We collaborated with Dr. Brice D. Smith and Janice Colby to capture interviews of Black LGBTQ+ Individuals in Milwaukee, WI for the House of History Project.

The House of History is a program of Diverse & Resilient. It was made possible with funding awarded by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities

Directors & Camera Operators: Betty Allen & Andy W. Sayers

Sound Mixer: Jacob Fatke

Gaffer & Grip: Tim Moder

Hair & Make-Up Artist: Alfred Lester

From the House of History MKE Website:

https://www.houseofhistorymke.org/stories/chris-allen

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born December 22, 1986

I’ve known Chris since he was a sweet, shy kid. He’s always been kind. And handsome.

Chris was a army kid and moved to Milwaukee around the time he started school. He come out at 15 and his family wasn’t accepting. He found Diverse & Resilient (D&R) and I guess you could say it changed his life. It’s special how he started as a youth at D&R and is now the head of it. The first Black president and CEO. But he doesn’t like the spotlight. He likes making others shine.

Chris and his husband been together since high school, if you can believe it. They moved to Austin for awhile, but the grass is greener here and they come back. His husband and two sons are everything to him. It makes me happy seeing Chris a family man. He’s giving those boys all the love and support he didn’t get as a child. He’s giving it to all of us, really, like he’s dad for all the Black LGBTs in Milwaukee.

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