PRESERVING OUR HISTORY
In November 2017 we began an oral history project, Breaking Barriers: Harvesting LGBTQ Stories from the Northern Plains. LGBTQ seniors were largely a hidden minority who blazed new paths and provided new models, and their stories should be preserved. Almost 200 interviews have already been done, and completed transcripts and recordings are regularly added to the Breaking Barriers permanent collection, housed at the NDSU archives.
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Links to the Breaking Barriers website and Facebook page are at the bottom of the page.
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At Last Exhibit at Hjemkomst
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The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County hosted an exhibit called At Last: 10th Anniversary of Marriage Equality in Minnesota. The exhibit was developed out of an oral history project on which HCSCC collaborated with the Red River Rainbow Seniors in 2022.
In over 30 interviews, the personal histories and memories of many people who were involved with the Aug. 1, 2013 midnight marriage ceremony at Clay County Courthouse were collected and archived at both Clay County Archives and the NDSU Archives. That oral history project was financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.
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The history of the fight for civil rights and the specific Clay County Vote No campaign were covered. The exhibit was presented in partnership with the Red River Rainbow Seniors and was supported by Gjesdahl Law, Lavender magazine, the Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Charles Jordan and Joe Larson on behalf of the Red River Rainbow Seniors.
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The exhibit ran from 8/1/23 - 8/20/24.
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