05/22/2026
In q***r and trans communities, Lewis has long been claimed as an ancestor â recognized in her chosen family of women who cross-dressed and had relationships with each other, her refusal of convention, and her life built entirely outside the boundaries others tried to impose on her. Mainstream institutions have been slower to catch up, treating her q***r life as speculation, footnote, or simply beside the point.
Reading Between the Stones takes its name from the practice q***r historians know well: learning to see what the archive doesnât say â to read between the lines; in Lewisâs case, between the stones.
This panel asks not whether Lewis belongs to q***r history â but what it means to claim her, how to honor the full complexity of her life, and what it looks like when curators, journalists, and artists bring that history home.
Q***r History Boston and the Museum of African American History are bringing together Angela T. Tate, Arielle Gray, Giselle Byrd, and theo tyson to discuss these ideas, and weâd like to invite you to join too!
