St. Louis, Missouri’s Gayborhood and Washington, DC’s Black Lives Matter Plaza: Revealing the Healing Potential of Resistance Stories that are Grounded in Place

Abstract

Oppressed people resist, even when facing severe consequences for doing so. At the core of systemic oppression—genocide, slavery, racism, and sexism—is a drive to control and dehumanize. Resistance, however, can serve as a powerful act of rehumanization. From enslaved individuals fleeing plantations to LGBTQ+ individuals risking arrest to gather in mid-20th-century bars, resistance reclaims power and autonomy under oppressive regimes. This study applies South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) “four truths” framework—comprising forensic, personal, social, and healing truths—to the interpretation of contested heritage sites. We argue that sites commemorating resistance hold transformative potential for individual and community healing. Using qualitative methods, our research team analyzed interviews, observations, documents, and artifacts through reflexive thematic analysis. We highlight two case sites: a historically LGBTQ+ “gayborhood” in St. Louis, MO, and Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC. Our findings reveal (a) a framework for interpreting sites of resistance and their healing potential; (b) the value of storytelling that honors complex, painful histories; and (c) a call to shift interpretive practices toward vulnerable, inclusive truth-telling. This work is presented through both a scholarly article and a creative nonfiction disquisition. By centering the voices of those with lived experiences of oppression and resistance, we underscore the importance of acknowledging painful pasts in heritage interpretation. In doing so, we advocate for interpretive strategies that reclaim humanity, foster healing, and honor the resilience of marginalized communities