Craig Washington is one of the founding members of the Atlanta Black LGBT Coalition, a new group that seeks to mobilize black gay men and lesbians around political issues. (Photo by Bo Shell)
WHETHER LISTENING TO BARACK Obama’s Grant Park victory speech on election night, or seeing the thousands of people who rallied around the country in opposition to California’s Proposition 8, gay progressives have many reasons to be inspired since the election.
But after the speeches end and the candlelight vigils burn out, an obvious question remains: Now what?
“Let’s celebrate our successes, but let’s also roll up our sleeves and get to work,” says gay activist Craig Washington, who felt the urge to “take advantage of the momentum of Obama’s election.”
The day after Obama’s victory, Washington sent an e-mail to leading black gay and lesbian activists in Atlanta about the need to capitalize on the energy created by the historic election. The e-mail also warned people not to get lost in giddiness over Obama’s win.
“At the same time, I saw indicators of more backlash, more homophobia and more backpedaling on some of the progress that had been made,” Washington says, noting the passage of Prop. 8, a gay adoption ban in Arkansas and an anti-affirmative action measure in Nebraska.
“I didn’t want that [enthusiasm over Obama’s victory] to lead to complacency,” Washington says.
One of the e-mail recipients, Mary Anne Adams, organized a conference call that led to the creation of the Atlanta Black LGBT Coalition.
“We want to do something as a community to have an impact on the issues that we care about,” says Rev. Maressa Pendermon, a founding member of the coalition. “It’s certainly my personal hope that we become a place where people can come and know that we are on the pulse of what’s happening in the community.”
THE ATLANTA BLACK LGBT COALITION is attempting to find the right balance between offering strong leadership while not dictating a top-down agenda.
“I think what black queer folks specifically are looking for is leadership and direction,” Washington says. “While Atlanta is overall a progressive city, I think there’s a lot of untapped potential.”
The coalition hopes to help articulate goals for black gay men and lesbians in Atlanta, including through community meetings where an overall agenda is hammered out.
“We definitely want to see a more intentional, cohesive voice around the political agenda,” Pendermon says. “Many of our issues are the same as all LGBT folks, but we may prioritize things differently.”
Despite its large size and powerful reputation, Atlanta’s black gay and lesbian population hasn’t regularly mobilized around political and social justice issues.
“There are many individuals who are active, but we don’t have a body that provides consistent black queer political engagement,” Washington says. “Most black gay folks in Atlanta are closeted and are not ready for activism that may result in them being outed. Even still, people are ready for change, and they don’t want to live in fear for the rest of their lives; but if someone doesn’t do something, a majority of them will.
“A lot of us are not willing to risk anything for it,” Washington adds. “Freedom and progressive change take risks, sometimes loss, and so I’m hoping that there’s a critical mass of folks that are ready.
“Our goal is to identify those folks who are ready now,” he says. “Ready to pick-up a bullhorn, or to at least show up at a rally if not organize one, or to use their skills — whether it’s fundraising, or designing a fab website.”
MUCH OF THE MISSION AND VISION for the Atlanta Black LGBT Coalition remains uncertain, as organizers plan to seek community input. Along with gay issues, the coalition also wants to address social justice concerns such as affordable housing, living wages for workers and better access to healthcare for people living with HIV.
The coalition’s first action was its endorsement of Democrat Jim Martin in his runoff election with Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss. The endorsement was designed to get the candidate and obscure runoff on more black gay voters’ radars, as well as introduce a black gay voice into Georgia’s political discussions, Washington says.
While the Atlanta Black LGBT Coalition will have a heavy political component, organizers also hope it will incorporate social events and wellness initiatives.
“One of the places where I think we have been missing in action, as a group of leaders, is we haven’t really been intentional in our focus on youth, on young people who end up in this city in droves, and the many who wind up facing desperate situations,” Pendermon says.
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