Freedom Center Launches Oral History Mini-Documentary Collection for Use in Arizona Schools

The University of Arizona, Center for the Philosophy of Freedom, has launched a resource to help schools prepare students to be civically responsible and knowledgeable adults. The Center’s Oral History Collection, approved by the Arizona State Board of Education, includes three mini-documentaries that paint portraits of patriotism through compelling first-person accounts of other governing philosophies compared to those of the United States.
“The Freedom Center Oral History Collection is designed to help Arizona teachers deliver world-class instruction to students,” Freedom Center Director and Associate Professor in the Department of Political Economy and Moral Science Mary L. Rigdon said. “The mini-documentaries powerfully demonstrate our commitment to inform current and future generations, consistent with the Center’s mission to be an intellectually diverse, inclusive, and nonpartisan resource for leaders and students seeking to address society’s significant challenges. We appreciate the opportunity to highlight the power of freedom in a democratic society.”
The Oral History Collection includes pieces by Mesa Community College Residential Faculty Member in Economics Sylwia Cavalcant (Poland), Rep. Quang Nguyen (Vietnam), and Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives Ben Toma and his parents Ana and Cornel Toma (Romania). The histories detail their experiences growing up in different Communist countries and what it was like to come to the United States and experience Democracy. Produced in collaboration with the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, they are an authentic resource for educators.