https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/files/original/0a87b83d94308d4591948ffd16ef9863.jpg 85e4ddaca09124c03f36ce4d1dbb62c5 https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/files/original/a96569f33e4b6223702eb7fe31b22fe7.doc e0a2614b231c3104dc44cdb3238af5d1 https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/files/original/33ecb36419c9912480763d1a1b429886.pdf 9ca43151e1fb6a884522bcae362d1050 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rainbow History Project Oral History Collection Description An account of the resource Eye-witness accounts of what we’ve seen and experienced provide a valuable resource to researchers and future generations to understand our past and how we arrived where we are today. Each interview in this collection has a narrator telling the story and a documenter guiding the process. Collected since the founding of the RHP, this collection is growing and is open to researchers. All interviews have been digitized and are described in the catalog; only some of them have transcripts available. None of the interviews stream online. To obtain access to an interview, you must request by contacting us directly, providing a brief description of your project and your research interests. Our email address is: info AT rainbowhistory DOT org One of our team will share the file from our Google Drive, and you can listen from home. Please be sure to have "Music Player for Google Drive" enabled on your machine to play the recording. www.driveplayer.com Table Of Contents A list of subunits of the resource. To see all interviews in the collection, click on "Items in the Rainbow History Project Oral History Collection" link below. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rainbow History Project Various narrators per oral history Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound. No, not yet transcribed Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Yes, recording available Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral history interview with Wanda Alston Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2/21/2001 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource No restrictions on access; no restrictions on use. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 80s-00s African American lesbian experience, DC Coalition, DC government Description An account of the resource <strong>Want to listen to this audio file?</strong><br />Fill out this <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScm76nkatHa6G4zBJS84vVWUMEtrSZha5NUE2cZeDJ7yOSMBQ/viewform">form</a> or email oralhistories@rainbowhistory.org<br /><br />Wanda says: <br />"... I can't stop fighting racism, because no matter how old I get I'm still going to be black. I can't stop fighting [sexism] because no matter how old I get I'm still going to be a woman. I can't stop fighting some of the other isms I see because I can't change those things. I'm going to change the culture and begin to work with people who want to change the culture." <br />"I was victimized all my life behind this bullshit called racism, sexism, homophobia. I put names on my pain. I had not done that. If there was anything that changed my life more than my sexuality, it was understanding that there was a place to take my pain." Abstract A summary of the resource. Wanda Alston was an officer in the cabinet to Mayor Anthony Williams liaising between the mayor and the LGBTQ community from 2001 until she was murdered in March 2005. She was at the peak of a career in public service which had taken her to senior positions in the National Organization of Women (1992-1996)and in the Human Rights Campaign Fund. Along the way Wanda learned how to handle oppression by building coalitions and by reaching out to create safe places for others. Her vision was not necessarily political but one of healing and supporting and reaching out. When she organized the 1997 Black Pride event for CLOAVE (Collective Lesbians of African-Descent, Voices Everywhere) it " was about bringing people together from anywhere." Wanda moved to DC from Newport News in 1985, after a difficult and unsupported coming out. In DC, she quickly moved into the LGBTQ community with the help of her gay brother. By the end of the decade she was involved with the DC Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays and by mid-decade was co-chair (with Darren Buckner). She volunteered at the National Organization of Women (NOW) in the early 90s and within days was a special assistant to Patricia Ireland, head of NOW. Following NOW, she joined the staff of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in 1996. Her HRC experience gave a good overview of the gay political movement, one gave her important experience in marketing and fundraising but also one that left her feeling "I got to see who and what I didn’t want to be like." She earned her MBA from Southeastern University and her BA in Mass Communications from Norfolk State University in Virginia. From 1998 to 2000 she served on the board of NOW and on the DC Commission on Women. 1980s 1990s 2000s Advocacy groups Black Local government National Organization for Women (NOW) Pride Washington D.C.