Make Your Voice Heard!
The Pride Center is working on an exciting project, in partnership with other programs at De Anza, to preserve and share important stories that shed light on the past, present and future of Silicon Valley. And you're invited to participate!
The Voices of Silicon Valley project is funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, which will be used to create and expand oral history programs focused on historically marginalized communities. This important work is proceeding on several tracks, including “The Pride Project” (see below), which will explore the history of LGBTQ+ organizing and issues on campus, through interviews and student story-telling circles.
You can read more about the Voices of Silicon Valley grant and other major project tracks on the California History Center's Voices of Silicon Valley website.
The Pride Project
The Pride Project includes two major elements:
- History of LGBTQ+ Activism at De Anza: This segment includes oral history interviews with current and past De Anza employees
and students who were a part of LGBTQ+ organizing and advocacy on our campus. We
want to preserve that history and make it accessible through an interactive timeline
on the Pride Center website and a digital archive.
- Storytelling with Current Students: This segment provides opportunities for current students to share their stories as part of the historical archive of queer experiences. As a first step in this effort, we're collecting stories in written, audio and visual formats. (See below for details.)
LGBTQ+ Artists and Storytellers: Share Your Story!
The Pride Center is working to collect and archive stories from LGBTQ+ folks on the topic: "What's it like to be queer in 2025?"
You can submit your story in written, audio or visual format. We're also collecting artwork on this theme. Submissions can be anonymous.
If you're interested, please fill out the submission form by Friday, March 14. Selected entries will be exhibited during the California History Center's Taste of History event on Saturday, April 26, and at the Pride Center's Queer and Now Conference on Thursday, May 8. They may also become part of the Voices of Silicon Valley oral history project.