The Queering Blackness Oral History Project was created by Niyah Shaheed in 2025 to contribute to historiography and interdisciplinary scholarship dedicated to documenting, preserving, and sharing the histories of Black Queer and Trans people.
By Queering Blackness, Shaheed aims to
problematize the notion of expressions of gender and sexuality that exist outside of being cisgender or heterosexual being foreign to Black histories, cultures, and peoples
re-affirming the validity of oral traditions in historical knowledge production
challenge archival silences
honor the central role oral histories and storytelling have played in Black communities throughout history
Niyah Shaheed reading Mouths of Rain: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Thought edited by Briona Simone Jones. Photographed bv Macy Jones (2025).
Niyah Shaheed reading Mouths of Rain: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Thought. Photographed by Macy Jones (2025).A love letter to black queer and trans people and history across space and time
The Queering Blackness oral history project podcast
Transforms the project’s oral history interviews into edited short narratives. To access the podcast episodes and their accompanying digital exhibits, access the link below.
