The Community-engaged Digital Scholarship Hub (CEDISH), an initiative of the UTSA Libraries and Museums that focuses on promoting digital scholarship, will sponsor a roundtable discussion featuring library professionals and student scholars who will share their personal and professional experiences in preserving LGBTQ+ voices.
The event, “LGBTQ+ Oral Histories: Practice and Connection with Communities,” will explore the impact of documenting LGBTQ+ oral histories and the significance of sharing these stories. It will be held at the UTSA Westside Community Center on Thursday, November 21, from 6 to 7 p.m.
“This CEDISH event focuses on our commitment to fostering ethical, collective practices in oral history methods,” said Sylvia Fernandez, UTSA assistant professor of Modern Languages and Literatures and co-director of CEDISH. “Our panelists will explore how these practices are used to document, recover, and connect community stories and testimonios while also considering the best approaches to make them accessible to the community involved.”
Fernandez added, quoting Gloria Anzaldua, an American scholar of Chicana feminism, cultural theory, and queer theory, “The panelists’ individual projects embody ‘the physical realities of our lives all fused to create a politic born of necessity.’”
The panel will feature a diverse group who bring unique perspectives and experiences to the discussion, each contributing to preserving and celebrating LGBTQ+ stories. They will share their experiences and insights and reflect on their efforts to engage with queer communities in Kansas, Texas, and Mexico.
Melissa Gohlke, an assistant archivist with UTSA Libraries Special Collections who earned her M.A. in History from UTSA in 2012, will present archival materials from the university's LGBTQ+ community collections.
Tami Albin, an associate librarian at the University of Kansas and director of the Under the Rainbow project, will share insights from her work documenting LGBTQ+ voices in Kansas.
Kevin Alvarez Reyes, a UTSA master’s student whose academic work focuses on Queer Studies and migration, will discuss the power of oral histories in representing marginalized voices in the context of migration and identity.
Emily Gracielle Rodriguez-Guajardo, a master’s student in Spanish, uses literature and digital humanities to advocate for spaces where LGBTQ+ individuals can express complex cross-cultural identities.
“This roundtable provides an invaluable opportunity to deepen our understanding of LGBTQ+ history and highlights the vital role of community archives in preserving personal stories,” said Veronica Garcia Rodriguez, UTSA Libraries head of Digital Humanities and User Engagement. “Documenting these voices not only honors the past but also helps strengthen our shared future, inspiring new generations to connect with and continue these narratives.”
This event will give attendees a unique opportunity to understand the powerful connections created through oral history projects and witness how these narratives preserve and celebrate LGBTQ+ legacies. UTSA Scholarly Resources Librarian Ammi Bui will moderate the roundtable and a Q&A session with time permitting.
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