Articles

Over the past three years, Humanities Texas has partnered with El Progreso Memorial Library in Uvalde to establish Los Angelitos de Robb Archive—an archive held at the library preserving community and national responses to the tragic shooting that took place at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022. The project was made possible with major funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Humanities Texas, with significant support provided by program partners the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the Baylor University Institute for Oral History.

Earlier this month, El Progreso Memorial Library Director Tammie Sinclair shared an update on Los Angelitos de Robb Archive, highlighting recent developments and plans for the months ahead.

Tammie Sinclair, Director, El Progreso Memorial Library

Despite funding cuts this year, El Progreso Memorial Library remains committed to sustaining Los Angelitos de Robb Archive and Oral History Initiative. Our work continues to ensure that the community's stories, memories, and responses to the Robb Elementary tragedy are preserved for future generations.

This fall, we are sharing our work on a national stage at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Oral History Association in Atlanta, where Priscilla Martinez, oral historian for Los Angelitos project, will moderate a panel exploring the challenges and responsibilities of documenting trauma through oral history and archival preservation. Panelists include myself, representing Los Angelitos de Robb Oral History Project; Cary Rositas-Sheftel, assistant director of Highland Park Public Library, who will discuss her library's trauma-informed oral history project following the 2022 Independence Day parade mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois; and Claytee White and Stefani Evans of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who will highlight their work documenting the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting. Together, panelists will discuss ethical storytelling, community engagement, and the role of cultural institutions in preserving the histories of community trauma. Beyond the conference sessions, the panel participants will also meet in Atlanta to launch Growing Archives of Trauma, a collaborative effort to document and share best practices from institutions across the country.

Meanwhile, Los Angelitos de Robb Archive continues its important work at El Progreso Memorial Library (EPML) in Uvalde. As new materials are received, archivist Eliana Romero processes and houses them, updating the collection inventory, finding aid, and project website. She is guided in this work by advisors Ellen Cunningham-Kruppa and Stephen Mielke of the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin, who continue to provide expertise in archival arrangement, description, and preservation.

Los Angelitos de Robb Oral History Initiative is also expanding. Priscilla Martinez continues her interviews with individuals who responded to the tragedy in Uvalde and those who contributed materials now housed in the archive. To broaden the scope, she will also interview professionals from other institutions across the country that have preserved community responses to mass violence. These conversations reflect our growing understanding of the profound role libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions play in helping communities respond to trauma and promote collective healing. Capturing these individuals' perspectives not only enriches our collection but also lays the groundwork for other communities to use when responding to similar tragedies.

Also central to this next phase is the library's continued collaboration with Steven Sielaff, senior editor and collections manager at the Baylor University Institute for Oral History and associate director of the Oral History Association. Sielaff is supporting EPML staff as they transition from planning to fully implementing the oral history initiative. Together, we are exploring the establishment of an official oral history regional repository at the library, providing a long-term home for this work and anchoring Uvalde within the larger oral history field.

As part of our commitment to community engagement, EPML will host a Getting Started with Oral History workshop led by Priscilla Martinez. The workshop will equip residents with the skills and resources to conduct their own oral history interviews and contribute directly to the preservation of Uvalde's diverse and rich history.

Finally, we have hired Mario Rodriguez as a full-time staff member. Rodriguez was instrumental in the early documentation of Los Angelitos de Robb Archive. His role will now include supporting the Getting Started community oral history project, helping to train and empower Uvalde residents to record and preserve their own histories.