Bayard Rustin, a civil rights activist in the 50's and 60's, poses for a picture while surrounded by pigeons.
As part of Black History Month, the first ever “Blacklisted “ event will fuel plenty of discussion and, in some cases, controversy.
Both UCO’s Black Student Association (BSA) and the Gay Alliance for Tolerance and Equality (GATE) are teaming up to host the event, which hopes to open up a discourse on the increasing number of African Americans coming out into the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual) community and the difficulties they often face in doing so.
Blacklisted will be held today at 2 p.m. in the Pegasus Theater, located in the Liberal Arts Building. The event is open to all and free lunch will be provided. Mark Knight, an openly gay Black male who is an advocate for social justice, will speak at the event.
“Basically, what we’re going to talk about is what it means to be Black and gay and how that dynamic works being in the Black community with all the different influences in it from the church to what-have-you,” Knight said.
Lindsay Echols, the coordinator of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion who also plays a large role in organizing all of Central’s Black History Month events, acknowledges that Blacklisted may be considered a sensitive topic for some.
“Truthfully, in the African American community this is a very taboo topic, but people are talking about it again,” Echols said.
“Hijacking The Civil Rights Movement”?
In March 2011, Rev. Keith Ratliff Sr., an NAACP National Board Member and president of the Iowa-Nebraska chapter of the NAACP, made headlines after demanding the gay community to “stop hijacking the civil rights movement.” He also added, “deviant behavior is not the same as being denied your right to vote.”
Knight, however, disagrees with Ratliff’s assertion.
“There’s been this argument about whether or not the LGBT community is trying to hijack the civil rights movement,” Knight said. “But the reality of it is that civil rights means everybody.”
According to Echols, it shouldn’t be forgotten that civil rights has always been multi-dimensional.
“The civil rights movement played an active role in the history of African Americans but what a lot of people think is that it was just African Americans who were fighting for civil rights and that’s so not true,” Echols said. “Crossing all ethnic barriers, civil rights deals with LGBT issues, it deals with women’s rights, it deals with all those different issues.”
Getting To Know Gay Black History
Though many will hear about the likes of George Washington Carver, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson as Black History Month runs its course, gay Black history will likely remain hidden, according to Knight.
“It’s surprising how many young Black gay kids don’t even know who Bayard Rustin is, and he was one of the key players in the civil rights movement,” Knight said.
Bayard Rustin, who was both Black and openly gay, was a key organizer in the civil rights movement in the 50′s and 60′s and continued as an advocate for gay and lesbian causes into the 1970′s.
“Not A Whole Lot Of Difference”
Though Knight is scheduled to speak at Blacklisted, anyone who attends is encouraged to share their own testimonials and experiences, according to Echols.
While speaking, Knight hopes to reach not only gay or Black people, but all those who attend the event.
“A lot of people still have these preconceived notions about what it means to be gay,” Knight said.
“It’s not so much that I’m going to try and explain all of that but hopefully this will give them some sort of insight into that. Other than how I identify as who I am attracted to or who I would like to be in a relationship with, there’s not a whole lot of difference.”
