Series:

Black LGBTQ+ Legends of Los Angeles

Topic:

African American History

Art

Women's Issues

LGBT Movement

Biographical Note:

Black lesbian artist and social worker focused on women's history and issues. Known for contributions to the Goddess Movement.

Interviewer:

Johns, Byron

Interviewee:

Asungi, AfraShe

Persons Present:

Asungi and Johns

Place Conducted:

Conducted via the Zoom teleconferencing platform

Supporting Documents:

Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library’s Center for Oral History Research.

Interviewer Background and Preparation:

The interview was conducted by Byron Johns, Psy.D., organizational psychologist and trained facilitator and interviewer. Johns has worked with Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD) in New York City, and on numerous LGBTQ-focused projects.

Processing of Interview:

The transcript is a verbatim transcription of the recording as transcribed by a professional transcribing agency. The interviewee was given an opportunity to review the transcript and made minor changes which were entered into the transcript.

Length:

8.25 hours

Language:

English

Copyright:

Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.

Audio:

Series Statement:

The Black LGBTQ+ Legends of Los Angeles oral history project reflects a legacy of Black folks supporting each other in the face of race, sexual orientation, and class-based marginalization. Los Angeles is one of the major US cities that experienced sweeping social and political changes as a result of Black civil rights movements and gay liberation movements from the 1960’s until the present. Likewise, Los Angeles is often represented as a city where integration was established ahead of legislation. However, LGBT histories involving African Americans are limited. These oral history testimonies will fill historical gaps relating to Black LGBT social and political life in Los Angeles.

Note:

Brief mentions of individuals have been redacted to protect privacy.

Self-description—Growing up in Detroit—Growing up in a community of artists and gay people—School life—Knowing she was gay from a young age—Segregation and civil rights—Her first jobs—Relationship with her mother—Relationship with her siblings—Relationship with her father—Her mother renaming her and her siblings with African names—Black community in Detroit—Studying art in high school—Detroit riots in the 1960s—Visiting West Africa—Having relationships with women—Relationship with her uncle—Relationship with her younger brother—Visiting New York—Meeting her spiritual leader—Relationship with her grandmother—Having spiritual visions as a child—Teaching art to children—Relationship to her extended family—Going to Wayne Community College—Going to the University of Chicago—Living as openly gay—Reflecting on the interview process

Going to Wayne State University—Working for the Detroit News and getting fired—Filing a discrimination case against the Detroit News—Printmaking—Detroit Riots—Coming out as gay—Gay life in Detroit—Going to the University of Chicago—Gay life in Chicago—Moving to Los Angeles—The Goddess Movement and the Goddess Series—Working as an artist in Los Angeles—Lack of galleries displaying Black art—Working at the Watts Tower—Creating posters—Documenting black gay history and preserving black gay art

Spaces for Black lesbians in Los Angeles—Black lesbian terminology—Black Stud/Femme relationships—Differences in Black gay and Black lesbian culture—Black gay parties in Detroit—Differences between white and Black public figures coming out and being outed—Traveling to West Africa in the 1970s—Current US Politics—Acting as a congressional liaison in West Africa—Visiting Paris in the 1970s—Discrimination and civil rights—Having a stroke in 2013—Working as a teacher in Monterey—Becoming a social worker in California—Working for the Department of Children and Family Services—Psychology and mental health

Working as a social worker—The implications of social work for Black people— Psychology and mental health in clinical social work—Starting her private practice—Doing Telehealth—Closing her Long Beach office—Importance of therapy—The Goddess Series—Interpreting hieroglyphs—Egyptian Goddess names—Matriarchies throughout history—Her work being put online—Lack of Black gay and lesbian community spaces and organizations—Importance of documenting Black gay life and culture—Importance of oral history—Importance of the Black LGBT oral history project