HISTORICAL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The Black Gay and Lesbian Archive (BGLA) was developed for the expressed purpose of documenting black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Same Gender Loving, queer, questioning and in the life cultures (LGBT/SGL/Q/Q/inthelife). The archive project is divided into two phases. The first phase of the BGLA project is to gather materials for a period of three to five years (2000-2005) in order to create a collection of materials, which would span a gamut of documented black LGBT/SGL/Q/Q/inthelife history. The second phase of this venture is to place the materials in one or more repositories for the expressed purpose of preservation and access to the public for research.
A BLACK LGBT/SGL/Q/Q/INTHELIFE ARCHIVE: WHY NOW?
The BGLA seeks to uncover and preserve the contributions black LGBT/SGL/Q/Q/inthelife people throughout history by actively collecting the materials produced by same gender loving women and men of African descent. Undocumented by many research and archival institutions in the United States, the historical contributions of non-heterosexual people of African descent have gone largely unnoticed. The BGLA hopes not only to raise the visibility of the black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Same Gender Loving, queer, questioning and in the life cultures communities, but also to encourage collecting of such materials at research institutions in the United States and throughout the world.
BLACK GAY AND LESBIAN ARCHIVE PROJECT: HOW YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE
The BGLA relies exclusively on donations of materials to build up its archival holdings. It reserves the right to decide what materials to keep in all areas in which it collects. We welcome your inquiries about documenting materials that you wish to contribute or recommend. You can help by identifying materials documenting various aspects of black LGBT/SGL/Q/Q/inthelife culture nationally and internationally. As culture keepers you can donate materials that are listed in the following areas:
TYPES OF MATERIALS THAT WE COLLECT
Magazines, Newsletters, Journals, and Newspapers
Books and Monographs
Includes non-fiction and biographies; novels (including erotica)
Dramatic Works and Poetry
Monographs
Monographs consist primarily of works of non-fiction and pamphlets.
Photographs and Prints
The photograph collection consists of prints, negatives, color transparencies, and slides acquired separately or as part of larger holdings of archival records.
Moving Images
The collection consists of film and video, erotica and non-erotic titles in the United States and selected foreign titles
Posters and Ephemera
Ephemera includes flyers, palm cards and broadsides produced in the United States and from foreign countries.
Audiotapes
The audiotapes consist of music, copies of written works, and conference presentations and proceedings.
Organizations Records
Agendas, correspondence, minutes, proposals, and other related materials.
ABOUT THE PROJECT DIRECTOR
Steven G. Fullwood is an accredited librarian and writer who currently works at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library in New York City. He founded the Black Gay and Lesbian Archive Project in 2000 to aid in the preservation of black LGBT/SGL/Q/Q/inthelife history. As a writer Mr. Fullwood’s works have appeared in a variety of print and online publications including Africana.com, Mosaec.com, XXL, FHM, Blacklight Online, Blackstripe and ARISE Magazine. He was also a founding member of ONE Step Further, a sexual education and advocacy company that serviced black and Latino men who are intimately and sexually involved with other men. Mr. Fullwood lives in New York City, and can be reached somehow.
