Quick-Fire Quips is a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama! In this episode, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors talks with Yellowhammer State native and the co-founder and co-executive Director of the nonprofit, Invisible Histories — Maigen Sullivan.
Maigen: Hello, hello!
Baillee: How's it going?
Maigen: It's going very well. How are you?
Baillee: I'm good! Happy to have you on. Tell me about Invisible Histories and how it got started.
Maigen: So, we are a community based archive where we collect southern LGBTQ historical artifacts. Me and my colleague, Josh Burford, started it in 2018.
We've got around 200 LGBTQ southern textiles, pictures, historical documents. You name it, we got it – big gay stuff held in a big gay building.
Baillee: Where do you see the most need for this type of preservation?
Maigen: The South, and all of us, definitely need it everywhere. I think the Deep South is probably the most at risk and the most in need of this type of preservation, and that's why we started here in the Deep South. Now we're in six states that include Mississippi and Alabama, which oftentimes get left behind.
Baillee: Now that introductions are done and out of the way, let's get you warmed up to answer the questionnaire. To do that, I want you to say Quick-Fire Quips three times fast.
Maigen: This is probably the hardest thing that's ever been asked of me. (Baillee laughs) Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips.
Baillee: OK, 10 out of 10. You did great.
Maigen: Aye!
Baillee: First question, what's the first word that comes to mind when you hear Alabama?
Maigen: Accents. You can hear pretty much any accent that you would like. If you start from the beginning, where our mountains are, then go all the way down to the coast. If you drive through Birmingham, you'll hear accents from all over the world. I think it really makes us stand out.
Baillee: What is a must see attraction or experience, either in Birmingham or around Birmingham, that locals and visitors should be a part of?
Maigen: I think everybody should check out the Civil Rights Institute – BCRI here in Birmingham. I like to put that on folks' radars whenever they're in the city.
Baillee: Next question, who was your childhood hero, and are they still your hero today?
Maigen: Rogue from the X-Men. I was in that weird thing where I wanted to be her and also be with her. It was that weird little thing that little gay kids do. So Rogue, obsessed with her.
Baillee: So, the obsession continues today?
Maigen: I did watch the most recent cartoon. I'm fully obsessed with it. The comics make me mad because they don't do right by her accent. I don't like it when they make a bad Southern accent, I'll dip.
Baillee: Next question, who is a local drag queen that you think should get more recognition?
Maigen: Bronzie De'Marco. She is the longest performing drag performer that we're aware of: over 50 years in Alabama. She performs in Huntsville, in Birmingham, and if you know her, you should totally go check her out, because she's amazing.
Baillee: What's a bad stereotype or something that people get wrong about Alabama?
Maigen: Literally everything. One are accents. It does not mean that you're ignorant. That doesn't mean that what you have to say is an important.
But also the idea that people should take some sort of sick joy in our suffering because they don't like the way our elections went. That's got to go. If you know people who are talking about the South in that way, you got to ditch them.
Baillee: Very well said. Next questions, what's your favorite getaway spot in Alabama and why?
Maigen: Oh gosh, I love going up into the mountains. I love going up toward Florence. There are a lot of folk artists, a lot of really cool stuff happening up in our Northeastern Alabama area.
Baillee: OK, do you have any superstitions or irrational fears?
Maigen: I mean, at night, when I'm trying to sleep and I think about how the universe is ever expanding and also contracting. Yes, yes, I do!
Baillee: Just normal bedtime things... an everyday Wednesday night (laughs).
OK, next up, what is something on your bucket list?
Maigen: To find out if the universe is actually expanding and contracting at the same time.
(Baillee and Maigen laugh)
Actually, we are in the process of purchasing, or long term renting an actual big archive for people to come see, that will hold all our collections. So, that is my bucket list number one. To get this to fruition where people can come see it and visit the collections.
Baillee: Here is the last question, what does Alabama need?
Maigen: People to believe in us. I think we need to believe in ourselves. So many of the most badass, amazing people I know are from Alabama. They've been doing some of the coolest work with some of the least amount of resources.
I think that we need to embrace that more and celebrate that more. Realize that we are doing some really cool stuff and some really difficult situations, and that we need to push forward with that, and we don't have to have a defeatist mindset just because we're from Alabama.
Baillee: That's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama.
That was Yellowhammer state native and the co-founder and co-executive director of the nonprofit, Invisible Histories — Megan Sullivan. I'm your host, Baillee Majors.
Keep up with Maigen Sullivan and all of Invisible Histories' socials:
- Instagram
- Facebook
- Bluesky
- Website
Don't forget to check out Alabama Public Radio on Facebook and Instagram for more Quick-Fire Quips!
Local support is provided by JMF Technologies. Check out the company on Facebook and Instagram.
