Projects

black and white still of 2 figures dancing - one in a dress, the other in a suit

Surprise! A Trans-Queer Film
(Coming Soon)

Creator

The Surprise of a Knight is an antique docuporn that troubles popular notions of trans-queer identity and pleasure politics in the early twentieth century. This project explores contingencies for interpretation when archival provenance does not exist.

mosaic that reads “Healing Hope & Unity Grow In Our Community” surrounded by butterflies on yellow brick wall

Art Smart

Co-Organizer

An arts and education initiative in public schools across Philadelphia, funded by the US Department of Education. Infuses standard K-12 literacy, social studies, math, and science curricula with hands-on, multidisciplinary art projects to enhance the classroom experience and make learning accessible for all.

photo of dozens of small artworks and photos strewn across a colorful striped blanket

The API Transmasculine Anthology

Co-Organizer

A grassroots story project by, for, and about the intergenerational Asian Pacific Islander transmasculine community. Offers free, accessible workshops for collaborators from around the world to find support, amplify one another, and share in the healing power of art and writing.

photo of 10 people posing together wearing lanyards

Insider/Outsider:
Racial Bias & Positionality
in Interpretation

Lead Organizer

A working group on power and privilege hosted by the National Council on Public History. From 2017 to 2019, humanists of color across the nation dialogued around racism in their respective fields.

6 differently sized photos of colorful artifacts including posters, videos, buttons, and a dress

Still Fighting For Our Lives:
A History of HIV/AIDS
in Philadelphia

Researcher & Consultant

A multimedia exhibition from the John J. Wilcox, Jr. LGBT Archives commemorating 30 years of HIV/AIDS activism in Philadelphia. Curated by elder activists, local scholars, and community leaders.

three organic shapes in primary colors against black backdrop

A Trans of Color History Zine
(Coming Soon)

Lead Organizer

A zine by, for, and about trans historyworkers of color, funded by the Committee on LGBT History. Offers new avenues of creative scholarship, historiographic reparations, and decolonization. Co-edited by Delan Ellington, Joshua K Reason, and Fabian Romero.

6 differently sized photos of youth and adults engaged in arts, crafts, and greening activities

The Nicetown-Tioga
Improvement Team

Co-Organizer

A grassroots collective of over 300 North Philadelphia residents and community organizations formed in 1998. Organizes youth programs, greening projects, skill sharing workshops, and neighborhood forums that address issues such as gentrification, health, and safety.

an old gilded manuscript with innumerable webbed lines and illustrations

Before Things Fell Apart

Researcher & Consultant

A documentary film series created by Dr. Tukufu Zuberi of History Detectives and the Penn Museum's Africa Galleries. Reimagining the oral histories of West African griots, this project synthesizes precolonial art, history, and storytelling with a decolonial praxis.

photo of a colorful display case with various artifacts and bright yellow signage

Illegal to Be You:
Gay History Beyond Stonewall

Researcher

An exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, curated by Dr. Katherine Ott. Part of the Smithsonian Channel documentary Beyond Stonewall.

several diagrams, historical timelines, and a family tree of activists

The Semiotics of Sex:
A History of Queer Identity Politics

Creator

A multiplatform digital history project honoring the 150th anniversary of queer German activist Karl Heinrich Ulrich's public demonstration. Showcases different methods for interpretation, such as virtual heritage and textual analysis.

hand-drawn trans symbol in white against black backdrop

The T4T Project

Creator & Co-Organizer

A transnational zine by, for, and about trans artists and storytellers of color. Grassroots cultural workers use essays, interviews, memoirs, fiction, poetry, art, media, and more to reclaim and reinvent trans of color identity, community, memory, history, folklore, and mythology across the diaspora.

starry sky emerging from outstretched hands, wrapped in a light blue quilt decorated with colorful symbols

Call: New Protest Songs

Co-Organizer

A multi-genre album of fourteen 21st-century protest songs funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Combines the narrative and artistic powers of over 40 Philadelphia songwriters, singers, and musicians of color. Examines issues of police brutality, mental health, housing insecurity, and more.

photo of 3 people posing behind a table covered with lanyards and poster board

Scholars of Color Conference

Creator & Co-Organizer

A free, international event celebrating scholars of color and their research. In 2019, over 200 participants with backgrounds in the arts, humanities, social sciences, STEM, business, and law gathered in Philadelphia to explore the inaugural theme, "Ways of Knowing."

a virtual landscape with a lake, pine tree forrest, blue sky, and flying birds

Walden, A Game

Researcher

A free, educational, award-winning, cross-platform video game funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Uses an open world simulation and interactive storytelling to augment art, humanities, and STEM curricula for students K-12.

6 differently sized photos of old manuscripts, display cases, and a large screen

"One Manly Soul":
White Masculinities in Late Colonial America

Creator

An exhibition at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania examining race, gender, and power in late colonial America. Uses materials from the Digital Paxton Project to document the pamphlet war of 1764.

photo of 14 adults and youth posing, surrounded by a blue flower border

Kin/Folk/Lore:
A Community-Led History Project

Creator & Co-Organizer

A digital oral history project funded by PA Humanities. Everyday Philadelphians forge unlikely connections across cultures, generations, and neighborhoods through storytelling. Inspired by Anna Deavere Smith's docu-play Fires in the Mirror.

scattered papers with thick lines of text, including one page with a blurry photo

Public Annotations

Contributor

An open-access research program from the VCU Institute for Contemporary Art, curated by Amber Esseiva. Fostering knowledge production through dialogue, audiences write in the margins of exhibitions' key texts and didactics. Part of the "Erotic Consumption: Sex, Desire, & Propagation" series.

intricate stone carvings and worn statues of a half dozen duos and trios embracing

The Inclusive
Historian's Handbook

Contributor

An online publication for service-oriented historians. Sponsored by the American Association for State and Local History and National Council on Public History. Edited by Modupe Labode, William S. Walker, and Robert Weible.

photo of a large room with people seated in conversation at several tables

PubComm:
Public History Community Forum

Co-Organizer

A free, annual public history event based in Philadelphia. Over 50 participants involved in grassroots activism, education, and preservation gathered in 2018 to dialogue around “Racism & Resistance," led by local community leaders of color.

a screenshot of a digital timeline, with a photo of 2 people holding hands, one standing in a suit, the other seated in a robe

LGBTQ Activism & Organizing Timeline on OutHistory.org

Researcher & Consultant

An online, transnational timeline and bibliography of queer activism, organizing, and resistance curated by Jonathan Ned Katz. Created for the 2016 Gay American History @ 40 conference; now crowdsourcing contributions.

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