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Dee Curry interview, 2021-07-12

 Item
Identifier: dcpl_dcohc029_01.wav

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

D.C. Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) is a citywide initiative to train community members in oral history skills, fund new and ongoing oral history projects, connect volunteers with oral history projects, and publicize existing oral history collections. DCOHC is a project of DC Public Library, HumanitiesDC, and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. This collection contains oral history interviews, transcripts, and indexes produced by DCOHC grantees.

Dates

  • Creation: 2021-07-12

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Biographical / Historical

Born in D.C., Ms. Curry grew up in the Shaw and Eastgate neighborhoods and left home in her teens. She transitioned, had to figure out how to survive on her own, and spent time in prison. In the late 1990s she was part of emerging organizing for the human rights of transgender people in D.C., including with the organization she helped found, Transgender Against Discrimination and Defamation. She has lived in many different parts of the city and been a long-time leader in advocacy on many fronts.

Extent

From the Collection: 1.13 Terabytes

Abstract

Ms. Curry describes growing up in Shaw and Eastgate, the influence of music in her early life, coming into her own gender and sexuality in her teens, joy and pain on the streets and in the clubs, traumatic experiences in Lorton prison, organizing against discrimination against transgender women, her continued advocacy, and the importance of helping and loving each other.

Related Materials

Oral Histories with similar themes and narrators are also available through the Rainbow History Project.

General

Please note: This interview includes graphic descriptions of violence.

Repository Details

Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository

Contact:
901 G Street NW
4th Floor East
Washington DC 20001
(202)727-1213