Saving Our Herstory

by: Stephanie Schoeder, Laurie K. Schenden, Lily-Rygh Glen

It's time to remember our history, from the tragedies to the triumphs. It's a time when lesbians of all ages should look back and reflect on how far we have come as a movement, and how far we have to go in the goal to achieve equality. However, since the mere thought of addressing queer history in schools sends conservatives into a panic-induced seizure, it's up to us to preserve our past for future generations. The Lesbian Herstory Archives (LHA), Brooklyn, N.Y. Inside 484 14th St., an unassuming brownstone on a residential block in Park Slope, Brooklyn, is the largest collection of lesbian-specific materials anywhere in the world. Memorabilia ranges from a box donated by an average lesbian and containing her life story, to the infamous Lavender Menace T-shirt said to be worn by Rita Mae Brown at NOW's Second Congress to Unite Women in 1970. The contents of lesbian history has been preserved by a legion of volunteers who began the archive way back in 1974 in the pantry of Joan Nestle and Deborah Edel's Upper West Side apartment. You can find out more about "the collection," as the LHA's massive inventory is referred to, in the LHA's handout A Brief History of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, which you can pick up in the LHA entryway or on the organization's website, lesbianherstoryarchives.org.

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