitted by students.
SOUTHERN ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
2007-2009
Helped launch new Long Civil Rights Movement field study in Charleston, SC regarding residents’
participation in the region’s memory industry. Conducted oral histories with female University of North
Carolina professors who had helped open the university for later generations of female scholars. Sorted,
catalogued and digitized oral history interviews from the previous decades as part of the ILMS digitization
initiative. Participated in the planning and execution of receptions and fundraisers. Assisted in the office.
UNC AT CHAPEL HILL
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
2007-2008
Assisted Jacquelyn Dowd Hall, Ph.D. Generated a syllabus and proposal for a new graduate class on oral
history and memory. Gathered research resources. Communicated with and collected data from relevant
archives. Prepared drafts to be send to outside editors. Read and summarized secondary literature.
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UNC AT CHAPEL HILL
TEACHING ASSISTANT
2006
Helped teach a class on the history of North Carolina to 1865. Led weekly discussion groups that covered
primary source material related to the class. Met with students to help them prepare their papers and review
for tests. Graded papers and tests submitted by students. Held office hours and review sessions to provide
further support for the students.
MTSU CENTER FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION/
RESEARCH FELLOW 2005-2006
TENNESSEE CIVIL WAR NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA
Conducted interviews and researched historic context for the Green McAdoo Cultural Center, a community
project and museum exploring the desegregation of the Clinton, TN, High School where the first African
American graduated from an integrated Tennessee public school. Organized an oral history initiative in
Promise Land, TN, for the African American Churches project. Developed a walking tour of Pulaski, TN.
Assisted in the public relations and organization of the 2005 International Heritage Development
Conference. As book review editor for the Tennessee Historical Quarterly, edited articles and solicited book
reviews.
MTSU HISTORY DEPARTMENT
ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
2005-2006
Taught two sections of U.S. history to 1877. Developed a syllabus that combined readings from the textbook
with primary documents available online so that students would learn to effectively read written accounts,
images, oral histories and other forms of material culture. Organized and presented weekly lectures. Directed
student research projects examining the United States of America as a land of social change and experiment.
VOLUNTEER STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
2005-2006
Taught two sections of U.S. history to 1877 and two sections of U.S. history post 1865. Developed a syllabus
that combined readings from the textbook with primary documents available online so that students would
learn to effectively read written accounts, images, oral histories and other forms of material culture.
Organized and presented weekly lectures. Directed student research projects examining the United States of
America as a land of social change and experiment or the civil rights struggles of the post-Civil War United
States.
MTSU HOLOCAUST STUDIES CONFERENCE CONFERENCE COORDINATOR
2005
Created a session featuring Holocaust survivors and liberators so that conference participants could learn
about how the experience affected both sets of participants. Organized registration and housing for the
biennial conference. Created and maintained the budget. Met monthly with the conference committee to
assign responsibilities and check progress. Distributed publicity.
MTSU HISTORY DEPARTMENT
GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT 2003-2005
Assisted professors in grading United States History I and Historian's Craft assignments. Edited student
papers and bibliographies for Historian's Craft. Led group discussions of reading and lecture materials.
Helped professors compose tests. Met with students to help them prepare their papers and tests. Assisted
students in finding and assessing deeds, wills and other forms of primary documents for their Historian's
Craft final projects.
TAYLOR UNIVERSITY
DIRECTOR OF GIRLS’ CLUB
2000-2002
Organized an outreach to at-risk women of Grant County, IN. Provided a safe place for the young women to
explore the world around them through periodic cultural experiences--such as attendance at local plays and
concerts--as well as through the weekly meetings. Developed educational curriculum that encompassed both
basic living skills and tutorial assistance for those struggling in school. Assisted the participants in finding
employment. Recruited and managed volunteers.
INGRAM BOOK COMPANY
EDITORIAL INTERN
2000
Interviewed and profiled authors and members of the book world such as Nancy Cartwright (The Simpsons)
and Liz Sheridan (Seinfeld, Alf) and wrote round-ups for Beyond the Cover Magazine. Read galleys and helped
develop editorial calendars. Edited articles. Wrote copy and designed ads.
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JERUSALEM UNIVERSITY COLLEGE/FOR ZION’S SAKE
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR 2000
Served as liaison between For Zion’s Sake, a relief organization for Russian immigrants, and Jerusalem
University College during semester abroad. Established schedule for volunteers and coordinated their
transportation, edited monthly newsletter, answered phones and arranged to pickup donations made to the
outreach.
VOXCORP, INC
FREELANCE WRITER
1999-2000
Wrote approximately forty-five full-length features including celebrity profiles, travel/honeymoon articles and
topical round-ups for Release, 7ball, Profile, Echo and Christian Bride magazines. Contacted publicists and bands
scheduled to be covered. Arranged and conducted interviews. Edited articles sent by other staff members and
freelance writers.
PRESENTATIONS:
2009 ORAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING
“Powerful Memories: Using Oral Histories in the Commemoration of the Desegregation of Clinton,
Tennessee, High School”
2009 TRIANGLE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY COLLOQUIUM
“Memory and Black History”
2009 DEPARTMENTAL RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM
“Teaching Trouble: The Roles Of White Teachers In The Clinton, Tennessee, High School
Desegregation Conflict”
2009 STANFORD L. WARREN PUBLIC LIBRARY LECTURE SERIES
“Voices of Hayti: A Community Remembered”
2009 TRIANGLE WORKING GROUP IN FEMINISM AND HISTORY
“Gender and Memory in the Civil Rights Movement”
2008 DESTINATION CLEVELAND COUNTY
Co-teacher for “How to Do Oral History”
2007 TRIANGLE LABOR AND CIVIL RIGHTS WORKING GROUP
“Out of the Silence: An Overview of the Conflict Surrounding the Commemoration of the
Desegregation of Clinton, Tennessee, High School”
2007 EIGHTH MARITIME HERITAGE CONFERENCE
“As the Rain Came Down: Hurricanes and the Fishing Families of Pleasure Island, AL”
2006 WOMEN AT RISK: LIFE IN THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY CONFERENCE
“Built on the Sand: Gender Relationships on Pleasure Island, AL, 1890s-1930s”
2005 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH
"In Life and in Death: Medical Care on Pleasure Island, AL, 1890-1930”
2005 GULF COAST HISTORY & HUMANITIES CONFERENCE
"In Life and in Death: Medical Care on Pleasure Island, AL, 1890-1930”
2004 OHIO VALLEY HISTORICAL CONFERENCE
"'For the Sake of Decency': the Battle Between Morality and Science in Early Obstetrics"
2004 MCGILL-QUEEN’S GRADUATE STUDENT HISTORY CONFERENCE
"'For the Sake of Decency': the Battle Between Morality and Science in Early Obstetrics"
ACTIVITIES:
2009-Present
2008
2007
2006-Present
Member of the DfO Taskforce for Education and College Access
Co-author of H-Net “Report: UNC Workshop ‘What Is the Future of Feminist/Gender
History?’”
Member of the planning committee for the UNC Workshops on Gender, War and Conflict
Member of UNC Working Group in Gender and History
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2006
2006
2002
2001
2000
Member of the planning committee for the UNC Workshops in Family, Work and Welfare
Co-author of “Promise Land,” Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
First-place nonfiction and honorable mention poetry submissions to Parnassus Literary
Magazine
Cast member and assistant author of And It Came to Pass, a reader’s theater production
First-place fiction and honorable mention non-fiction to Parnassus Literary Magazine