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title: About
layout: about
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# **{B/qKC}** is a community project that innovates archiving practices through accessible *storytelling*, *repairing* of our historical record, and intergenerational *power building*–all within the frame and study of midwestern Black queer history.

Under a reinvigorated wave of white nationalism and fascism post-2016, our historical record continues to erode.

In the United States, our memorabilia, amassed by institutional libraries, archives and universities, is effectively being <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/03/07/nx-s1-5321003/pentagon-images-flagged-removal-dei-purge-trump" target="blank">deleted.</a> 

And across the world, <a href="https://librarianswithpalestine.org/gaza-report-2024/" target="blank">museums, archives, and libraries are bombed</a>–destroying many materials important to our World's history.

There is a pressing need for oppressed peoples to become stewards of our own histories, protecting them under our rightful care. We can no longer afford to be passive or uncritical in our historical record-keeping.

Memory work must be an *active* process.

{B/qKC} was founded as a community-led archive on March 1st, 2024, operating on the principles of accessible *storytelling*, *repair* of our historical record, and intergenerational *power building*–all within the framework and study of Midwestern Black queer history.

<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
  <img src="/assets/img/bqkc-diagram.png" 
       alt="a four circle stacked diagram. 'the archive' appears at the top, with three branching circles that say 'power-build,'storytell,' and 'repair.'" 
       style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
  <figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
    {B/qKC}’s 'the diagram,' conceptualized by Nasir Anthony Montalvo. A black-and-white flowchart illustration connection between “the archive,” and the phrases “repair,” “storytell,” and “power-build.” <a href="https://syllabusproject.org/bad-tats/" target="_blank">Learn more about this diagram in Montalvo's publication with Syllabus, "bad tats, jesus christ, lemons; everything is archival."</a>
  </figcaption>
</figure>   

## Core Goals

Initially ideated as a series of research articles "liberating" Black queer materials from its local institutions and libraries, {B/qKC}'s mission has evolved into a full-fledged archive with **five core goals**.

<div class="float-img float-right">
<blockquote class="quote-outline">
  <p class="quote-text">"Plainly put, the far right is erasing Blackness from the fabrics of America, so historical collection can no longer be a passive process; it must be applied radically." </p>
  <p class="quote-attrib">Nasir Anthony Montalvo, <a href="https://mdw.art/atlas/thirdspace" target="_blank">"Third Space: Queering Blackness from the Archival Fabrics of Middle America"</a> (MdW Atlas, 2024)</p>
</blockquote>
</div>

##### 1. **INTERGENERATIONAL CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY BUILDING**
We aim to develop a platform that bridges generational gaps: fostering stronger relationships between Black queer elders and younger generations, digitally and physically. Relationships will always come to us first before labor.

##### 2. **ACCESSIBLE, OPEN-ACCESS ARCHIVING**
We aim to build and maintain an intuitive, open-access digital archive stewarded by the people–always ensuring the archive is an accessible tool and not a product for profiteering.

##### 3. **DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE**
We aim to teach any and all communities about the significance of this archive's materials, and the overall importance of radical memory work.
##### 4. **PRESERVATION OF AT-RISK MATERIALS**
We aim to create digital snapshots of Black queer historical materials, ensuring a record of Black queer midwestern histories can be saved, maintained, and reproduced physically–ensuring long-term sustainability of our stories.
##### 5. **PERMANENT AND DECENTRALIZED PRESENCE**
We aim for Black queer stories to occupy public spaces physically and digitally to ensure permanence of our stories, while simultaneously increasing Black queer visibility.

## Who has helped with this archive?

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  <img src="/assets/img/nasir-bqkc1.jpeg" 
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###### Nasir Anthony Montalvo, *Curator and Principal Investigator, founded {B/qKC} on March 1, 2024*

<blockquote class="quote-line">
  <p class="quote-text">Nasir Anthony Montalvo (b. 1999) is an essayist and memory worker based in Kansas City, MO, and the Founder of {B/qKC}. Montalvo's work has been exhibited locally and nationally in coffee shops, book stores, community fairs and artist galleries. Their art and archival research has also been published in NPR, Syllabus, Sixty Inches From Center, The Advocate, Teen Vogue and KC Studio; along with being used in curricula at Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University and the North Kansas City School District. </p>
  
  <p>Montalvo holds a 2024-2026 studio residency at Charlotte Street; and has been awarded fellowships and artist grants with The Opportunity Agenda, Diaspora Solidarities Lab, Gray Area and ArtsKC. They earned their Bachelor of Science from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2021.</p>
  
  <p>Montalvo is queer, Afro-Borincane, and from Kissimmee, Florida. </p>
</blockquote>

<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 50%;">
  <img src="/assets/img/anevay-martz-bqkc.jpg" 
       alt="" 
       style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
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###### Anevay Martz, *Digitization Intern, Spring/Summer 2025*

<blockquote class="quote-line">
  <p class="quote-text">Anevay Martz is a junior Sociology major at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, with a double minor in Communications and Race, Ethnic and Gender Studies. As {B/qKC}'s first Intern in 2025. Digitization Intern, Martz helped develop the archive’s Digital Asset Register (DAR) that is being used to power this website, alongside getting Soakie's listed as a historical landmark on Clio.</p>
</blockquote>


<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 50%;">
  <img src="/assets/img/eden-barnes-bqkc.jpg" 
       alt="" 
       style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
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###### Eden Barnes, *Community Engagement Intern, Fall/Winter 2025*

<blockquote class="quote-line">
  <p class="quote-text">Eden is a graduate of the University of Missouri Kansas City, with a BA in Sociology with an emphasis in Cultural Anthropology, and a minor in Race, Ethnic, and Gender Studies. As Community Engagement Intern, Eden aided {B/qKC} with day-to-day tasks and the launch of {B/qKC}'s new site.</p>
</blockquote>

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## Our history

{B/qKC} was initially founded as a research project in 2022 by Nasir Anthony Montalvo shortly after moving to Kansas City. At the time of Montalvo's move, they found little-to-nothing existed digitally about Black queer people in KC, and most local archiving institutions were not "aware" of any significant histories pertaining to this community. Montalvo released a series of articles through a collaboration with the Gay and Lesbian Archives of Mid-America (GLAMA) at the University of Missouri-Kansas City that digitized their small collection of Black queer materials (which previously had no finding aids and no concrete plans on making them publicly accessible). Their research explored KC's first documented Black drag queens of Kansas City, an organization of gay men fighting racism in the community in the 90’s, and a gay and lesbian variety show called “Out There” that aired on public-access cable.

In early 2023, after researching Volume 1 of the project, Montalvo morphed these archival materials into a multi-location, self-service exhibit from February 27th – March 4th, 2023 hosted at different locations across Kansas City–with each location hosting different materials from the volume. This propelled the project to new heights, connecting Montalvo to Kansas City's underground ballroom community. The relationships Montalvo, themself, and their peers formed with these elders began a new era of the project–one that sought to rightfully honor and respect the contributions of KC's Black queer elders.

Since 2022, {B/qKC} has launched at least two public exhibitions per year, and engaged in a variety of innovative, community collaborations per year meant to expose more Kansas Citians to the power of memory work alongside KC's Black queer histories. 

{B/qKC} has been internationally recognized as a powerful example of community archives, and the ways archiving can be used to materially change our futures for the better.

<div style="text-align: center; margin: 2rem 0;">
  {% include feature/modal.html button="View the archive's public programs" text="[Public programs and events for the archive can be viewed on Nasir Anthony Montalvo's personal site.](https://1800nasi.net/category/bqkc/) This is to reduce bloating and keep {B/qKC}'s database static. Check out our 'Data' page for more info!" color="primary" %}
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  {% include feature/button.html 
     text="Who supports this work?" 
     link="/donate" 
     color="success" %}
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## Technical Credits
{% include cb/credits.html %}


<blockquote class="quote-minimal">
  <p class="quote-text">Learn more about what's powering this site on <a href="/data/">"Our Data"</a> page!</p>
</blockquote>