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Honoring Legacy, Visibility, and Community
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Black history is American history, and Black LGBTQ+ history is an essential part of that story. During Black History Month, we honor the generations of Black LGBTQ+ leaders, artists, activists, and everyday community members whose courage and brilliance have shaped culture, advanced civil rights, and created spaces of belonging even in the face of discrimination and erasure. This page is a celebration of that legacy in full, not as a footnote, but as a vital and ongoing thread in the fight for dignity, visibility, and justice.
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Why Black LGBTQ+ History Matters
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Black LGBTQ+ people have always been here. They have always been organizing, creating, leading, and shaping the world around them, often without recognition or protection. Too often, history has separated Black identity and LGBTQ+ identity into different conversations, when in reality, these stories are deeply connected.
To honor Black LGBTQ+ history is to honor the full truth. It is to recognize the pioneers who moved civil rights forward, the artists who transformed culture, and the communities who built joy and resilience even in the hardest times. |
BLACK LGBTQ+ VOICES & FIGURES
pauli murray
Civil Rights Pioneer. Legal Trailblazer. Faith Leader.
Pauli Murray (1910–1985) was a civil rights activist, legal scholar, poet, author, and Episcopal priest whose work helped shape the legal foundations of both racial and gender equality in the United States. Though often overlooked in mainstream history books, Murray’s intellectual and legal contributions influenced some of the most significant civil rights victories of the twentieth century.
Born in Baltimore and raised in North Carolina, Murray experienced segregation firsthand. That lived experience fueled a lifelong commitment to dismantling systemic racism. Murray graduated first in their class at Howard University School of Law and later became the first African American to receive a Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) degree from Yale Law School.
Born in Baltimore and raised in North Carolina, Murray experienced segregation firsthand. That lived experience fueled a lifelong commitment to dismantling systemic racism. Murray graduated first in their class at Howard University School of Law and later became the first African American to receive a Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) degree from Yale Law School.
The Pioneering Pauli Murray: Lawyer, Activist, Scholar and Priest
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This Smithsonian profile highlights the remarkable life of Pauli Murray, a pioneering lawyer, activist, scholar, and Episcopal priest. It explores Murray’s early experiences with segregation, groundbreaking legal scholarship on what she called “Jane Crow,” and her role in shaping landmark civil rights and gender equality victories. The article also reflects on Murray’s later ordination and enduring influence on movements for justice.
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fighting for racial justice
Long before the term “intersectionality” entered public discourse, Murray wrote about what they called “Jane Crow,” describing the interconnected systems of racism and sexism affecting Black women. This framework anticipated later intersectional legal theory and became foundational to gender equality arguments used in major court cases.
Murray’s legal scholarship influenced the arguments used in Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Years later, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg credited Murray’s work in her briefs for Reed v. Reed, a pivotal gender discrimination case.
Murray’s legal scholarship influenced the arguments used in Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Years later, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg credited Murray’s work in her briefs for Reed v. Reed, a pivotal gender discrimination case.
national women's history museum
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This biography from the National Women’s History Museum highlights the life and legacy of Pauli Murray, a groundbreaking civil rights activist, legal scholar, and Episcopal priest. It details Murray’s contributions to legal theory, including her work on “Jane Crow,” her influence on major civil rights and gender equality cases, and her historic role as one of the first African American women ordained in the Episcopal Church.
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In 1966, Murray was a co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW), helping establish one of the most influential feminist organizations in the United States.
Finding Pauli Murray
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This history page from NOW (National Organization for Women) explores Pauli Murray’s vital role in the founding of the organization and her contributions to the women’s rights movement. It highlights how Murray’s legal scholarship and advocacy helped shape early feminist thought and laid the groundwork for intersectional approaches to gender and racial justice.
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Murray’s identity also makes them a vital figure in Black LGBTQ+ history. Murray wrote extensively about struggles with gender identity and sexuality decades before modern terminology existed. Scholars today often recognize Murray’s writings as reflecting experiences that resonate with contemporary understandings of transgender and nonbinary identity.
The Life of Pauli Murray: An Interview with Rosalind Rosenberg
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This interview on AAIHS (African American Intellectual History Society) delves into the life and legacy of Pauli Murray through a conversation with historian Rosalind Rosenberg. It highlights Murray’s groundbreaking contributions to legal scholarship, civil rights activism, and gender identity exploration, offering rich historical insight into her multifaceted impact.
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In 1977, Murray became the first African American woman ordained as an Episcopal priest, bringing together faith, activism, and justice in a historic moment for both the church and civil rights communities.
pauli murray center for history and social justice
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This profile from the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice offers an accessible look at who Pauli Murray was, covering Murray’s work as a civil rights lawyer, activist, scholar, poet, and Episcopal priest. It situates Murray’s life within broader movements for racial and gender justice and highlights the legacy that continues to influence scholars and activists today.
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Pauli Murray’s legacy reminds us that Black history and LGBTQ+ history are deeply intertwined. The legal frameworks used to dismantle segregation and fight gender discrimination were shaped in part by a Black queer thinker whose contributions were too often minimized.
Today, Murray is increasingly recognized as one of the most important intellectual architects of modern civil rights law.
Black history is LGBTQ history. And leaders like Pauli Murray helped write that history into the law itself.
Today, Murray is increasingly recognized as one of the most important intellectual architects of modern civil rights law.
Black history is LGBTQ history. And leaders like Pauli Murray helped write that history into the law itself.
barbara smith
Barbara Smith is a Black lesbian feminist, author, publisher, and lifelong organizer whose work reshaped modern feminist, civil rights, and LGBTQ+ movements in the United States. Her leadership helped define what inclusive liberation looks like by centering the lived experiences of Black women, including Black lesbians, at a time when they were often excluded from both mainstream feminist and civil rights spaces.
In 1974, Smith co-founded the Combahee River Collective in Boston alongside Demita Frazier and Beverly Smith. The Collective became one of the most influential Black feminist organizations of the twentieth century. In 1977, they released the Combahee River Collective Statement, now recognized as a foundational political document in feminist and LGBTQ+ history.
In 1974, Smith co-founded the Combahee River Collective in Boston alongside Demita Frazier and Beverly Smith. The Collective became one of the most influential Black feminist organizations of the twentieth century. In 1977, they released the Combahee River Collective Statement, now recognized as a foundational political document in feminist and LGBTQ+ history.
Combahee River Collective Statement
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The Combahee River Collective Statement, published in 1977, is a foundational document in Black feminist and LGBTQ+ history. Written by a group of Black feminist organizers including Barbara Smith, it explains how racism, sexism, class oppression, and homophobia are interconnected and must be challenged together. The statement continues to shape modern conversations about intersectionality and collective liberation.
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In that statement, the Collective articulated what we now understand as intersectional justice. They explained that systems of racism, sexism, class oppression, and homophobia are interconnected and cannot be dismantled in isolation. The document also introduced the term “identity politics,” not as a culture war slogan, but as a strategy rooted in the real conditions of people’s lives. Their argument was powerful and clear: if Black women were free, it would require the destruction of all systems of oppression, because their liberation demands structural transformation for everyone.
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The National Museum of African American History and Culture
Barbara Smith’s influence extends beyond organizing. In 1980, she co-founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, one of the first U.S. publishers dedicated to amplifying writing by women of color, including Black lesbian writers who were routinely excluded from mainstream publishing. Kitchen Table was not simply a press. It was a political intervention, ensuring that marginalized communities could control their own narratives and intellectual production.
How Kitchen Table Press Changed Publishing
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This article from JSTOR Daily explores how Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, founded by Barbara Smith and others, transformed the publishing world by creating a platform exclusively for women of color. Born from the need for writers marginalized by mainstream presses, the press published revolutionary anthologies like This Bridge Called My Back and distributed politically powerful pamphlets, expanding whose voices could be heard and studied in feminist, Black, queer, and ethnic studies.
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Smith also edited Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology, first published in 1983, which became a landmark collection centering Black women’s voices across sexuality, politics, culture, and community. The anthology expanded the scope of feminist literature and remains widely studied today.
home girls: a black feminist anthology
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Edited by Barbara Smith, Home Girls is a groundbreaking collection of essays, poetry, and personal narratives that center the lives and perspectives of Black women. The anthology helped define Black feminist thought in the 1980s and remains a key text in feminist, Black, and queer studies, giving voice to experiences often excluded from mainstream anthologies.
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Barbara's activism has spanned decades, including anti-violence organizing, reproductive justice work, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and coalition building. She later served on the Albany, New York Common Council, bringing her movement-based values into public service and local governance.
The Ms. Q&A: Barbara Smith Looks Back on a Lifetime of Black Feminist Struggle
Barbara Smith’s legacy reminds us that Black history is LGBTQ+ history. The language many movements use today about intersectionality, coalition building, and inclusive liberation has roots in the work she helped develop nearly fifty years ago. Her leadership demonstrates that meaningful progress requires centering those most impacted and building movements broad enough to free us all.
MISS MAJOR GRIFFIn-GRACY
A Lifetime of Advocacy for Trans Women of Color
Miss Major Griffin-Gracy was a Black transgender activist, Stonewall uprising veteran, and one of the most influential advocates for trans women of color in the United States. For decades, she worked to support transgender people, especially those who are incarcerated, homeless, or living in poverty.
A Stonewall Veteran
Miss Major was present during the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City, a turning point that sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.At a time when transgender people faced extreme discrimination and criminalization, she became part of a generation that fought back against police harassment and demanded dignity and safety for LGBTQ+ people.
the history of pride
Fighting for Incarcerated Trans People
After years of experiencing homelessness, discrimination, and incarceration herself, Miss Major dedicated her life to helping others facing similar challenges.
She later became Executive Director of the Transgender Gender-Variant Intersex Justice Project, an organization focused on supporting incarcerated trans people and advocating for prison reform.
She later became Executive Director of the Transgender Gender-Variant Intersex Justice Project, an organization focused on supporting incarcerated trans people and advocating for prison reform.
Transgender Gender-Variant Intersex Justice Project
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The Transgender Gender-Variant & Intersex Justice Project is a nonprofit focused on ending human rights abuses against transgender, gender-variant, and intersex people, especially those impacted by incarceration. The organization provides legal support, re entry resources, and advocacy while building leadership and community among trans people both inside and outside of prisons and detention centers.
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Building Community and Support
Why Miss Major’s Story Matters Today
Trans women of color continue to face disproportionate violence, incarceration, and discrimination. Miss Major’s lifelong activism reminds us that the fight for equality must include the most marginalized members of our community.
MARSHA P. JOHNSON
A Legacy of Joy, Courage, and Community Care
Marsha P. Johnson was a Black transgender activist, drag performer, and community leader whose life helped shape the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. She is widely recognized as a key figure in the activism that followed the Stonewall uprising and as a fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ youth, people living with HIV/AIDS, and trans people of color.
Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Marsha moved to New York City with little money but a determination to live authentically. She became known for her flower crowns, warmth, humor, and generosity.
When asked what the “P” stood for, she famously answered: “Pay It No Mind.”
Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Marsha moved to New York City with little money but a determination to live authentically. She became known for her flower crowns, warmth, humor, and generosity.
When asked what the “P” stood for, she famously answered: “Pay It No Mind.”
Stonewall and the Birth of Modern Pride
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Marsha was present during the 1969 Stonewall uprising, a turning point that sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
After Stonewall, she became deeply involved in activism, joining the Gay Liberation Front and later ACT UP. Learn more from the Smithsonian: Marsha Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and the History of Pride Month While myths often claim she “threw the first brick,” historians emphasize that the uprising was a collective resistance by many LGBTQ+ people. |
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Building Support for LGBTQ+ Youth
In 1970, Marsha and fellow activist Sylvia Rivera co-founded STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), one of the first organizations dedicated to supporting homeless transgender youth.
They provided housing, food, and safety long before society recognized the crisis facing queer youth.
Learn more from the National Women’s History Museum:
Marsha P. Johnson Biography
They provided housing, food, and safety long before society recognized the crisis facing queer youth.
Learn more from the National Women’s History Museum:
Marsha P. Johnson Biography
A Life of Activism and Care
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Marsha was also an active member of ACT UP and helped care for people living with HIV/AIDS during the epidemic.
Her activism extended beyond protest. she practiced radical kindness and mutual aid. PBS interview on her legacy: New biography documents life of Marsha P. Johnson |
Honored and Remembered
New York City announced a monument honoring Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, the first public artwork dedicated to transgender women.
Smithsonian coverage of the monument:
NYC Monument Honoring Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera
Today, parks, statues, documentaries, and books continue to celebrate her legacy and impact.
Smithsonian coverage of the monument:
NYC Monument Honoring Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera
Today, parks, statues, documentaries, and books continue to celebrate her legacy and impact.
ADDITIONAL LINKS:
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Magazine
National Museum of African American History & Culture
National Women’s History Museum
National Park Service / National Parks
PBS NewsHour
Britannica
Biography.com
New York Historical Society (Women & the American Story)
- https://www.si.edu/stories/marsha-johnson-sylvia-rivera-and-history-pride-month
- https://womenshistory.si.edu/blog/lgbtq-women-who-made-history
Smithsonian Magazine
National Museum of African American History & Culture
National Women’s History Museum
National Park Service / National Parks
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/making-a-democracy.htm
- https://www.npca.org/articles/2736-the-unsung-heroines-of-stonewall
PBS NewsHour
Britannica
Biography.com
New York Historical Society (Women & the American Story)
SYLVIA RIVERA
A Revolutionary Voice for Trans Rights and LGBTQ+ Liberation
Sylvia Rivera was not black, but we would be remiss not to recognize her and her contributions to Black LGBTQ+ history. She was a Venezuelan and Puerto Rican transgender activist whose life and work helped shape the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. A fierce advocate for transgender people, homeless LGBTQ+ youth, and people living in poverty, Sylvia fought tirelessly to ensure the most marginalized voices were never left behind.
She is remembered as one of the most powerful and outspoken activists to emerge from the early LGBTQ+ liberation movement.
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sylvia-rivera
She is remembered as one of the most powerful and outspoken activists to emerge from the early LGBTQ+ liberation movement.
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sylvia-rivera
From Survival to Activism
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Sylvia experienced homelessness as a child and teen in New York City. Those experiences shaped her lifelong commitment to protecting LGBTQ+ youth and people living on the margins.
By her late teens, she was already part of New York City’s drag and LGBTQ+ community, and by 1969, she became involved in the uprising that would change history. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sylvia-Rivera |
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Stonewall and the Fight That Followed
Sylvia Rivera was present during the 1969 Stonewall uprising, a turning point that sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
After Stonewall, Sylvia joined the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance, where she fought for LGBTQ+ rights at protests, marches, and demonstrations across New York City.
https://www.si.edu/stories/marsha-johnson-sylvia-rivera-and-history-pride-month
After Stonewall, Sylvia joined the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance, where she fought for LGBTQ+ rights at protests, marches, and demonstrations across New York City.
https://www.si.edu/stories/marsha-johnson-sylvia-rivera-and-history-pride-month
Co-Founder of STAR with Marsha P. Johnson
In 1970, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR).
STAR provided:
• Housing for homeless LGBTQ+ youth
• Food and clothing
• Emotional support and community
They created one of the first organizations in the U.S. dedicated to supporting transgender youth and young people experiencing homelessness.
https://wams.nyhistory.org/growth-and-turmoil/growing-tensions/sylvia-rivera/
STAR provided:
• Housing for homeless LGBTQ+ youth
• Food and clothing
• Emotional support and community
They created one of the first organizations in the U.S. dedicated to supporting transgender youth and young people experiencing homelessness.
https://wams.nyhistory.org/growth-and-turmoil/growing-tensions/sylvia-rivera/
Fighting for Inclusion in the LGBTQ+ Movement
As the LGBTQ+ rights movement became more mainstream, transgender people were often pushed aside. Sylvia refused to accept that.
In 1973, she gave a now-historic speech at the Christopher Street Liberation Day Rally, passionately demanding that transgender people be included in the fight for rights and protections.
https://makinggayhistory.org/podcast/sylvia-rivera/
In 1973, she gave a now-historic speech at the Christopher Street Liberation Day Rally, passionately demanding that transgender people be included in the fight for rights and protections.
https://makinggayhistory.org/podcast/sylvia-rivera/
Honoring Her Legacy
Sylvia Rivera continued advocating for trans rights throughout her life. Today, her legacy lives on through organizations, monuments, and ongoing activism.
New York City has announced a monument honoring Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, the first public monument dedicated to transgender women.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-city-monument-will-honor-transgender-activists-marsha-p-johnson-and-sylvia-rivera-180972326/
New York City has announced a monument honoring Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, the first public monument dedicated to transgender women.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-city-monument-will-honor-transgender-activists-marsha-p-johnson-and-sylvia-rivera-180972326/
Why Sylvia Rivera’s Story Matters Today
Sylvia spent her life fighting for the people most often left out of the conversation: transgender people, LGBTQ+ youth, and those living in poverty.
Her work reminds us that equality must include everyone, especially the most vulnerable in our communities.
Her work reminds us that equality must include everyone, especially the most vulnerable in our communities.
ADDITIONAL LINKS:
National Women’s History Museum
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sylvia-rivera
Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sylvia-Rivera
Making Gay History Podcast
https://makinggayhistory.org/podcast/sylvia-rivera/
New York Historical Society
https://wams.nyhistory.org/growth-and-turmoil/growing-tensions/sylvia-rivera/
Smithsonian / Pride History
https://www.si.edu/stories/marsha-johnson-sylvia-rivera-and-history-pride-month
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sylvia-rivera
Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sylvia-Rivera
Making Gay History Podcast
https://makinggayhistory.org/podcast/sylvia-rivera/
New York Historical Society
https://wams.nyhistory.org/growth-and-turmoil/growing-tensions/sylvia-rivera/
Smithsonian / Pride History
https://www.si.edu/stories/marsha-johnson-sylvia-rivera-and-history-pride-month
BAYARD RUSTIN
Bayard Rustin was one of the most important architects of the Civil Rights Movement, even though his name is still unfamiliar to many. A brilliant strategist and organizer, Rustin was a key advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the principal organizer behind the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Rustin’s legacy is especially powerful because of what he faced. As an openly gay Black man, he was often pushed out of public view despite his indispensable role. His story reminds us that Black LGBTQ+ history is deeply embedded in the foundation of American civil rights, even when it was deliberately erased.
Smithsonian feature on Rustin
https://nmaahc.si.edu/bayard-rustin
Smithsonian spotlight on the March on Washington and Rustin’s role
https://www.si.edu/spotlight/1963-march-on-washington
Smithsonian collection item from the March organizing materials
https://www.si.edu/object/march-washington-jobs-and-freedom-organizing-manual-no-1%3Anmaahc_2010.45.2
PBS documentary Brother Outsider (Rustin’s life and impact)
https://www.pbs.org/video/pov-brother-outsider/
Rustin’s legacy is especially powerful because of what he faced. As an openly gay Black man, he was often pushed out of public view despite his indispensable role. His story reminds us that Black LGBTQ+ history is deeply embedded in the foundation of American civil rights, even when it was deliberately erased.
Smithsonian feature on Rustin
https://nmaahc.si.edu/bayard-rustin
Smithsonian spotlight on the March on Washington and Rustin’s role
https://www.si.edu/spotlight/1963-march-on-washington
Smithsonian collection item from the March organizing materials
https://www.si.edu/object/march-washington-jobs-and-freedom-organizing-manual-no-1%3Anmaahc_2010.45.2
PBS documentary Brother Outsider (Rustin’s life and impact)
https://www.pbs.org/video/pov-brother-outsider/
JAMES BALDWIN
James Baldwin was one of the most influential writers, thinkers, and cultural critics in American history. His work confronted racism, identity, power, religion, sexuality, and what it means to belong in a country that often refuses to fully see its own people.
Baldwin’s voice remains urgent today because he refused to simplify the truth. His essays and novels gave language to experiences that were often unspoken, especially for Black LGBTQ+ people navigating both racial injustice and queer invisibility.
Library of Congress official Baldwin archive
https://www.loc.gov/item/n79076619/james-baldwin/
James Baldwin reading from his works (Library of Congress audio)
https://www.loc.gov/item/88752473/
New York Public Library James Baldwin audio collection
https://archives.nypl.org/scl/186643
Baldwin’s voice remains urgent today because he refused to simplify the truth. His essays and novels gave language to experiences that were often unspoken, especially for Black LGBTQ+ people navigating both racial injustice and queer invisibility.
Library of Congress official Baldwin archive
https://www.loc.gov/item/n79076619/james-baldwin/
James Baldwin reading from his works (Library of Congress audio)
https://www.loc.gov/item/88752473/
New York Public Library James Baldwin audio collection
https://archives.nypl.org/scl/186643
Audre lord
Audre Lorde described herself as a Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet and her writing changed the landscape of feminist and civil rights thought forever. Lorde’s work spoke directly to the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and justice with rare power and clarity.
Her poems and speeches were not just art, they were calls to action. Lorde reminded the world that silence does not protect us, and that difference is not something to erase, but something to honor.
Library of Congress authority page on Lorde
https://www.loc.gov/item/n79139595/audre-lorde/
Library of Congress blog: Finding Audre Lorde in the national archive
https://blogs.loc.gov/catbird/2015/11/rediscovering-the-warrior-poet-finding-audre-lorde-at-the-library-of-congress/
Audre Lorde reading her poems at the Library of Congress (1982 recording)
https://www.loc.gov/item/91740794/
Literary Treasures feature on that recording
https://blogs.loc.gov/catbird/2020/05/literary-treasures-audre-lorde-and-marge-piercy-1982/
Her poems and speeches were not just art, they were calls to action. Lorde reminded the world that silence does not protect us, and that difference is not something to erase, but something to honor.
Library of Congress authority page on Lorde
https://www.loc.gov/item/n79139595/audre-lorde/
Library of Congress blog: Finding Audre Lorde in the national archive
https://blogs.loc.gov/catbird/2015/11/rediscovering-the-warrior-poet-finding-audre-lorde-at-the-library-of-congress/
Audre Lorde reading her poems at the Library of Congress (1982 recording)
https://www.loc.gov/item/91740794/
Literary Treasures feature on that recording
https://blogs.loc.gov/catbird/2020/05/literary-treasures-audre-lorde-and-marge-piercy-1982/
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey transformed American dance and created one of the most enduring cultural institutions in the world. In 1958, he founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater with a mission to uplift the African American experience through art and performance.
His work, especially the iconic Revelations, connected movement to memory, history, resilience, and spirit. Ailey’s legacy reminds us that Black LGBTQ+ history is also cultural history, built through beauty, community, and expression.
Alvin Ailey biography and founding mission
https://ailey.org/people/alvin-ailey
Ailey organization story and timeline
https://ailey.org/our-story
Explore the full AILEY history timeline
https://ailey.org/history
His work, especially the iconic Revelations, connected movement to memory, history, resilience, and spirit. Ailey’s legacy reminds us that Black LGBTQ+ history is also cultural history, built through beauty, community, and expression.
Alvin Ailey biography and founding mission
https://ailey.org/people/alvin-ailey
Ailey organization story and timeline
https://ailey.org/our-story
Explore the full AILEY history timeline
https://ailey.org/history
The Gay Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was not only a cultural explosion of Black art and literature, but also a time of vibrant queer life that shaped the era’s creative world.
The New-York Historical Society’s exhibition highlights this often overlooked history, showing how Black LGBTQ+ communities have always been part of America’s cultural foundation.
The Gay Harlem Renaissance exhibition
https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/the-gay-harlem-renaissance
The New-York Historical Society’s exhibition highlights this often overlooked history, showing how Black LGBTQ+ communities have always been part of America’s cultural foundation.
The Gay Harlem Renaissance exhibition
https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/the-gay-harlem-renaissance
Explore Black LGBTQ+ History From Home
These stories are preserved not only in LGBTQ+ spaces, but in America’s most respected museums, libraries, and archives. This Black History Month, we invite you to explore, learn, and honor the truth in full.
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History
https://nmaahc.si.edu/
Library of Congress Digital Collections
https://www.loc.gov/
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
https://www.nypl.org/locations/schomburg
PBS Documentaries and Civil Rights Features
https://www.pbs.org/
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History
https://nmaahc.si.edu/
Library of Congress Digital Collections
https://www.loc.gov/
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
https://www.nypl.org/locations/schomburg
PBS Documentaries and Civil Rights Features
https://www.pbs.org/
