Stonewall 50: Celebrating the LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Movements in Queens

As part of a citywide initiative celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, Queens Museum is organizing an afternoon of storytelling, art-making, and performances celebrating the work of LGBTQ+ activists, advocates, and organizers in Queens.

The program is organized in partnership with Caribbean Equality Project, Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo, Lorena Borjas Community Fund, Queens Community House’s Generation Q and Queens Center for Gay Seniors, Queens Pride, Queens Theatre and The One-Minute Play Festival. The Queens Museum is also honored to be partnering with the WorldPride | Stonewall 50 AIDS Memorial Quilt Display Initiative to display Block 13 of The AIDS Memorial Quilt on view from June 1-30, 2019. 

Saturday, June 22, 2019 | 12:00pm–5:00pm

Queens Museum: New York City Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY 11368

Telephone: (718) 592-9700 | Email: info@queensmuseum.org

SCHEDULE:

12-1pm
Drag Queen Story Hour (bilingual storytelling in Spanish and English)
Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH) is just what it sounds like—drag queens reading stories to children in libraries, schools, and bookstores. DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models. In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dress up is real.
This program is produced for children ages 3-8.

12-3:45pm
Intergenerational Community Space
Featuring screenings of My TRUTH, My STORY, short films from Caribbean Equality Project’s oral history and storytelling documentary series, written & directed by Mohamed Q. Amin and recorded & edited by Masheka Joseph of Akehsam Productions; Queens Center for Gay Seniors LGBTQ* Storytelling Project; an installation by Bordeando calling in parents and allies; live recording with the mobile storytelling project ¡Corónate LIVE!; a play area for kids; and community resource tables.

1-3:45pm
Radical Youth Led Art Making Space with GenerationQ
Generation Q is a Queens Community House after-school youth center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth and allies, between the ages of 13 and 21. The program offers LGBTQ youth a friendly, safe environment with a wide variety of educational and recreational opportunities, as well as social and emotional support. Through the program, participants are connected with meaningful opportunities for advocacy and activism, peer education, community building, and leadership.

2-3:45pm
Abuela Taught Me – Afro-Taino Two Spirit Medicine Of The Caribbean Workshop
Hosted by Abuela Taught Me, a botanica to aid Queer and Trans Black and Brown people in their ancestral healing journey, this workshop will share aspects of how Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean honor two spirit, queer, and trans community members through their traditions. In the first part of the workshop, participants will learn about two spirit culture of the Caribbean and in the second half of the workshop, participants will be able to make their very own Caribbean inspired oil roll on to leave with as a token of their learning. RSVP here!

2-3:45pm
THE STONEWALL 50 PLAYS: 50 Queer One-Minute Plays By 50 LGBTQ+ Playwrights for 50 years of Stonewall
Queens Theatre and The One-Minute Play Festival (#1MPF) collaborate to present 50 Queer One-Minute Plays by 50 LGBTQ playwrights to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Founded and led by Queens Theatre’s Director of Community Engagement Dominic D’Andrea, and Caitlin Wees, #1MPF is America’s largest and longest running grassroots theater company. The festival serves as a social barometer project, which investigates the zeitgeist of various communities through dialogue, consensus building, and performances of 50 to 100 short moments generated by members of each community. The Stonewall 50 Plays event features brand new one-minute works created by 50 LGBTQ+ playwrights and will close with a community conversation. RSVP here!

3:45-4pm
Gathering Performance by Taranng Dance Troupe (Waves of the Future) members Sundari, The Indian Goddess; Denise Ramdawah; and Cayla D. Kumar. Founded in 2018, the Taranng Dance Troupe incorporates Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Contemporary, Soca, and Chutney dance forms in their performances.

4-5pm
After Stonewall 50: A Conversation on Organizing, Activism and Celebration as Forms of Community Building in Queens
A culminating conversation featuring Lorena Borjas, Founder and CEO of Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo and the Lorena Borjas Community Fund, and Mohamed Q. Amin, founder and Executive Director, Marcus Kissoon, Trinidad and Tobago Liaison Coordinator and Ceyenne Doroshow, Board Member of Caribbean Equality Project. We invite our community partners and attendees to explore the longstanding and widereaching work of Queens based organizers and advocates as we reflect on the intersectional struggles of immigrant and POC LGBTQ+ people in Queens.

The culminating conversation will be in Spanish and English with interpretation service.

All bodies, ages and allies welcome!

Image credit: Jackson Heights, LuluSolei Photography, Queens Pride 2017

To learn more about the Caribbean Equality Project & for regular updates on our work connect with us on YouTube, Twitter @CaribEquality and Facebook and Instagram at @CaribbeanEqualityProject.