Random Thoughts: Register Black Voters to Get Out the Vote or Go to a Sing Along in Support of Gay Marriage? Decisions…Decisions
Earlier today in my post on California’s gay community, Blacks, and Proposition 8 (the gay marriage ballot measure), I mentioned a poorly disguised group that’s being sold as being both Black and gay when it is really backed by a non-Black gay group in an effort to push its agenda on the Black community through Black gays naive enough to fall for it. And in case you’re wondering how I know it’s not a authentic FUBU (for us by us), my first hint was that the executive director is a Latino and the several of the people involved in the organization wouldn’t know the Black community if they accidentally made a wrong turn and ended up right smack dab in the middle it, but can tell you anything you need to know about West Hollywood.
According to its website, the mission of the Barbara Jordan / Bayard Rustin Coalition is to empower Black same-gender loving, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and families in Greater Los Angeles, to promote equal marriage rights and to advocate for fair treatment of everyone without regard to race, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression.
However, one look at the site, and it’s very clear what the mission is… to promote equal marriage rights in the Black community. The only thing Black on that website is the photos of Barbara Jordan and Bayard Rustin.
Well, JRC, as it likes to refer to itself, sent out an email this evening for a Sing Out on the Boulevard in support of Proposition 8…of all things.
And I am sitting at my desk like—you can’t be serious. Black Los Angeles is in the middle of trying to register Blacks to vote—for anything come November 4th, and you want Black gays to go to Pasadena of all places, and sing out for gay marriage and National Coming Out Day?
A true WTF moment.
Just goes to show the huge disconnect and how one group’s agenda attempts to supercede another.
JRC can go out there and sing out all night long on the Boulevard. We’ll be in L.A. working in the community on a different kind of coming out, coming out to vote on November 4.
And BTW, in case I never said it before, I detest the use of Bayard Rustin and Barbara Jordan’s names being used as poor disguise for what’s supposed to be a Black gay group. But I can see why they were chosen. However, do you think either would champion a sing out during the last few days to register Black folks to vote for one of the most important elections of their lives?
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Ms. Cannick,
Thank you for taking out the time to expose this fraudulent coalition!
I believe the truth needs to be told and I will assist in the efforts to stop it. I believe it’s important that Prop. 8 do not past in Nov. but I think the general black community (straight AND gay) needs to speak in one voice over this issue. I will actually contact some local church and community leaders today to see if something can be done about this. This is a great opportunity for straight and gay black folks to ban together because at the end of the day, these white gay organizations do not give a damn about us!
Like many black people, I hate that our communities are being exploited to this extent. I’m appalled that this coalition even exist and unlike other reputable organizations that truly represent their community, they have the audacity to employ a non-African-American person (who is extremely incompetent in most people’s opinion) to represent a black organization – who in the world does that??!! They even have board members who aren’t African American. With plenty of black folks looking for employment and leadership opportunities I find this extremely offensive. Their website photos depict a multicultural agenda, not a black one, and believe me when I say this, the photos are less than truthful. I cannot believe old time leaders like Valerie Wagoner would allow herself to be used like this! I guess money can buy anything.
How can they even begin to speak about uplifting our community when they have made no real effort in creating job opportunities for people within the community that they are suppose to be serving? In fact, I know for certain that their only staff is a ‘front’ person and is being used for other projects that have nothing to do with the black community. This is why they have no real accomplishments to speak of.
The board is made up of “tokens” that have little interest in the black LGBT community and merely use the opportunity to get their name and pretentious statements printed up in newspapers so they can appear modern day renaissance activists when they are really a bunch of snow queens who cannot wait to be invited to the next white party.
I also wish they would not use Jordan/Rustin’s names either. It’s deceitful and these white gay organizations have no right to use names of past black leaders to further their “white gay” agenda. They are not interested in understanding the needs of the black LGBT communities and working within those boundaries.
Lets stop this abuse!
Donald
Yeah I agree, the world would be a much better place if gay and straight, and people of all races spoke with one voice.
You are kililng me with the hateration…
It is true that there are many issues that should be addressed this election season. It is also true that many people are at odds about what is most important. But there has got to be a better way to disagree than to attack other people’s priorities.
You can’t be for black people and for same-sex marriage? Who gets to decide that? You? I think not. While marriage may not be the most important thing on your agenda, it is an issue of both importance and great magnitude. And people are allowed to disagree with you on that issue without being treated disrespectfully. Just the way you would expect someone to treat you when discussing the issues that are nearest and dearest to your heart.
And I don’t know what’s happening in LA, but I do know that all over the country, both gay and straight blacks are being joined by whites to register people in the black community. The Obama folks sent people out to EVERY grocery store in my city EVERY weekend. And in communities where there was no grocery store (a criminal injustice, if you ask me), both black and white people went door to door.
Finally, you do an injustice to black gays who aren’t from Cali, who envy your ability (whether you want it or not) to marry the person with whom they have committed their lives. You are not the sole voice of black gaydom. Just because you and your big city friends see the issue as passe, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have deep and significant meaning to others. Some of us do want to get married. Some of us do want our children to see that our relationships are legitimate. Some of us did grow up with fantasies and pipe dreams about being married to the one we love. You don’t get to be the arbiter of whether or not that is appropriately “black” behavior. SouthCentral is not the whole world.
Narcissist! Is thy name.
Our nation is full of black folks living in many places and that includes the many black folks living in and around the Los Angeles area who do not live in your hood Ms. Cannick. It would serve you well in your desires to make a difference in your community if you would concentrate on doing your work there and there only since you feel this strongly about an organization outside of your community that you alone feel is not representing black folks. How would you know this for a ‘real fact, beyond your ego driven desire to be all things of knowledge of what is black enough? Your self describe label of ‘Loudmouth’ speaks volumes on how destructive you actually are. Truth is, you do not get to decide who is black enough or what group is black enough about the work they are doing. Black folks like you at your young age wear your life inexperience on your sleeve, when many older blacks have been doing for years what you write as though you and you alone have single proprietary say about. We are not each others enemies do to where any of us black folk live and your misplaced anger about any group that is seeking to help black folk PERIOD, should be something to be supported instead of being denigrated. You obviously are not ashamed about what you post or think about black issues, but neither do those makes make you correct. I read it as ‘The Diary of a really mad black lesbian.’ You are not the norm of the black lesbians that I know who are your age who do work to build up the whole of our black communiites and those ladies and they are ‘ladies’ don’t give a rats ass about where black support comes from when it is for the good of all. Shame on you Ms. Cannick, Shame on you! Look up the word narcissist. It is you.
I am a black lesbian and Prop 8 is of enormous concern to me.
If Prop 8 passes, it would be the first time in American history, the state Constitution would be rewritten in order to take rights away from one select group of citizens, instead of extending them. I know I don’t have to remind you about the prejudice LGBT people face in the black community. This elections turnout is going to be tremendous and if we don’t start frequently engaging with our people soon, they will most likely step into the voting booth on Nov. 4th and vote our rights away.
I will take ALL the help we can get to be sure Prop 8 does not pass.
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Proposition 8 is UNJUST and UNFAIR. STOP DISCRIMINATION COLD, and VOTE *NO* on Proposition 8 on Tuesday 11/4.
Obama’08