Join the Rainbow History Project for another exciting panel discussion! On October 18th, Rayceen Pendarvis will moderate an historical discussion with Earline Budd, Craig Howell, Mindy Daniels, Dee Curry, and Brett Parson on the intersection between the LGBTQ+ community and the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC. Tickets are free […]
Cassandra Ake
33 posts
“I did it because it needed to be done.” –Colevia Carter, former member of the DC Human Rights Commission and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Commission. HIV/AIDS hit Washington, D.C. hard. Beginning in the early 1980s, the epidemic spread with deadly speed throughout the region, devastating the gay and black communities […]
Welcome to our new monthly blog series! One of our newest volunteers, Katarina Walther, has been digging into our collection to bring you stories from our online archive. We’re kicking off the month of February and African American History Month with a piece on The Clubhouse! From 1975 to 1990, The […]
The Rainbow History Project will be holding its public annual meeting on March 24th, 2016 at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. More information can be found on our events page. Please join us to learn more about the work that RHP does and how you can get involved, […]
Recordings for a ground-breaking gay radio program from 1973 to 1982 are quickly disintegrating–will you help us save and share history? The D.C.-based Friends radio program was one of the earliest and longest running gay-themed radio shows in the country. Friends, which aired from 1973 to 1982, was the key public forum in […]
The Rainbow History Project is honored to have been selected by Cultural Tourism DC to give two of our historic neighborhood walking tours a total of five times during the upcoming WalkingTown DC program. Please join us at one or more than one! RHP board member Jeff will give our […]
On Thursday, July 23, Rainbow History Project hosted a training session at the DC Center the LGBT Community. We trained seven new volunteers, ranging from university students to retirees, to collect oral histories. Volunteers came with various backgrounds, from anthropology to genealogy to history. One volunteer explained that she was participating […]
(Find this document and other artifacts at our online archives.) In October 1971, local gay bar Lost and Found opened its doors for the first time – into a storm of controversy. Protesting Lost and Found’s discriminatory admissions policy, a coalition of local organizations picketed the new club. This flyer, […]
Open the Trans History Timeline. We are excited to share our newly updated Trans History Timeline. Originally a pdf compiled by volunteers, the timeline is now available in an interactive format. It covers local and national developments relevant to the trans+ community, 1896-2008. What did we miss? The trans timeline […]
(Jack Nichols holding picket sign at 1st protest at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, 1965. Find this photo and other historical artifacts in our online archives.) Fifty years ago, on July 4, 1965, activists first convened in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to demand equality for lesbians and gays. This first of five “Annual Reminders” […]