This page proposes an addition to IHP’s existing mission as well as goals and objectives that the organization could use as a starting point for improving their support for Black queer Southerners.
Revised Mission
IHP’s current mission is written on their website:
“The Invisible Histories Project locates, preserves, researches, and creates for local communities an accessible collection of the rich and diverse history of LGBTQ life in the US South. Currently, IHP collects in Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. IHP acts as an intermediary between the Queer community and various institutions like universities, museums, archives, and libraries in order to preserve Southern LGBTQ histories.”
A simple revision to this mission would not fully address the unique needs of queer Black Southerners that differ from the needs of other queer folks that IHP serves. I suggest that IHP include an addition to their mission that is specifically focused on responding to requests from queer Black Southerners and connecting them with the resources needed to fulfill them. The following could be used, edited, or drawn from by IHP to ground this work in:
Invisible Histories acts in solidarity with queer Black Southerners through practices centering their needs and wants as memory and/or archival workers. By building relationships with and listening to queer Black Southerners, IHP responds to requests made of the organization as they change over time. Knowing that queer Black memory work must be led by queer Black folks themselves, IHP steps back in this solidarity to be led by those who do this work best and to provide support according to what is asked of them.
This focused mission draws from Black queer and trans feminist memory praxis that is grounded in the understanding that memories and histories must be honored by the people and communities they come from. The goals of queer Black memory work respond to the specific experiences of queer Black folks in racialized and gendered societies (River Foy, 2023), and any support that IHP provides in solidarity with these goals must center this understanding. While queer community archiving recognizes aspects of liberatory goals for memory, queer Black feminism demands a radicality that pushes queer liberation further by addressing racialized capitalism as a source of all systems of oppression (Bey, 2020, 85). Given that history and memory are essential aspects of movements against oppression (Richardson et. al., 2022, 817), IHP has a unique opportunity as an archival organization to support this work led by queer Black Southerners.
Bey, M. (2020). Anarcho-Blackness: Notes Toward a Black Anarchism. AK Press.
About Us | Invisible Histories Project. (n.d.). Retrieved July 2, 2023, from https://invisiblehistory.org/about-us/
Richardson, M., Brown, E., Cotten, T., Gossett, C., Ridley, L., & Snorton, C. R. (2022). Between Inconceivable and Criminal: Black Trans Feminism and the History of the Present. Feminist Studies, 48(3), 807–823. https://doi.org/10.1353/fem.2022.0052
River Foy, M. (2023, March 8). The use of memory by women, femmes and queer folk in the African diaspora. Reckon. https://www.reckon.news/black-joy/2023/03/the-use-of-memory-by-women-femmes-and-queer-folk-in-the-african-diaspora.html
Goals
Goals aligned with this focused mission could include or be drawn from the following:
1. Center practices of building relationships and trust for working in solidarity with queer Black Southerners
2. Create continuous opportunities for queer Black Southerners to share their needs and wants from IHP with organizational staff
3. Connect queer Black Southerner’s with needed and wanted resources to support their goals in memory and/or archival work
4. Include practices addressing queer Black Southerner’s requests from IHP’s strategic action plans as they develop over time
Objectives
While it would be preemptive to create objectives towards these goals, and the first goal cannot be ethically or realistically broken down into objectives, I have one suggestion for IHP when it comes to this aspect. Joshua mentioned that IHP had a panel of donors of color to talk about their experiences working with the organization. I believe it will be critical for IHP to listen to queer Black Southerners that they are already in relationship with and gather feedback on their practices that they can actively respond to. This should not be done through isolated, short-term events but be incorporated into the consistent practices of IHP’s organizational work. Ensuring that there are multiple avenues for listening to this feedback that are accessible to queer Black Southerners will mean that IHP will consistently know what is needed and wanted from their organization.
The first step toward these goals is to connect with queer Black stakeholders that IHP works with currently to ask which ways would be most accessible to them for sharing this feedback. Depending on the contexts and experiences lived by queer Black Southerners, these communication methods will likely vary and must be accommodating according to each person’s needs. As IHP gathers this feedback, the organization can begin developing practices that incorporate these needs and allow for more transparent communication about how queer Black Southerners can be supported. While this is just one action to begin a continuous process of building trust, it should be a lasting practice throughout IHP’s work to make sure that the organization remains aligned with the goals of queer Black folks they are in relationship with. With regular feedback, IHP will have the grounding necessary to act in solidarity with queer Black memory and/or archival workers in the South.
I will also note that people’s time, energy, and capacity must be respected in having these conversations as an organization reaching out to community members, recognizing the power dynamic formed in these relationships. Not only should people be compensated for their time and energy dedicated to providing this feedback to IHP, but there must be strategies set in place to hold the organization accountable to responding to requests with transparent action and communication. This is an important part of building trust and respect in relationships, especially when connecting with new folks interested in IHP’s work.
Activities/Resources
A potential activity or resource that IHP could create towards these goals and objectives is to include spaces for queer Black Southern memory and/or archival workers to connect with each other during its conference, Queer History South. Whether through compensated presentations or workshops, networking events, or informal meet-ups, this already existing conference could be an opportunity for IHP to begin directing resources towards supporting queer Black Southerners invested in the same goals.
Timeline
I do not recommend a timeline that sets due dates for completed goals, as this work is not the kind that can ever be truly finished. I emphasize again the importance of IHP incorporating these goals as continuous practices in their organizational work to build trust over time and to be held accountable to following through with their support for queer Black Southerners. There should be recurring periods of reflection and planning for IHP to reevaluate its practices through changes to folks’ needs and wants over time.