{B/qKC} has evolved from its humble beginnings as an institutional research project to a full-fledged Black queer digital archive: conducting investigative research into local Black queer history, collecting historical materials through free digitization services for the community, and educating with these materials through open-access formats.

These are the following core goals of {B/qKC}:

1) Intergenerational Connection and Community Building 
2) Accessible and Open Digital Archiving
3) Community Engagement and Education
4) Preservation and Support
5) Permanent and Decentralized Physical Presence

Learn how to support these goals through the {B/qKC} Sponsorship Guide.

The project began as a two-fold response: (1) to the lack of local resources and spaces for Black queer community members to relish in, and (2) to local universities and institutions retaining ownership of a small portion of our histories with no plans to digitize or widely share any of the artifacts donated to them. Since {B/qKC}’s founding in April 2022, the project has “liberated” various aspects of our histories: including information on the first documented Black drag queens of Kansas City, an organization of gay men fighting racism in the community in the 90’s, and a gay and lesbian variety show called “Out There” that aired on public-access cable.

In early 2023, after researching Volume 1 of the project, Montalvo morphed these archival materials into a multi-location, self-service exhibit from February 27th – March 4th, 2023 hosted at different locations across Kansas City–with each location hosting different materials from the volume. Montalvo did this to increase open-access and knowledge of the “stamp” Black queer Kansas Citians have made on the City. In picking exhibit locations across the City, Montalvoa lso wanted to explore various aspects of Blackness: Montalvo chose a coffee shop in the historic Northeast to break down harmful misconceptions about the neighborhood, Café Corazón to show solidarity between Black and Latin American communities and honor Montalvo’s own Afro-Latine identity, and a radical bookstore to illustrate commitment to solidarity building.

Volume_1’s exhibit, also, had a grand opening and week-long feature at BlaqOut’s newest space on Main Street in May 2023; and was housed at PH Coffee in the Historic Northeast for the entirety of Summer 2023.

{B/qKC} was initially founded through The Kansas City Defender, but now stands on its own as a fiscally-sponsored archival project.