The Montgomery County African American Oral History Project is a cooperative project that was conceived of by Shana Thornton, Deputy County Historian of Montgomery County. In 2023 Thornton brought the idea to the Montgomery County Archives and to Montgomery County leadership with the goal of preserving the stories of African American residents of the county. The Montgomery County Archives partnered with Thornton to develop the materials of the program and to preserve the resulting oral histories. Interviews began in 2024 and remain ongoing.