“One thing we know as Black feminists is how important it is for us to recognize our own lives as herstory. Also as Black women, as Lesbians and feminists, there is no guarantee that our lives will ever be looked at with the kind of respect given to certain people from other races, sexes or classes. There is similarly no guarantee that we or our movement will survive long enough to become safely historical. We must document ourselves now.”

In 1979, twin sisters and founding members of the Combahee River Collective, a Boston based radical Black lesbian socialist group, wrote the quote above in an essay titled “‘I Am Not Meant to Be Alone and Without You Who Understand’: Letters from Black Feminists” in Conditions: Four. Through the production and dissemination of information using print culture, they profoundly understood the importance of intentional documentation. The History Project invites community members to contribute to and engage with the Documenting Black Queer Boston initiative.

About the Project

With the support of the Mass Humanities Digital Capacity grant, this project will collect, update, and share the history of Boston’s Black queer community. The culminating output will be the release of a refreshed digital timeline collating historical moments in the city. 

Throughout the project, the team will actively seek input from Boston’s Black queer community - which we recognize is a not a monolith. Updates to the timeline will be crowdsourced by the community. Opportunities to contribute events to the timeline includes filling out the submission form, as well as virtual and in-person programming. The project plans to host community circles, storytelling events, and archiving workshops centering the Black queer community. Folks interested in the project are also encouraged to reach out with suggestions and feedback on participation options. We seek to be accountable. We invite community members to reach out via social media, email and attend project community circles. 

This project seeks to improve Black Boston queer collective memory. As inheritors of a legacy, this project aims to create intergenerational connections between Boston elders and youth. 

History

In 1997, The History Project curated “Black and Gay in Black and White,” a groundbreaking exhibition exploring the cultural and social contributions of local Black LGBTQ artists and activists. The timeline prepared as a part of the original exhibit explores this history through the early 1990s. Documenting Black Queer Boston builds on the recommendations of a consultant hired in 2018 with the support of the Boston Foundation to learn the needs of Boston’s queer communities of color. 

The project team is using new methods of community outreach and digital interpretation to update and present previously overlooked or excluded histories and voices. Through the graphic representation and chronological nature of a timeline, this project will highlight the existence, resistance, and contributions of Black Queer Boston. The refreshed timeline will be launched towards the end of September.

Team Members

Micha Broadnax (she/they) - Black queer memory worker and former Boston resident who spent their formative years in the city who has now settled in the western part of the Commonwealth. 

slandie prinston (she/they) - Funky minimalist, music enthusiast, nature lover who loves to write and listen to folks talk about their lives.

Joan Ilacqua (she/hers) - Archivist/Public Historian/Oral Historian/Executive Director. Joan loves to read queer romance novels and cross-stitch protest slogans.

Sophie T Miller and History Project Volunteers 

Press

July 1, 2021: On the Record. Boston Spirit Magazine.
May 3, 2021: The History Project receives grant to support Boston’s Black LGBTQ history. Boston Spirit Magazine.

FAQ

How do I get involved?
We need your insight on historical moments in Boston for Black queer people! Please click here to make suggestions to the timeline. We also invite ideas for event collaborations, please email Micha. 

What kinds of things should I submit to the timeline?
We want to populate the timeline with as many historical moments as possible. Our definition of “historical moments” is pretty open. To help conjure ideas, we suggest folks think of events, protests, productions, places, organizations, concerts, artworks and publications. We also encourage the recommendation of individuals who have had a community impact, public accomplishment, or experience that you believe should be recorded.

What events do you have coming up?
We are planning a series of events we’ll roll out throughout the end of the summer. Follow us on social media to receive updates about these events and check this page again towards the end of the month. 

I have a collection of photos and flyers that I would like to donate. What should I do? 
Email info@historyproject.org to talk about items in your collections that you would like to donate or share with the History Project. We welcome organizational records as well as personal collections of photographs, videos, diaries, programs, and other ephemera. We are currently developing a document to provide more insight about the kinds of records we are interested in preserving as well as tips for you to steward your documents. We are also welcoming submissions to #QueerArchivesAtHome a crowdsourced digital archive of pictures, videos, and stories.