The Presentation

This talk is directed to the many US and Canadian residents in Oaxaca who served in their countries’ militaries. It is designed to encourage participation in the US Veterans History Project and the Canadian War Museum which together provide a repository of the oral histories of more than 200,00 veterans. These oral histories usually include a video recording) and related papers and photographs. The collections are a way to celebrate and preserve the real-life experiences of veterans for historians, writers, educators, students, and others.  Dr. Roger Watts, a veteran himself, will help other veterans create oral histories and submit them to both United States and Canadian repositories with a recorded video interview and related paperwork for the collection. He will show an oral history video and distribute kits for the US Veterans History project and information sheets for Canadians to anyone interested. 

The Presenter

Dr. Watts, a retired psychologist and currently a documentary photographer, came to Oaxaca as a resident five years ago. He now offers his photographic talents to a wide range of non-profit organizations and individuals free of charge. He has done work for the migrant center Casa Collin and shown his work on migrants at the University of José Vasconcelos (UNIVAS) gallery. He also works with the En Via foundation, that provides microfinancing counselling, education, and promotes responsible tourism in the state of Oaxaca. He's a native of Boston MA and will talk about his hopeless relationship with the Boston Red Sox to anyone who will listen.