Annual Membership Meeting
Our annual membership meeting at the Dodwell House was a huge success. The officers and board of directors were reelected, Executive Director Frank Perez gave a report on the organization’s accomplishments over the last year, Larry Bagneris was awarded the Stewart Butler / Alfred Doolittle Award, and Dr. Lynn Besch gave an informative keynote speech surveying the history of HIV / AIDS in New Orleans. Huge thanks to Board President Kathleen Conlon and Vice President Guy LaMothe for their leadership in making the meeting a success. And thanks also to all the volunteers who helped set up and break down. (Pictured above is Board Member Duaine Daniels introducing Bagneris)
Pride
The Archives Project recently participated in the inaugural North Shore Pride Parade. The parade rolled along the Lakefront in Mandeville. Board Officers Kathleen Conlon, Guy LaMothe, Jessica Troske, and Executive Director Frank Perez marched in the parade and were proud to join hundreds of others in this historic event. The Archives Project also had a presence at New Orleans Pride Fest in the Marigny. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped staff the table.
Preserving The Faerie Playhouse
The AP is proud to support an effort to preserve an historic LGBT+ landmark. Known as The Faerie Playhouse, the Creole cottage at 1308 Esplanade Avenue is the former home of activists Stewart Butler and Alfred Doolittle. For forty years this property served as a focal point of advocacy and community care. Its importance was recently recognized by the U.S. Park Service. Upon Butler’s passing in 2020 the home was bequeathed to Saint Anna’s Episcopal Church. The family and friends of Butler and Doolittle formed a committee to explore the possibility of purchasing the home. The AP is supporting this this effort with AP Vice President Guy LaMothe serving as a liaison on the committee. The committee has formed an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit called “The Faerie Playhouse Center” with the purpose of acquiring and maintaining the home as a queer space. Over the past eight months, the committee, led by Ron Joullian, has been laying the groundwork for this campaign. Look for more information in the coming months, but for now, visit the website-in-progress to learn more. faerieplayhouse.org.
July 11: Stories from the Front Lines
Please join us on July 11 for “Living through the Crisis: A Human Library of People on the Front Lines of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic.” Inspired by the Human Library Organization founded in Denmark in 2000, this event will feature a variety of people who lived through the early years of the epidemic. These individuals have graciously agreed to share their stories and will make themselves available in 20-minute intervals for conversations with those who attend the event. This program is one of an on-going series of events that make up the New Orleans AIDS Memory Project. July 11, Dodwell House (1519 Esplanade Ave.), 7:00pm. Light refreshments will be available. Admission is free and open to the public.