The New Face of Black Leadership: Black, Gay & Proud

The New Face of Black Leadership: Black, Gay & Proud By: Herndon L. Davis http://herndondavis.com As we approach MLK Day and as the country contemplates this year's congressional races, there is a growing concern amongst the African-American community as to its ability or perhaps its inability to hold on to its once unshakable political power. No longer the country's largest ethnic minority and still reeling from forced comparisons of its civil rights legacy to the current day struggles of gays/lesbians; the African-American community is hard pressed to find a new collection of superstar leaders who can pick up where retiring black politicians have left off. Concerns of a waning black political power may be a bit premature. On the horizon is an array of black political warriors who've emerged upon the campaign trail to receive the passing torch of black leadership. In addition to being savvy politicians who are proud of their ethnic heritage, these men and women are also proud of being something else. They're proud of being gay. They're black, gay and proud and honestly don't care who knows all about it. In fact black, openly gay candidates are running for public office at unprecedented levels while a growing elite are actually securing political office, erasing any doubt or fear of their electability. A generation ago suspected black gay politicians would be outed after their deaths as was the case for U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan by Advocate Magazine in March 1996. But today many black gay/lesbian politicians are eagerly and publicly embracing their sexual orientation and ethnicity as part of a vibrantly diverse political fabric that is inclusive of everyone. In 1992 Kenneth Reeves, became the first black openly gay mayor of Cambridge, MA. In 2003, Ron Oden became the first black openly gay mayor of Palm Springs, a city with only a 2% black population. Meanwhile in Atlanta, it was 1999 when Kecia Cunningham became the first and only black, openly gay elected official in Georgia when she became a city commissioner of the nearby suburb of Decatur. A year earlier, political veteran, Phil Reed was elected in 1998 and twice there after as a New York City councilman representing Harlem. On the national political scene, during the Clinton Administration, lawyer/activist, Keith Boykin, served as a Special Assistant to the President and Director of Specialty Media. In fact, Boykin was once lauded as the highest-ranking openly gay person in the Clinton's White House. And for every black openly gay candidate who actually secures political office or appointment, there are dozens of others who unsuccessfully run for elected office, but who are still not deterred by the staggering odds that stand against them. Community leaders such as Keisha Waites of Atlanta, Jass Stewart of Brockton, MA, Vivian Paige of Norfolk,VA and Carl Highshaw of Carson, CA continue to press forward with aspirations of eventually tearing open the envelope of opportunity for black gay/lesbians candidates across America. To assist them in their efforts are three national organizations that are now fueling the rising political visibility of the black gay community. The two year old National Black Justice Coalition is America's only black, gay civil rights organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of black gay/lesbians. The newly formed Black Caucus of The Stonewall Democrats, is a politically focused entity dedicated to increasing visibility and political involvement of black gays/lesbians within the Democratic Party. Finally, The Victory Fund is a 14 year old political organization dedicated to developing and assisting hundreds of gay/lesbian candidates across all ethnic groups and political affiliations to successfully run for public office. Although much progress has been earned by black openly gay politicians within a relatively short period of time, it ha not been without great difficulty. Mayor Ron Oden of Palm Springs admits that his biggest challenges have been reminding "people in the dominant culture that I am black before I am gay" adding that the average person relates to him first as a black man, not as a gay man. Oden also stresses that there are still "societally placed barriers" for him and that it is disheartening that other gays are not as sensitive to "the challenges of people of color and of African Americans." City Commissioner Kecia Cunningham adds that some of her initial challenges in running for office came from having to deal with "elderly African Americans who were not very happy" says Cunningham with her openness about her sexual orientation. She also says that keeping a balance is another challenge as "there are a lot of demands placed upon your time and thoughts, what people think and expect of you" adding that she also has a family and work obligations as part of her delicate balance. Dave DeCiccoi of The Victory Fund chimes in adding that "people of color who are openly gay and running for office face the same primary challenges as others - developing an effective fundraising plan and reaching the right voters with a compelling message, but when candidates have strong qualifications and talk about the issues that voters care about, sexual orientation is often not a barrier to winning office." Oden confirms this fact by becoming mayor of a city with only a 2% black population. He credits his success to three things: "Knowing who you are, knowing you are who you're supposed to be, and knowing that you're doing what you're supposed to be doing." "When you're connected and centered as a person you can't help but be connected and centered with the universe or God" he adds. Cunningham credits her initial success to being mentored by her political predecessor. She adds that "the prior incumbent who was the first African American and the first African American on the City Commission took it upon herself to help navigate me through the waters." Now in her second term, she credits her success to "staying in the community which means a whole lot of listening" and being deliberate in her decision making. She adds that she's worked very hard to become "more than just a label or a name" by making a concentrated effort to be both alert and knowledgeable to the community's issues. If the past 10 years of political progress is any indication of what the next 10 years will hold for the black gay community, the face and the voice of black leadership will soon take on a whole new degree of diversity at levels virtually unheard merely a decade ago. Herndon L. Davis is an author, lecturer, and TV Host of America's First Black Gay TV Talk show. He can be reached directly at http://herndondavis.com