Exhibits honoring Kansas City’s Black queer history popping up at local shops this week
Starting Monday, Kansas Citians will be able to see unique art exhibits spread across three local shops honoring the history and legacy of Black LGBTQIA communities in Kansas City.
“Black/Queer Kansas City,” put together by Nasir Montalvo and the Kansas City Defender, has been in the works since May 2022. After Montalvo wrote a series of articles chronicling key figures in Kansas City’s Black queer history, they wanted to share the stories in other formats.
The exhibits are Santeria-inspired memorials. Each exhibit pays homage to one of three stories, and to the lives lost during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s.
The first story is about Edye and Ray: the first documented Black drag queens in Kansas City. The second story features “Men of All Colors Together,” a group of men in Kansas City who fought racism they experienced from other men within the local queer community and established a social club. The last story in the series is about “Out There,” Kansas City’s first-ever gay and lesbian variety show in the 1990s.
Montalvo said a lot of history was lost that can never be recovered because of the AIDS epidemic, including some of the featured stories’ prominent figures. They said it’s their way of giving the deceased a proper sendoff, since a lot of families didn’t have burials because of the stigma.
A legacy worth celebrating
Montalvo’s inspiration for highlighting these stories started when they moved to Kansas City from New Jersey over a year ago. They were trying to find how to get involved in Black and queer spaces in the community and couldn’t find anything.
This sparked their curiosity about Kansas City’s LGBTQIA history, and with some help from UMKC’s Gay and Lesbian Archives of Mid-America, they found some answers.
Montalvo wanted to make sure more people in the city knew that Black queer Kansas Citians have lived and shaped the community here for a long time. They wanted to celebrate some of the amazing things these groups have done here.
“The Kansas City landscape wouldn’t be what it is today without these people,” Montalvo said.
Where to find the exhibits
The exhibits open Feb. 27 and run until March 4. Montalvo said this was intentional, commemorating the close of Black History Month and the beginning of Women’s History Month.
Each exhibit recognizes the impact of one of these Kansas City stories. They can be found at these shops on Monday:
Café Corazón in the Crossroads: 110 Southwest Blvd.
PH Coffee in the Historic Northeast: 2200 Lexington Ave.
BLK + BRWN in Westport: 104 1/2 W. 39th St. This exhibit is open March 1-4.
We don’t know which story will be celebrated at each spot. Montalvo said they’re encouraging visitors to explore each location.
Custom tote bags and prints created by Oddities Prints and Paul Santiago will also be available at each location. The designs are available for pre-order now.
