Black, Indigenous, & Trans of Color Histories
historywork by/for/about trans people of color
Black, Indigenous, & Trans of Color Histories centers grassroots art and storytelling that engages trans of color histories and cultures. The Lab aims to cultivate a sense of power and place for trans of color historyworkers—by inciting meaningful dialogues, amplifying underrepresented perspectives, and fostering interdisciplinary engagement with the humanities.
The Black, Indigenous, & Trans of Color Histories Lab is a collaborative of six interdisciplinary scholars from across the United States. Since 2021, we have gathered to investigate one essential question—“What does trans of color historywork look like?” We define historywork as any form of history-making or history-telling—beyond the dichotomy of academic and public history—inclusive of grassroots art and storytelling that engages the past. The humanities are a people-powered pursuit—a reciprocal, generative medium of changemaking. We imagine a shared future—working to cultivate new methods of knowledge production and skills sharing, advocating for equitable education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. We are not mere subjects, but also creators of projects pertaining to trans life. We have found that universities and museums alone cannot teach us the power of our communities. We seek new avenues of creative kinship and scholarship.
The Black, Indigenous, & Trans of Color Histories Lab was formed to practice trans of color historywork. We have three initiatives—publications, events, and collaboratives. Together, they comprise an ongoing, community-facilitated research and interpretive process that conjures creative, thought-provoking conversations, empowering our trans of color communities through tangible, joyful connections to their roots. We aim to bring participant-audiences, fellow humanities scholars, artists, and activists from across the United States together through interactive dialogues. By interweaving social justice praxis with trans of color histories across the diaspora, we offer expansive opportunities for humanistic inquiry, knowledge production and exchange—both inside and outside of traditional academic settings. Our interactive programs will create synergistic forums for trans of color historywork. Scholars and practitioners from across the United States will gather to strategize, design, and create new works by, for, and about our communities. The humanities ground our praxis as we work at the intersection of art, culture, community, and social justice.
