African American LGBT Summit Addresses Needs of Community
By: Brenda Coley - Posted on: 6/26/2006

On Saturday, June 3, 35 African American LGBT leaders and a dozen of their allies met at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a day-long summit to address the needs of the community and recommend strategies. Co-sponsored by Diverse and Resilient, Inc. and Connexus, the summit enjoyed support from the UWM LGBT Resource Center, the Wisconsin Division of Health and Family Services, and the Wisconsin Minority Health Grant program.

African American LGBT leaders met in caucus for most of the day, discussing issues of education, employment, economics, politics, infrastructure, communication, faith, family, and social venues. Discussion groups highlighted key areas of concern and recommended preliminary strategies for further discussion in subsequent meetings. Among other important observations, discussants noted that in general African American LGBT people experience the same challenges that other African American people face in employment, education, and economics. However, cultural alienation from other African American people and from LGBT people limit the currently available solutions open to these problems.
While African American LGBT leaders were meeting, allies also met in caucus. Allies included individuals and agencies who were LGBT but not African American, or not LGBT but people of color or white. Allies addressed issues of oppression like racism and homophobia, and they developed a series of commitment statements in support of African American LGBT people. Among others they committed to meet and expand their ranks.

Through out the day Summit participants took the opportunity to record the history of the African American LGBT community in Milwaukee. Chronicling this history over the past five decades: participants recorded in their own words the social venues, political movements, organizations and individuals, who moved forward the progress of the African American LGBT Community in Milwaukee.

For more information on the summit or to get involved, contact Brenda Coley at 414-390-0444 or bcoley@diverseandresilient.org.