It began with an apology and ended amidst shouting and tears.
A panel discussion initiated by allegations of racism by the Atlanta Pride Committee turned heated May 2 when an African-American gay activist called the meeting a "ruse" and accused the organization of avoiding the issue.
The event was called by the Pride Committee to discuss race relations among gay Atlantans. For a majority of the nearly two-hour meeting, the topics of hate crimes, police brutality and discrimination, and immigration reform and its effects on gay men and lesbians took center stage.
But toward the end of the meeting, Kevin Bynes, an activist who works with AID Atlanta, questioned the Atlanta Pride Committee’s intent with the panel.
"I think it’s a ruse when Atlanta Pride — when faced with racism — contacts a PR firm," said Bynes, who is director of an outreach program at AID Atlanta. "The idea of black people heading a discussion of racism, it’s ridiculous."
Donna Narducci, Atlanta Pride Committee executive director, disagreed. She said she supported the organization’s decision to hire Zandra Conway, who owns a public relations firm, to coordinate the meeting. Conway is also a member of In the Life Atlanta, the organization that sponsors the annual Black Gay Pride event.
"I don’t believe that Atlanta Pride is a racist organization and I don’t believe that I’m a racist individual," Narducci said at the meeting. "I’m here to learn. I don’t believe it’s a ruse, it’s not a ruse."
The discussion panel included representatives from several gay and straight organizations.
Five of the nine panelists were black, including Officer Darlene Harris, LGBT liaison for the Atlanta Police Department; DeeDee Chamblee, executive director of LaGender Inc.; Gerald Boyd with the National Coalition Building Institute; Michael Slaughter, In The Life Atlanta board co-chair; and Ronald Moore, who is a retired diversity manager at Hewlett Packard.
Other participants were Narducci, Georgia Equality Executive Director Chuck Bowen,Trikone member Deepali Gokhale and Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials.
Heated confrontation
Bynes’ denouncement garnered applause from many of the approximately 100 people attending the meeting at the Fulton County Central Library. Some said they felt that the panelists were the wrong people to be talking about racism in gay Atlanta.
"I wonder where all the white people are for a conversation on racism," said Darlene Hudson of ITLA.
Public comment and questions were limited to two minutes with each panelist being allowed to respond. Bynes had approached the podium, made a comment and returned to his seat.
Tension mounted when he confronted Narducci from his seat as she responded to his remarks. Moderator Maddie Pimentel attempted to silence Bynes, noting the other people waiting in line to speak.
"I’m going to stay here and I’m going to say what I’m going to say," he replied.
Pimentel told Bynes he would have to leave if he continued.
"Baby, this is a public library — I have a library card — and I’m going to say what I have to say," he said.
When Craig Washington, an activist and writer, asked Narducci for specific details on the organization’s action plan to include more blacks, a shouting match ensued among Bynes, Washington and Betty Couvertier, who is Atlanta Pride Committee’s diversity co-chair.
"She physically blocked me from talking to Donna," Washington said of Couvertier. "There’s work for us to do, bottom line."
Couvertier, a Hispanic lesbian, was in tears after challenging the attacks against Atlanta Pride as racist.
Magazine publisher not included
Many in attendance felt one of the panelists should have been Dwight Powell, publisher of the black gay men’s magazine Clik, based in Florida.
"Dwight Powell just took the lid off and I’m sorry that he could not be here," Hudson said during the public comments period of the meeting. "To me, it’s not enough to just apologize."
Hudson also said she believed much of the discussion at the meeting, prior to Bynes’ comments, was not focused on the issue.
"This is not the conversation I came here to hear," Hudson said.
At the onset of the meeting, Narducci acknowledged the Pride Committee felt it necessary to hold a panel on racism after controversy erupted when she at first declined Powell’s offer of in-kind media sponsorship.
In March, Powell offered the Atlanta Pride festival $9,500 worth of free advertising in exchange for sponsorship. He said it would attract more black gay men to the annual Pride festival.
Narducci initially refused his offer, saying at the time that she had stopped accepting in-kind media sponsorships in an effort to bring in cash for the organization. She later reversed her decision, saying she "failed to see the greater good that could have been gained by partnering with Clik."
In an e-mail blast, Powell suggested that his offer was declined because of race. He called Narducci’s reversed decision "disingenuous" and said he would not be a sponsor until Atlanta Pride addressed what he believes is a lack of participation from blacks.
Powell has yet to become a sponsor of Atlanta Pride.
In Narducci’s opening comments at the town hall meeting, she said after her decision to decline Clik’s media sponsorship and Powell’s e-mail blast, "all holy hell broke loose."
Narducci said she received around 103 e-mails from people who agreed and disagreed with her decision.
"It’s my direct responsibility to secure money for money for Pride. This was a business decision I made," Narducci said. "In my mind I didn’t need any more media sponsorships by Clik or any other magazine. I realize that my teachable moment would last longer than I imagined."
Conway, whose public relations firm organized the meeting for Pride, said she felt it was not necessary to include Powell in the meeting because it’s focus was on issues facing Atlanta.
Conway also said Powell told her that he "didn’t want to have anything to do with this."
Powell has said he made the comment out of anger after originally scheduling a meeting with Narducci and being notified only three days prior to leaving that it was rescheduled.
Pride racist?
Gokhale, a panelist and gay activist, said during the meeting that based on her definition, the Atlanta Pride Committee is a racist organization.
"I think racism in my mind is anything that supports white supremacy," Gokhale said. "Currently white people run the world. If we can challenge racism here in Atlanta, then we can change the face of Atlanta."
As the finale panelist to make closing remarks, Gokhale gave Narducci an ultimatum, saying she would not be involved in future discussions unless the executive director admits that the organization is racist.
"I really would like you to say that Atlanta Pride Committee is a racist organization, and it’s not because you’re a bad person, but because it has done nothing so far to end racism," Gokhale said.
At the shouted urging of Pride staff and board members who attended the meeting, Narducci declined to respond, and library officials quickly cleared the auditorium since the facility was closing.
In the past, Narducci has pointed out that Atlanta Pride has been a financial supporter of the city’s Black Gay Pride festival, which is held over Labor Day weekend, and the scholarship fund set up by Zami, a local group for black lesbians. She said the organization has also partnered with In The Life Atlanta and Unity Fellowship, a black gay congregation.
"They bend over backwards to do the right thing," Couvertier said during the meeting. "I know that for a fact."
Deidre Heffernan, a member of Pride’s board of directors, said during the comments section that the event was not intended as a final answer to the criticism Pride faces.
"The apology is not the end, it’s the beginning that started this process," she said.
After the meeting, Narducci said she plans to continue discussions, but another discussion has not been scheduled so far.
"I really do hope that with some mediation, there will be more decisions," Narducci said.
