Pride Month: The story behind Brooklyn's Lesbian Herstory Archives
NEW YORK - It may not be obvious as you walk down 14th Street in Park Slope, but behind the doors of a row house on a quiet street, is a treasure trove of artifacts.
Thousands of books, periodicals and photographs line the shelves of the building, all centered around the history of the country's lesbian community.
"We are the oldest and largest known lesbian archive in the world," explains Alex Volgyesi, a coordinator at the volunteer-run Lesbian Herstory Archives.
Volgyesi is one of the youngest members of the archive, which was founded in 1974 in the apartment of two activists on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
"This was at a really important moment in the lesbian feminist movement," she tells CBS New York's Hannah Kliger. "And their concern was that a lot of this history was disappearing just as quickly as it was being created."
The collection outgrew its original location, and with the help of a fundraising campaign, the founders bought a house -- a new home and new era for their life's work.
"This used to be a very affordable neighborhood, and because of that, it had a rich lesbian history. Park Slope used to be known as Dyke Slope, because of all the lesbian organizing going on," Volgyesi explains.
In November 2022, the archive was officially designated as a New York City landmark, the first in Brooklyn to be recognized for its connection to the LGBTQ community.
"The importance of this building in this space is not lost on the people who come here," says Olivia Newsome, another volunteer.
An archivist and librarian by education, she was drawn to the space because it overlapped with so many of her interests.
"They were noticing that if they didn't tell their own history, their history would be told by other people. And so I really appreciated that mission statement because it was a great way to tie in my Blackness and my lesbianism," she says.
Born almost 50 years ago out of a lack of space and resources for the lesbian community, the organization is now acknowledged for helping to provide those very things to a new generation of women.
The archives are entirely volunteer-run and open by appointment. You can find more information for visitors here.
Have a story idea or tip in Brooklyn? Email Hannah by CLICKING HERE.
