A04_MALU_Oral_History_SOW_Park_History.docx

Statement of Work Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Oral History of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia Building during the Civil Rights Movement

PXP0321635A

SCOPE:

Under the terms and conditions outlined below, the Contractor will conceptualize and develop a plan to conduct 25 to 30 oral history interviews. The Contractor will manage day-to-day operations of the oral history project, schedule and conduct oral histories, monitor schedules for completion of oral histories, survey existing oral history collections to help determine interviewee prioritization, collect biographical research of the interviewee, develop biographies, capture still current day photographs, gather and digitize any relevant historical materials/photographs that interviewees are willing to share, and carry out the transcription process of the oral histories. The Contractor will produce interview guides and a final report as well. Distinct themes that are tied to the first floor, second floor, and basement of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge building and to be covered in the oral histories include: African American Civil Rights Movement, Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and African American Female Empowerment.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY:

The information developed under this task order is the property of the U.S. government and shall be kept in strict confidence.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:

The work shall be completed within the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park or at a location convenient to the interviewees. The archival research shall be completed in selected archives of known or presumed relevance that are readily accessible without extensive travel and that promise expeditious extraction of relevant data.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The work shall begin following the issuance of the contract and will proceed by the schedule for submittals no more than 24 months after the contract award date.

INTRODUCTION:

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park (MALU) recently expanded its boundary to include the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia building. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) national headquarters, WERD Radio Station, and Madam CJ Walker Beauty Shoppe were tenants of the Prince Hall building while Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement were making advances for African Americans in the United States of America. The park has no detailed information from individuals related to the SCLC. An oral history project will capture interviews and gather research material from community and family members, staff, as well as organizers and campaign participants related to the SCLC headquarters, radio station, and beauty shop during the Civil Rights Movement.

BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION

MALU was established on October 10, 1980, by Public Law 96-428 (PL 96-428). The park’s mission is to protect and interpret for the benefit, inspiration, and education of present and future generations the places where Martin Luther King, Jr., was born, where he lived, worked, worshipped, and where he is buried. MALU increased its boundary lines to include more of the Sweet Auburn Historic District, including the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, in 2018 through Public Law 115-108 (PL 115-108) and got redesignated from a historic site to a national historical park. To interpret this new acquisition, the National Park Service is requesting extensive oral histories with community members, family, friends, staff, and organizers and campaign participants who played important roles with the SCLC headquarters, WERD Radio, and Madam CJ Walker Beauty Shoppe located on the first and second floors and basement along Auburn Avenue as well as first floor facing Hilliard Street of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge.

Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the founders and first president of the SCLC, had an office at SCLC Headquarters. WERD Radio, the first black-owned-and-operated radio station in America, also operated out of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge. WERD Radio frequently broadcasted Dr. King’s sermons, amplifying King’s words to the community and the nation. Also, Madam CJ Walker Beauty Shoppe’s Atlanta branch, a business creation of Madam CJ Walker—a prominent black businesswoman, operated out of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge. The shop served many African Americans within the Sweet Auburn community.

Currently, site managers have very little information about the space. These oral history interviews will play a critically important role in developing thoughtful and evocative educational exhibits and materials for a new unit within the park boundaries. The potential for perspectives and information gathered through this oral history project are irreplaceable and will provide extremely valuable information. Oral histories are a tool to fill gaps in historical records, record institutional memory, capture diverse viewpoints, understand change over time, conduct assessments of impacts, provide context for historical understanding, contribute to management decisions, and connect with the communities that the NPS serves.

CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVITIES:

· Dr. M.L. King, Jr. was president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and worked from the Prince Hall Grand Lodge.

· SCLC headquarters based out of the first floor and basement, 1963-2007.

· Ella Baker was associate director and temporary interim executive director of SCLC and worked from the Prince Hall Grand Lodge.

· Programs and campaigns, such as Operation Breadbasket, launched by SCLC.

WERD RADIO:

Occupied a portion of the second floor, 1955-1970.

First radio station owned and operated by African Americans in the United States.

Influence on social advancement and racial relations during the Civil Rights Movement.

AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT:

· Madam CJ Walker Beauty Shoppe, part of the Madam CJ Walker Manufacturing Company, ran out of the second floor and then the first floor of the new addition, 1940-1981

· Madam CJ Walker was one of the first and most notable African American women to become a self-made millionaire in the United States

· Walker’s achievement had an inspirational effect on female African American business ownership and patronage There is currently not enough research on the individual members involved in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) National HQ, WERD Radio Station, and Madam CJ Walker’s Beauty Shoppe located in the Prince Hall Grand Lodge building during the Civil Rights Movement.

The gap in knowledge as a result of the lack of interviews with community members, staff, organizers/campaign participants, and family members leaves the park as well as the public without previously unheard voices and research material for aid in the management of park resources, description of life in Atlanta along Auburn Avenue during the Civil Rights Movement, and how individual grass-roots members interacted with organizations, communication, and vocations during the Civil Rights Movement.

The successful completion of this project will mean that by the fourth quarter of 2026, oral history interviews and gathered research material will be available to the park through transcriptions, reports, and auxiliary materials.

REQUIRED CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS:

The Contractor required for this work must have demonstrated experience in the successful completion of similar oral history projects from inception to completion. Experience working with the National Park Service is desirable, but not required. Ideal candidates will also possess the following qualifications:

Broad working knowledge of the organization and functioning of the National Park Service and experience conducting interviews consistent with the Oral History Association Principles and Best Practices https://oralhistory.org/principles-and-best-practices-revised-2018/. The Oral History Association is the professional organization NPS follows for archival standards and guidance.

Experience managing oral history projects.

Background knowledge of African American history and culture.

Background knowledge of the African American Civil Rights Movement.

Ability to work sensitively with subjects who have been interviewed multiple times.

Ability to work with a family that has endured a life of public prominence.

Knowledge of contemporary, high-quality videography techniques and archival standards for recorded information Has necessary audio and video equipment able to complete high-quality work, including but not limited to wireless microphones, extension cords, headphones, memory cards, tripods, audio recorders, and video recorders.

Experience managing audio and video equipment able to complete high-quality work, including but not limited to wireless microphones, extension cords, headphones, memory cards, tripods, audio recorders, and video recorders.

Skill in managing, leading, communicating, and collaborating with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to accomplish project goals.

Skill in using software to plan, monitor, and organize projects.

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Strong interpersonal skills.

Working knowledge of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding website accessibility for finished products.

Working knowledge of the Copyright Act of 1976, Trademark Act of 1946, and law as it applies to intellectual property to recording and conducting oral histories.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The goal of the project includes interviewing 25 to 30 individuals with relevant stories about the SCLC, WERD Radio, and Madam CJ Walker Beauty Shoppe operations at the Lodge. The Contractor will contact the interviewees and schedule interviews. The interviews will be recorded using high-quality video and audio equipment to ensure museum-archival quality results. All recordings will meet archival standards (minimum 24 bit / 96 kHz / Stereo / .WAV for audio and 50 mbps / Stereo / H .264 / .mp4 for video). Video should be captured using a high-quality prosumer or professional camera, not smartphones or consumer-grade equipment. 4K is not required but would be a plus if available.

National Park Service staff, management, and interns will assist in conducting preliminary research on interviewees as well as relevant events as necessary. The interviews will be recorded on SD (Solid State) cards. Files should be delivered in a digital format with .mp4 access copies (or equivalent) that can be viewed on basic computers preferably indexed for quick reference. Two copies should be delivered via hard drive or equivalent with one copy going to the park and one to the Regional Office. If the hard drive cannot be delivered in person, it should be shipped securely with a verified receipt.

The Contractor’s principal duties will include collaborating on day-to-day aspects of MALU’s responsibilities for the oral history interviewees, facilitating park involvement in reviews and project meetings and communication, and leading the development of internal and public project updates. The Contractor must have the ability to travel to the interviewees’ locations. Many potential oral history candidates reside in the Greater Atlanta area.

Specific Tasks

· The Contractor shall work with NPS to design the project-work plan with enough detail to show the relationship between the objectives, tasks, and milestones. The work plan must be clear, suitable, and feasible.

· The Contractor will survey existing oral history collections that include an annotated list of relevant interviews, pertinent archives, and archival deposits to be utilized, and a catalog of oral history interviews the collections hold to determine which interviews to prioritize.

· The project will include in-depth audio and video interviews. The Contractor will follow the Oral History Association Principles and Best Practices as well as Archiving Oral History: Manual of Best Practices. See https://oralhistory.org/principles-and-best-practices-revised-2018/ and https://oralhistory.org/archives-principles-and-best-practices-complete-manual/ respectively. The Oral History Association is the professional organization NPS follows for archival standards and guidance.

Files should be delivered in a digital format with mp4 access copies (or equivalent) that can be viewed on basic computers preferably indexed for quick reference. Two copies should be delivered via hard drive or equivalent with one copy going to the park and one to the Regional Office. If the hard drive cannot be delivered in person, it should be shipped securely with a verified receipt.

· This agreement calls for multiple camera captures. Multiple angles are required.

· The Contractor will produce all final deliverables for this project to include 25 to 30 professionally researched, conducted, transcribed, videotaped, and edited oral history interviews focusing on the SCLC, WERD Radio, and Madam CJ Walker Beauty Shoppe as well as a final report to discuss key findings and future research needs.

· The Contractor will conduct the oral histories with state-of-the-art equipment, including audio and visual recording devices, and will be of appropriate quality to be utilized in museums, documentaries, and online.

· The Contractor will create interview guides for the interviewees in discussion with the NPS.

· The Contractor will create a final summary report that is formatted to be uploaded to the Integrated Resource Management Applications (IRMA) Portal. The summary report will include the following: the process/methodology and interviews including front matter (table of contents, list of illustrations, and executive summary); project description; appendices (interview guide(s), transcripts, and release/consent forms); a description of gaps in existing archives and how the newly collected interviews are addressing the gaps; major/common themes in the interviews; identified people/historical actors; and recommendations for future research and lessons learned.

· The researcher/s will deliver the final version of the summary report as an electronic file or files (in Microsoft Word and/or Adobe Acrobat as requested). The final format of the document will be agreed upon between the Contractor and NPS. All illustrations used in the final document will be credited. If any of the illustrations carry restrictions (such as one-time use limitations), the Contractor will provide this information to the NPS.

· The Contractor will include a biography and current still photograph of the interviewees with the transcriptions.

· The Contractor will collect and digitize pertinent historical materials and photographs that interviewees are willing to share.

· The Contractor will get the necessary legal permission for the use of these materials.

· The Contractor will coordinate with interviewees to obtain an NPS Release form.

· The Contractor will be responsible for transcribing the interviews.

· The Contractor will share a transcript copy with interviewees so that they can review the content and make any necessary changes.

· The Contractor shall provide proof of general liability insurance coverage at an amount to be agreed upon by the NPS and the Contractor.

· The Contractor will provide monthly progress reports to the NPS to provide timely updates.

PROJECT SCHEDULE AND SUBMISSION OF DELIVERABLES

The Contractor will submit a proposed timeline, which will be approved by NPS. The following schedule is a suggested timeline. The schedule may change due to external factors, including the ability to travel and safely meet interviewees. All work will be completed no later than two years from the kick-off meeting. The NPS shall provide consolidated comments within the stated review period of any submissions.

STIPULATIONS

· Appropriate permissions and informed consent must be granted by interviewees and provisions for confidentiality must be implemented. Selected portions of sensitive or especially important data that need to be kept confidential may be provided as a separate file with the names of individuals deleted or the code name substituted, and excerpts deleted from interview transcripts. Management Policies (5:12, 13), see Management Policies 2006 (nps.gov), recognizes the need to keep confidential the location, character, and cultural context of certain ethnographic resources, especially historic and archeological resources with sacred significance. Data on them are exempted from public disclosure consistent with Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act and Section 9(a) of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act.

· All documentation (metadata, photographs, sketches, audio and video recordings, transcriptions) produced in connection with this project are to become the property of NPS. All documentation shall be delivered to the NPS during the lifecycle of the project based upon the mutually agreed schedule. Restricted access materials will be marked. The completed documentation may be used and reproduced in any fashion that the NPS chooses, with appropriate consideration given to confidential information and credit given to the researcher. A researcher may publish articles based on the research covered under this contract, provided that appropriate consideration is given to confidential information and credit is given to the NPS.

· All research notes made during the production of this project will be turned over to the NPS. Excluded from the research notes that will be provided to the NPS will be copies of either photographs or documents for which another institution either holds the copyright or has placed restrictions on its distribution. The Contractor’s final draft, including all photographs, maps, etc. shall become the intellectual property of the NPS.

· The Contractor's quality control efforts shall ensure that all draft and final deliverables are completed documents, as specified, that have been reviewed for academic excellence, professional and copy quality, and technical accuracy. Documents not displaying such efforts will not be accepted.

· The Contractor will not subcontract any portion of this project without prior NPS approval.

REQUIRED CONTENTS OF PROPOSAL

1. Statement of the proposal / Project approach

2. Project team: Identify the assigned key personnel, with brief resumes confirming that relevant disciplines are part of the team and that key personnel.

3. Cost Proposal: Project fees must include the entire scope of work and final deliverables, in a matrix format with hourly rates for assigned staff, noting tasks and subtasks.

Fee and Payment:

Progress payments to the Contractors shall be made based on proper and acceptable invoices submitted consistent with the quality requirements described in the Special Considerations below.

POINTS OF CONTACT:

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