Joshua D. Burford oral history interview 1, 2014 October 2

Description

Joshua Burford, Assistant Director of the Multicultural Resources Center at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, describes his work and efforts in collecting local LGBTQ history and the process of initiating the King Henry Brockington LGBTQ+ Archive, (a collection of the papers and records of individuals and organizations in Charlotte's LGBTQ community that is located in Special Collections and University Archives at UNC Charlotte). Mr. Burford describes the impact and success of a similar project he initiated with students at the University of Alabama, which made him realize how important it was to collect Southern queer history. He acknowledges that growing up during the time of the radical gay liberation movement affected his perspective and approach towards being a member of the LGBTQ community, his role in it and view of its history. He discusses how the archiving effort that he initiated in Charlotte became a grassroots initiative from the local LGBTQ community, and how his outsider perspective was beneficial to the process. He details how materials in the archive are considered to be the "cornerstones of the community," and he describes the criteria for the intake of materials. Mr. Burford also discusses his work collecting materials for Charlotte's first exhibit of LGBTQ history at the Levine Museum of the New South, the impact of the exhibit, and current challenges within the broader Charlotte LGBTQ community.