Their collaboration was unique in that it brought law enforcement and counseling professionals together to address street gang issues in the Midwest. Cavett and Harrington drew on distinctly different characteristics to enhance the project. John Harrington was a sergeant with the Juvenile Unit of the Saint Paul Police Department; he had been involved in gang observation and training since the 1980s. Kate Cavett was an adolescent addiction counselor who worked with young gangsters and was an Oral Historian.

In the end, 103 gang members representing five ethnic groups shared their oral histories. Qualitative analysis was completed and a final report prepared for the Minnesota Legislature, which had contributed funding to the project. Based on the knowledge and insights gained from this applied research, more than 100 educational presentations around the region and nation have been given. HAND in HAND's workshops use the actual words-audio recordings of gang members-to describe why youth join gangs, the epidemic of girl gang members, gang culture, needs met by the gang life, and the importance of rituals in gangs. The words of these young gangsters help audiences understand, as no chart or graphs can, what gang life is about.

Based on the initial research , HAND in HAND developed and provided a prevention/intervention project for young women in gangs in 2000-2001. This successful project served six to ten predominantly Hmong young women each month through intense after-school programming. Part of the programming was teaching the young women how to do oral histories. After September 11, 2001, our insurance rates doubled and donations in Minnesota decreased, and it was necessary to turn this project over to another agency-WAHL/The Women's Association of Hmong and Lao.

In 2002 HAND in HAND intensified its original focus of producing oral histories and began developing a community advisory group for the Rondo Oral History Project. By 2003 the Rondo Oral History project was in full production. By 2004 thirty-three oral history interviews were completed and donated to the Minnesota and Ramsey County Historical Societies and Saint Paul Libraries. A traveling exhibit of 23 storyboards based on the oral histories was developed and displayed in public and private locations around Saint Paul. In 2005 the book Voices of Rondo: Oral Histories of Saint Paul's Historic Black Community was published by Syren Books. A companion DVD that includes an 18 minutes documentary defining the value of the neighborhood and fifteen of the storytellers sharing their Rondo experiences help keep these stories alive.

The Saint Paul Police Oral History project began with an oral history interview with Saint Paul's retired Deputy Chief James Griffin. When the new police headquarters at 367 Grove Street was named for Griffin, excerpts from his oral history were installed in an audio kiosk in the front lobby. This initiative is continuing through funding from the Minnesota Historical Society and other organizations.

HAND in HAND continues to be unique in using oral histories in creative ways to expand their values.

HAND in HAND continues its commitment to high-quality and innovative products in its production of print, audio, and video oral histories for families, organizations, and communities.

January 2006

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