RECORD THE PAST, INSPIRE THE FUTURE
Two lesbians who believed in the power of oral history through the preservation of our stories, Dianne Barrett and her wife Marge Elfering, had a vision for a project which became the B-E Collection. In June, 2022 I participated in the first of three interviews with her for that project. I learned yesterday of Dianne’s passing on December 17, 2023 and wanted to celebrate her life well lived with a piece I originally published in the summer of 2022 following that first interview.
I recently had the privilege of being interviewed by Dianne Barrett who is a co-founder of the B-E Collection. As a personal historian who identifies as lesbian I am, of course, drawn to projects that celebrate oral histories of lesbians and our lives. This is the Mission Statement of the B-E Collection:
My spouse, Margaret Elfering, and myself, in conjunction with archives such as the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives and the Gerth Archives and Special Collection at California State University Dominguez Hills, will contribute an ongoing series of interviews of lesbians and their careers. The collection will be known as the B-E Collection: Lesbians and Their Careers.
The “B-E” of the collection is a shorthand for our last names (Barrett – Elfering). However, there is a second meaning to our collection’s name: the verb “be” is also defined as “to exist” or “to occur or take place”. Our collection is a means of bearing witness to the stories of lesbians of different generations, from different walks of life.
The mission of this collection is to dignify the accomplishments, pride, and effort lesbians put forth in their careers on their journey in life. We make oral histories to document our existence then and now. Many of us had the “don’t talk – say nothing – you are wrong” experience. Now we are talking.
We would appreciate a referral of lesbians who might be interested in participating in our project. We would be more than delighted to speak with anyone who you think would be interested in participating in the B-E Collection.
Your support is always a gift.
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Dianne Barrett (December 13, 1941 – December 17, 2023)
Rest in peace, Dianne, but we will remain restless as a result of your inspiration.
Onward.
I'll Call It Like I See It 
Comments
One response to “In Memoriam: Dianne Barrett”
Preserving these stories is so important. So much of our history is lost.
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