LBGT Center Gets Grant To Preserve History Of Stonewall Uprising

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — The Stonewall National Monument is getting $100,000 to launch an oral history project to collect and preserve the history of the Stonewall uprisings in 1969.

American Express is gifting the money, which will fund "Capturing LGBTQ History," a project that will document and preserve experiences from the inn, the National Park Foundation announced on Thursday.

"The National Park Service is committed to telling stories that reflect all of American history," said Joshua Laird, a National Parks commissioner, in a statement. "The struggle for LGBTQ rights, represented through Stonewall National Monument, expands an ongoing narrative about the fight for civil rights and equality under the law."

The Stonewall Inn is largely credited as the birthplace of the LGBTQ civil rights movement. When police raided the bar at 53 Christopher St. in June 1969, a frequent occurrence at LGBT establishments, the bar's patrons fought back. One night of riots turned into days of demonstrations that eventually launched an entire movement. (Want more locals news? Subscribe here for free breaking news alerts and updates from Patch.)

The project will be lead by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, one of the long-standing pillars of New York City's gay community and a longtime advocate for LGBT rights. The New York Daily News reported that the project will involved collecting oral histories from veterans of the LGBT civil rights movement. Patch was not immediately able to contact anyone at The Center for more details on how the project will develop.

President Barack Obama declared Stonewall a national monument last year, creating the fist national park to focus on LGBT history.

Editor's note: This post has been corrected to clarify that the LGBT Center will lead the project, and to clarify that the center is not launching a hotline as part of the initiative.

Credit: Yana Paskova / Stringer / Getty Images News.