Invisible Histories Project

The Invisible Histories Project is a nonprofit organization based in Alabama. Directors Joshua Burford and Maigen Sullivan work to collect materials and oral history interviews documenting Alabama and the broader Southeast's LGBTQ history. I met Joshua and Maigen last summer while I was recording interviews in Alabama, and was inspired by their vision of a South in which every young person has access to an accurate and extensive queer history of their own community. I have struggled to track down details of LGBTQ organizing in the Triangle area of North Carolina, and it's valuable to think about accessibility of archives. Though both Duke and UNC's archives collect many documents that piece together North Carolina's queer history, they can be difficult to access and often are not clearly labeled. There are no specific collections that offer a comprehensive LGBTQ history of Raleigh, Durham, or Chapel Hill.

I love the idea of archiving queer history and providing information to young people. I want to make sure that North Carolina's LGBTQ history is documented clearly, too. In my projects, I hope to add resources that build this collective history.

Read more about the Invisible Histories Project on their website here.