By Sarah Sherman

Copyright keenesentinel

Every voice has a story to tell, and a local project has launched to honor and highlight the invaluable stories of the LGBTQIA+ community and their contributions to regional history.

Along with an organizational goal to promote community engagement and expand its archive, the Historical Society of Cheshire County (HSCC) Oral History Studio and accompanying LGBTQ+ Oral History Project, called “Voices of Pride,” aims to record oral histories from members of the Monadnock Region’s LGBTQIA+ community. These efforts are being made to preserve the voices and stories of individuals within the community by providing a platform for sharing their “unique experiences, histories and memories, ultimately contributing to our region’s collective cultural and historical heritage.”

The project vision is threefold and includes connection, education and the archiving of oral histories for future generations. These oral histories will fill gaps in the Historical Society’s collection, said HSCC Executive Director and Voices of Pride Project Director Jennifer “Jenna” Carroll.

The project is a long time in the making, Carroll said; it was first talked about eight years ago, but came to life in 2023 and 2024 with access to funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and New Hampshire Humanities that was specific to sharing stories of marginalized communities.

A pilot project developed, as did the creation of the society’s Oral History Studio, specially equipped for the recording of audio and video with backdrops and soundproofing. The process of how to manage the project also began, including a clarification of goals and archiving needs for the histories.

They started with two 45-minute interviews to test the process, a high school student and an older resident to span a diversity of age, gender identity and experiences. A focus group was held before they applied for additional funding to move forward.

“We’re trying to make it as diverse as possible to see people’s different experiences and the evolution through time of people in the community,” said HSCC Director of Education Michelle Walker.

The project is just getting started and is gearing up for a big public launch and presence at the Keene Pride Festival on Sunday to really get the ball rolling, where they will have a table at 132 Main St., off Central Square, to share information about the project and garner interest. They will be passing out literature and pre-printed zines to color and decorate, as well as holding a mini sound studio for collecting sound bites from the festival.

They also have two upcoming events at Keene Public Library in September, an LGBTQ+ Youth Collage, Zine & Craftivism Workshop on Sept. 23 and an LGBTQ+ Writing and Storytelling Workshop for adults on Sept. 30. (Register online at keenenh.libcal.com/calendar.)

As building partnerships is essential to the project’s success, other sponsors and community partners in addition to Keene Pride and New Hampshire Humanities, include Bellows Falls Pride, Putnam Foundation and the LGBT National Help Center.

Additional Voices of Pride team members include Ian Kaplan and Gail Golec, both LGBTQ+ community liaisons and outreach coordinators; Peter Kelleher, studio A/V facilitator and media tech specialist; Andrea Cheeney, marketing coordinator; Richard Doherty, audio consultant; Holly Cushman, Voices of Pride project humanist; and Leopold Flemming, oral history archivist.

While many past oral history projects have involved the transfer of ownership to HSCC, this one is an entirely new process that starts histories from scratch and will include the decision to restrict the histories for five years (meaning that they will be closed archives that are not available to the public and used primarily for the society’s education programs).

The studio itself will be used for many more future endeavors, Carroll added.

“Our hope is that eventually the space will be opened up to the community as a resource for loved ones to interview each other and archive their stories,” she explained.

Currently, about a half-dozen individuals have already expressed interest in being part of Voices of Pride, Carroll said, adding that the project will be a great way to fill gaps in the archive collection in the late 20th and 21st centuries.

“A big part of it is trying to highlight the connections between the past and the present, so they’re a part of the now that goes into the future.” Walker said.

“The whole point is that we are the HSCC and our mission is to preserve all of local history, but this hasn’t always been done,” Carroll emphasized. “Through this project, we can make sure that every voice can echo through history.”

To learn more and watch a short video about the Voices of Pride project, visit hsccnh.org/voices-of-pride. Those interested in participating can reach out to Jenna Carroll via email to jcarroll@hsccnh.org or call the Historical Society of Cheshire County at 352-1895. Follow Voices of Pride on Instagram: @NHVoicesofPride