DJ Lynnée Denise Keynotes the UK Archives Matter Conference

June 2-3 DJ Lynnée Denise attended the Archives Matter Conference at Goldsmiths, University of London, hosted by the Centre for Feminst Research. Conference Coordinator Chandra Frank says the conference will help participants work towards different uses of archive, from a range of disciplines and perspectives. “We hope to explore, how the institutional archive can be made feminist, queered or decolonized, and in which ways we can build on transnational archives as well as establish our own archives,” Frank said. DJ Lynnée Denise was invited to be one of two keynote speakers. The first was Dr. Gloria Wekker. Dr. Wekker’s book White Innocence, which investigates colonialism as‘cultural archive’ was published by Duke in April 2016 https://www.dukeupress.edu/white-innocence and the conference was selected as a site to launch her new book.

DJ Lynnée Denise’s talk, "Thieves in the Temple: DJ Culture and the Prince Archives" encouraged the audience to think more critically about Prince's battle with the music industry. Lynnée was also selected to be a moderator for the panel “Black Performativity; Music, Sensation and Gesture.”

The conference was well organized and provided a wonderful opportunity for artists, scholars and activists alike to build transnational connections and to challenge the traditional and limited use of the archive.

DJ Lynnée Denise in France for James Baldwin Conference

In May 2016, DJ Lynneé Denise was invited to share her research on James Baldwin at the American University of Paris conference, titled “A language to Dwell In: James Baldwin, Paris and International Visions.” Her paper, “Please Don’t let me be Misunderstood: The Relationship Between James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry & Nina Simon,” was written with the intention to think more deeply about the number of unnamed and unpopular people who inspire and helped to develop the beautiful ones who get plucked from our communities and presented as exceptional negroes. Some of the foundational questions in her paper were, who introduced Baldwin to literature and spoke to him about France as a viable place to live outside of America? Before 'Mississippi Goddam,' who did Nina Simone turn to when processing death as a form of punishment to those in the movement? And prior to “A Raisin in the Sun,” who were the women Lorraine Hansberry was in contact with when developing her brand of second wave black feminism? Lynnée Denise argued that "all of our greats have inspirations, mentors or peers whom they worked with to craft the notable master pieces we love."

Click the African Voices magazine image below the Baldwin conference flyer to read a published excerpt from Lynnée Denise's paper.

Click the image below for excerpt of "Don't Let me be Misunderstood: The Relationship between James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry and Nina Simone"