Stonewall National Museum & Archives facts for kids

Stonewall National Museum and Archives (SNMA) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that promotes understanding through preserving and sharing the culture of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their role in society. SNMA is dedicated solely to LGBT history, civil rights, art and culture. The museum features three gallery spaces with changing monthly and bi-monthly exhibits, and includes a permanent timeline of American LGBT history.

History

The Stonewall Library & Archives was founded in 1973 by Mark N. Silber. The collection was housed in his parents' house for 10 years. It was moved to a classroom at the Sunshine Cathedral, Metropolitan Community Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, around 1983. The library merged with the Boca Raton-based Southern Gay Archives and they formed Stonewall Library & Archives, Inc. In 2001, the library and archive moved into the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida at 1717 North Andrews Avenue.

The center was slated for demolition, so Stonewall began looking for other options. They were approached by Broward County, who offered the collection space at the Fort Lauderdale branch of the Broward County library, which already includes tenant ArtServe. The Broward County Commission approved the move in a 9-0 vote on 10 June 2007. The new location opened in February 2009 at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

In 2014 the Museum opened a branch, the Stonewall Gallery, at 2157 Wilton Drive in neighboring Wilton Manors.

Items in collection

Among the 5,000 items are their pulp fiction collection, organizational records of local, national and regional LGBT organizations, personal records of local and national personalities, the Joel Starkey Collection.

The collection includes the gavel that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in 2010. According to the Huffington Post, it was donated to Stonewall by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who had received it from Pelosi. Then Museum president, Bryan Knicely, said "if I didn't work here, I would think it belonged to the Smithsonian." The Stonewall National Museum & Archives is currently run by Executive Director Chris Rudisill.

Programs

The Stonewall National Museum and Archives hosts several programs open to the community that bring awareness to LGBT issues or allow a space for LGBT participants and others from the community to feel welcome. The museum hosts movie nights, a book club, GayWrites workshops, film screenings, art galleries, socials and other events within the museum. Other events include Gala events, walks, talks with writers, gallery exhibits, volunteer programs, and participation in LGBT events out in the community.

Stonewall National Education Project

The Stonewall National Education Project national network is composed of delegates representing more than 4.5 million high-school-aged youth and 200,000 educators. The network meets every year at its annual Symposium. Symposium topics include: laws, best practices and resources at the state and federal level, policy and funding, accommodations for transgender and gender nonconforming students, bullying, self-esteem, power & privilege, social justice and curriculum, sex, HIV and YMSM support systems, and creating community for Black adolescent sexual minority males.

Stonewall Gallery

At Stonewall National Museum – Wilton Manors Gallery rotating exhibits, permanent exhibits with items from the Stonewall Archives, and a timeline of American LGBT history amplify the distinctly personal connection of gender and civil rights. Stonewall Gallery engages tourists and residents with an ongoing schedule of exhibits, panel discussions, films, and author presentations year-round.

Michael Rajner, local community and LGBT rights activist, said the Gallery filled a much-needed role in the city's cultural landscape. “It’s one of the things we’ve been really missing on The Drive. While we have art galleries and studios one of the things we’re really missing, for a community and city that has such a high concentration of LGBT individuals, was something about our culture. It’s a great opportunity to introduce people to how rich our struggle is for equality.” The Gallery is divided into two halves: one side features semi-permanent items, and the other half is devoted to temporary exhibits. Also included is a timeline that features members of the LGBT community and LGBT-themed events.

LGBTQ Curriculum

The Stonewall Archives is a resource that is used to integrate historically-relevant, accurate, information about LGBTQ history and culture into curriculum and lesson plans, intended to provide teachers the opportunity to teach and discuss LGBTQ history

See also

In Spanish: Museo y Archivos Nacionales de Stonewall para niños