History UnErased Awarded Prestigious Library of Congress Grant for LGBTQ Inclusive Theatrical Project
The project is a dynamic method of creating and presenting educational content that reaches students, educators, and the community at large with US LGBTQ history that would otherwise be missed or misunderstood.
Lowell, MA — November 19, 2024 — History UnErased, a pioneering non-profit organization dedicated to bringing LGBTQ-inclusive history into mainstream US history, civics, and social studies, is proud to announce it has received its first federal grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program. This grant, awarded by the Library’s Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives Office under the Center for Learning Literacy and Engagement, will support The Past Is Always Present project, a collaboration with Houses on the Moon Theater Company to develop a new play paired with a dynamic method of creating and presenting educational content that reaches students, educators, and the community at large with US LGBTQ history that would otherwise be missed or misunderstood.
The Past is Always Present will be disseminated by September 2025 via dozens of distribution partners dedicated to history, civics, and social studies education, colleges of education, theater organizations, and more. This Open Educational Resource includes a unique play script that dramatizes the hidden histories of LGBTQ Americans, drawing upon primary source materials from the Library of Congress’s vast archives and state and local archives; animated videos that bring the primary sources to life; and case studies for use in secondary and post-secondary contexts. Through this project, History UnErased aims to share untold stories of LGBTQ individuals who have shaped American history but whose contributions have often been overlooked or erased from the historical record.
“We are honored to receive this support from the Library of Congress, and we are excited to introduce The Past is Always Present to educators and students across the country,” said Debra Fowler, Co-Founder and Executive Director of History UnErased. “Our mission is to provide pragmatic, scalable solutions for inclusive K-12 education, and this grant enables us to bring LGBTQ history to life in a unique way and make it available to everyone.”
Since 2006, Congress has appropriated funds to the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program to establish and fund a consortium of organizations working to incorporate “the digital collections of the Library of Congress into educational curricula.” Each year, members of the TPS Consortium support tens of thousands of learners to build knowledge, engagement, and critical thinking skills with items from the Library’s collections. The Library of Congress awarded a total of 42 TPS grants in September 2024 to organizations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The grants, which offer one year of funding with the possibility of two additional years contingent upon successful project delivery, will allow recipients to develop educational projects based on the Library’s digitized materials. These projects cover a wide range of disciplines, including civics, economics, disability history, and law, with History UnErased’s The Past is Always Present specifically focusing on using history to enhance civic engagement and understanding through the arts.
Through this creative initiative, History UnErased will integrate LGBTQ-inclusive content into history, civics, and social studies classrooms, helping to foster more equitable, informed, and engaged communities. By leveraging primary sources from the Library of Congress, The Past is Always Present will be an accessible and impactful learning tool that emphasizes the importance of recognizing all Americans as equal citizens.
“This grant represents a significant milestone for History UnErased and our mission. We believe that when students learn the full scope of our nation’s history, including LGBTQ stories, it improves civic participation and strengthens the foundation of our democracy,” added Fowler.
About History UnErased:
History UnErased is an education non-profit organization dedicated to bringing LGBTQ-inclusive history, civics, and social studies to the core curriculum of K-12 education. Through pragmatic and scalable solutions, History UnErased’s work ensures all students see themselves reflected in the nation’s history, creating classrooms and communities where all Americans are seen as equal citizens.
About the Library of Congress:
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
Media Contact:
Name: Debra Fowler
Title: Executive Director
Phone: (508) 233-8926
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