Queer Newark Oral History Project Kristyn Scorsone

On April 15th of 2023, we lost one of Newark’s dearest LGBTQ+ leaders, James Credle. In this episode, you will get to hear James talk about growing up in the Jim Crow South and what it was like to move North to Newark, his time serving as a medic in Vietnam, living through the AIDS epidemic, and becoming a dean at Rutgers-Newark, where he provided support to all marginalized students, especially those who were LGBTQ+. James was also a founding member of National Association of Black and White Men Together, the New York Men of All Colors Together, the Newark Pride Alliance, and a member of the Newark Commission on LGBT Concerns. He was an integral member of Newark’s Ballroom community and progenitor of the iconic Newark Fire & Ice Ball. James always cared deeply about young people achieving their dreams and so he founded the Circle of Friends Awards, a non-profit that provides financial support to college students committed to promoting diversity. They can always use donations.
“Don’t ever forget the struggle continues.” - James Credle
Rest in Power.

In 2002, Saundra Toby-Heath and Alicia Heath-Toby joined the fight for marriage equality in the state of New Jersey with six other same-sex couples. Represented by Lambda Legal, they filed a lawsuit, Lewis v. Harris, to demand their constitutional right to marry. Their case made it all the way to the New Jersey Supreme Court in 2006 where they ultimately won the right for same sex couples to marry into civil unions. This was one of the important pre-cursors to the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling that struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and required the U.S. government to provide the same benefits to both gay and heterosexual couples. Then in 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality nationwide. Hear what it was like for Saundra to be a part of such a pivotal legal battle. 

As the president of Newark Pride, Sharronda “Love” Wheeler sits down with Kristyn to chat about what it’s like to organize and run four days of Pride events annually in the city of Newark. They also discuss how Newark Pride got started, how it has grown over the years, and how others can start Pride celebrations in their own towns or cities. Be sure to come out July 11-14th for The Sounds of Pride: Newark!

Ray Rivas identified as a "revolutionary gender evolutionary." A trans warrior, activist, and artist, he refused to adhere to gender norms and instead demanded society conform to him. Sadly, Ray passed away days before he could record his life story for QNOHP, tragically underscoring the importance of documenting LGBTQ history before it’s lost. In this episode, Ray’s friend Aleix Martinez recalls his life, his radical gender politics, and how he paved the way for others to live authentically.

One hundred and seventy years ago, famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass gave a speech at the Plane Street Colored Church, once located at the site of what is now the athletic field at Rutgers University-Newark. In this episode, Kristyn talks to grad student Noelle Lorraine Williams about her work researching this recently revealed historic event. What was the significance of Douglass’ visit? Who was in the audience that day and why? Williams provides the answers to these questions and gives us insight into her own work as an artist, activist, and scholar.
Join the Rutgers-Newark community for a major event that will bring together city and university leaders along with the great-great-great grandson of Douglass and more than 200 descendants of Greater Newark’s abolitionists to commemorate the life and legacy of Douglass on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 from 2:30pm to 5:00pm at the newly renamed Frederick Douglass Athletic Field at Rutgers-Newark. The event is free and open to the public.

American Studies doctoral students Kristyn Scorsone and Mi Hyun Yoon talk about their process when conducting oral history interviews including building trust, showing respect for the interviewee, and what types of questions to ask. Mi Hyun also discusses her work on the Korean diaspora in the United States and how she plans to use oral history to research the Korean merchant population in Newark, which is currently at risk of displacement due to gentrification.