Queer Newark Oral History Project

Queer Newark Oral History Project

Since coming to Rutgers University-Newark, I’ve been an advisor, interviewer, and curator for the award-winning Queer Newark Oral History Project. As a community-based and community-directed initiative supported by Rutgers University-Newark, QNOHP is dedicated to preserving the history of LGBTQ people and communities in Newark, New Jersey.

The project has been marked by a threefold commitment to public programming, academic research, and the development of a publicly accessible archive of oral history interviews and documents concerning the rich history of LGBTQ Newark. Centering the voices of LGBTQ, working-class people of color, QNOHP pushes back against a white, middle-class history of queer life. 

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At Home in Newark: Stories from the Queer Newark Oral History Project

At Home In Newark: Stories from the Queer Newark Oral History Project tells the stories of how LGBTQ Newarkers have claimed space for themselves in bars, balls, houses of worship, street corners, community centers, and artistic venues in the face of poverty, violence, illness, racism and discrimination in a multimedia exhibit. Through their activism, creative expression, and determination, they have made Newark their home.

This traveling exhibit was curated by students in Dr. Mary Rizzo’s American Studies and History class, Place, Community and Public Humanities at Rutgers University-Newark, in collaboration with a graphic design class, a team of community advisors, the Newark LGBTQ Community Center, and the Rutgers-Newark LGBTQ & Intercultural Resource Center.

The exhibit has been displayed at Audible headquarters, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Rutgers University-Newark. The exhibit is available to borrow. Contact queernk@newark.rutgers.edu to learn more.

Experience At Home in Newark

To hear clips from At Home In Newark, visit our Soundcloud playlist. The images below show the topics, themes, and beauty of the exhibit.

AT HOME IN NEWARK draws from the Queer Newark Oral History Project's growing collection of life history interviews, called oral histories, to examine how LGBTQ Newarkers have claimed space for themselves in bars, balls, houses of worship, street corners, community centers, and artistic venues in the face of poverty, violence, illness, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and discrimination. Through their activism, creative expression, and determination, they have made Newark their home.
AT HOME IN NEWARK draws from the Queer Newark Oral History Project's growing collection of life history interviews, called oral histories, to examine how LGBTQ Newarkers have claimed space for themselves in bars, balls, houses of worship, street corners, community centers, and artistic venues in the face of poverty, violence, illness, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and discrimination. Through their activism, creative expression, and determination, they have made Newark their home.
Sakia Gunn was a 15 year old black masculine-presenting lesbian who was killed in Newark in 2003. Gunn’s memory is symbolic for LGBTQ people in Newark. While her untimely death was devastating, it sparked a demand for equal rights and safe spaces leading to the founding of the Newark LGBTQ Community Center and the Newark Pride Alliance. Artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh memorializes Gunn in this mural along Rte. 21 in Newark.
Sakia Gunn was a 15 year old black masculine-presenting lesbian who was killed in Newark in 2003. Gunn’s memory is symbolic for LGBTQ people in Newark. While her untimely death was devastating, it sparked a demand for equal rights and safe spaces leading to the founding of the Newark LGBTQ Community Center and the Newark Pride Alliance. Artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh memorializes Gunn in this mural along Rte. 21 in Newark.
Young Newarkers stroll over a plaque marking the historic city center at Broad and Market Streets. In the 2000s, LGBTQ youth dubbed this the “G Cor ner,” a safe space where they could hang out after school. Sakia Gunn was murdered at this same intersection, on a night the local police kiosk wa s not staffed.
Young Newarkers stroll over a plaque marking the historic city center at Broad and Market Streets. In the 2000s, LGBTQ youth dubbed this the “G Cor ner,” a safe space where they could hang out after school. Sakia Gunn was murdered at this same intersection, on a night the local police kiosk wa s not staffed.
Empress Vizcaya poses on the runway of the 2015 Fireball, demonstrating the flair and drama of the scene. Intergenerational mentoring is also an important component of balls, as an older generation seeks to pass down wisdom to a younger one.
Empress Vizcaya poses on the runway of the 2015 Fireball, demonstrating the flair and drama of the scene. Intergenerational mentoring is also an important component of balls, as an older generation seeks to pass down wisdom to a younger one.
An outside view of Zanzibar in 1992. Many LGBTQ patrons began significant romantic relationships here. June Dowell Burton, for example, met her first girlfriend while dancing at the club.
An outside view of Zanzibar in 1992. Many LGBTQ patrons began significant romantic relationships here. June Dowell Burton, for example, met her first girlfriend while dancing at the club.
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