This oral history interview with Ida Mae Shepherd was conducted by Greta Smith Wisnewski from August 14 to October 26, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the interview was conducted using Zoom, a video conferencing software. Shepherd was nominated by Oregonians to be interviewed as part of a program by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library to enhance and expand the range of voices in the library's collections. Interviewees are selected from the pool of nominees by a staff committee appointed by the historical society's executive director. The interview was conducted in five sessions.

In this interview, Shepherd discusses her family background and life in the Albina area of Portland, Oregon, particularly the Eliot neighborhood. She describes her experiences living in Vanport during World War II, including her escape from the 1948 flood that destroyed Vanport. She speaks at length about her involvement with Albina Fair Share, and also shares her thoughts about the mass displacement of Black residents during the construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s and the expansion of Legacy Emanuel Hospital in the 1970s.