George Orwell once said, “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understandings of their history.” As a social worker, I am often thinking about how the context of culture and society is framing our perceptions of self. Some of the identities I hold today were not even in my wildest dreams as a child. I didn’t have the language, role models, or representation. When I met trans people and learned about our history, my transness became a reality. So much of history is about validating our present. To erase an entire culture, or even one person’s story is to minimize future possibilities.
For all these reasons and more I wanted to highlight a few pivotal Black and LGBTQ narratives intentionally erased:
Bayard Rustin
We all know about Martin Luther King. But someone that we often overlook is Bayard Rustin, his advisor and the primary organizer of the March on Washington. Even less known is that not only was Bayard Rustin repeatedly arrested for civil rights activism but also for being an openly gay man. To learn more about this civil rights leader, you can visit nps.gov.
Lucy Hicks Anderson
Lucy Hicks Anderson was the first transgender person in history to fight for marriage rights in court. Born in 1886, Lucy knew from the very beginning who she was and lived her life as such. Later in life she started her own boarding house and bordello to host and feed many wealthy and powerful families in California.
Marsha P. Johnson & Sylvia Rivera
The LGBTQ Civil Rights Movement owes its start to Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. When we think about the Stonewall Riots, who started it and relentlessly advocated after these Trans women of color were at the forefront. While both spent much of their lives homeless and displaced, they utilized these life experiences to organize and provide for their community.
Angela Davis
While it is safe to say that Angela Davis is a well-known Black Activist, her sexuality is often erased and overlooked. Although Davis herself has openly claimed her Black lesbian identity, the mainstream has downplayed this intersection. Learn more here.
During last year’s campaign, Brianna Milon also highlighted the work of 5 Black trans women that should be honored during Black History month and beyond. We encourage you to check out this blog post. Learn more about Mary Jones, Monica Roberts, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, CeCe McDonald, and Miasha Forbes.
About Felix Laneri
About Little Known Facts About (Black) American History
Little Known Facts About (Black) American History is an annual blog campaign curated by 540WMain that has a mission to promote and share little known facts about Black Americans throughout the month of February. Now in its 5th year the campaign highlights the life and work of past and present day Black Americans. History that is overlooked or underrepresented in our conversations about American history.
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