Some brothas and sistahs down in Atlanta are trying to light a fire under this years Black History Month commemorations. Or should that be Phyre?
Phyres vision is to expressly add that our history is rich because of contributions from African-American persons who among them are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT). In the words of Alice Walker, We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society. The Phyre project aims to ensure that the truth about African-American LGBT persons is known, understood, and celebrated. As the truths become more and more evident, America and all her children will be free.
To kick off their efforts there will be events in Atlanta during the week of February 18-24, as well as a public awareness campaign by Black LGBT bloggers all across the Internet.
In adding my voice to the chorus, I would like to draw your attention to two articles I wrote more than a decade ago while living in upstate New York, that I think are still relevant. Some of us recognized the exclusion of Black lesbian and gay people from the entire discussion of overall Black history years ago.
Reflections On Black History (1996) LINK
Links to the Past: Black Gays and Lesbians in the Civil Rights Era (1997) LINK
Additionally, you should know about this bit of research. The BlackList is a directory of known Black gay and lesbian persons, from the past and present, with references to sites that verify the information. No names have been listed without proof, so the naysayers can take their denial elsewhere. Unfortunately, this directory is no longer being regularly updated, but the information is still quite significant.
The Blacklist LINK
The history books will continue to be incomplete unless we fill in the missing pages.
1 comment so far ↓
i’ll check out a few of the links.