Events & Activities

Reunion 2019: queer Lafayette! Queer Archives Project update & PRIDE network reception

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Gendebien Room, Skillman Library

4:00pm – 5:00pm

Join Mary A. Armstrong, Charles A. Dana Professor of Women’s & Gender Studies and English, and College Archivist Elaine Stomber ’89 P’17 P’21 for an update on the launch of the new QAP digital humanities site.

The Public Memory of Queer History

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Gendebien Room, Skillman Library

12:00noon – 1:00pm

The new Queer Archives Project at Lafayette College joins a growing number of important collections and historic sites around the country that are preserving and presenting the history of LGBTQ Americans.  The courageous struggles of pioneers such as Frank Kameny in Washington, DC, the protesters at Stonewall Inn in New York City and Pennsylvania native Bayard Rustin are now recognized as turning points in civil rights history.  Their legacy is inspiring new generations to tell their story through oral histories, historic preservation, publications and collecting initiatives.

Brent D. Glass ’69 is Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the world’s largest museum devoted to telling the story of America. A national leader in the preservation, interpretation, and promotion of history, Glass is a public historian who today provides management and consulting services to museums, historical organizations, and cultural institutions throughout the United States and in other countries. His most recent book, 50 Great American Places (Simon and Schuster, 2016), explores the power of essential historic sites and how they illuminate core themes in American history.

Since 2012, Glass has served as a senior advisor to more than 50 cultural and educational institutions including the Presidio Trust in San Francisco, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation in Illinois, the Diplomacy Center in Washington, DC and Alexander Hamilton’s First Bank and Drexel University in Philadelphia.  He is currently working with several museums under development including the National Railroad Hall of Fame in Galesburg, Illinois, and the Sing Sing Prison Museum in Ossining, New York.

As director of the National Museum of American History (2002-2011) Glass led a two-year, $120 million renovation and the development of major exhibitions including the Star-Spangled Banner and permanent galleries on transportation, military, and maritime history.  The museum now features innovative public programs, living history performances, and new theaters for films, lectures, and concerts. Since reopening in 2008, more than 30 million people have visited the museum, a 50% increase over previous years and the Museum’s web site and social media sites have grown in popularity.

queer Lafayette! The Queer Archives Project Digital Humanities Launch

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Kirby Hall of Civil Rights

4:00pm – 6:00pm

Join the College Archives, Digital Scholarship Services and the Women’s & Gender Studies Program for a presentation on the development of the Lafayette College Queer Archives Project and the launch of the new QAP digital humanities site.

The Queer Archives Project at Lafayette College is an interdisciplinary initiative designed to illuminate Lafayette’s Queer history, advance teaching, learning and research in the area of Queer Studies, and promote institutional transformation. Join us for a celebration of the Queer Archives Project and Lafayette’s Queer History, and the launch of the Lafayette Queer Archives Project digital humanities site.

4:00pm-4:30pm: Reception in Kirby Hall Lobby

4:30pm-6:00pm: Presentation in 104 Kirby Hall

Presenters: Mary A. Armstrong, Elaine Stomber, Charlotte Nunes, and the QAP Student Research Team

Out Loud: Tales from the queer Archives LBGTQ Oral History project

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Gendebien Room, Skillman Library

10:00am-12:00noon

A brunch and QAP alumni participant panel occurred during Homecoming weekend, October 2018. We proudly partnered with the Pride Network, the Lafayette College LGBTQ+ affinity group on this event.

Committed to expanding knowledge of LGBTQ+ life at the College and promoting an inclusive campus climate, Lafayette’s Queer Archives Project has completed 20 oral history interviews of LGBTQ alums and staff. This session featured a short presentation on the state of project by the QAP Team, followed by a panel featuring Lafayette alums who have participated in the project by giving oral history interviews. Our moderated discussion explored Lafayette’s LGBTQ past and considered the changed (and changing!) climate for Queer people on campus.

All members of the Lafayette community interested in learning more about efforts to raise the visibility of LGBTQ+ issues on campus and building a more inclusive community at Lafayette were welcomed at the event!

Moderator: Mary A. Armstrong, Charles A. Dana Professor of Women’s & Gender Studies and English

Alumni panelists: Harlan Levinson ’83, Stacey-Ann Pearson ’15, Riley K. Temple ’71, Leah Wasacz ’16