TENNESSEE When the Memphis Museum of Science & History (MoSH) booked the Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement exhibit from the Newseum for the Summer of 2022, it also received an IMLS grant to create a second exhibit of equal size exploring the experience of the LGBTQ+ community in Memphis. This gave rise to Memphis Proud: The Resilience of a Southern LGBTQ Community. While the traveling exhibit explores how the 1969 police raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York City gave rise to the modern gay rights movement in the United States, Memphis Proud taps into the heart of this Southern city and is all locally curated. Memphis Proud examines the history and culture of the LGBTQ population and explores how LGBTQ+ Memphians of diverse backgrounds and experiences have come together to form thriving communities and provide
powerful voices for change and acceptance in Memphis. “This exhibit was possible because Memphis’ LBGTQ citizens have remained committed to creating strong communities and to fostering a culture of activism,” says Raka Nandi, Director of Exhibits and Collections for MoSH. “The history of the local LGBTQ+ community is one of tremendous diversity, and the exhibit has attempted to emphasize the importance of queer organizations and culture to the Mid-South.” The creators of the exhibit assembled a committee of 20 local community leaders, LGBTQ+ activists, and allies of the LGBTQ+ movement that met monthly to help create the movement’s authentic stories, and led discussions on housing, education, nightlife, religion, and allies of their fight for acceptance and inclusion. The exhibit draws attention to the accomplishments of local leaders who have led the charge in this city to
From Memphis Proud exhibition: Memphis Gay Pride March 1981. Photo by John Parrott; courtesy of Pride Archives.
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