ju st out ▼ fe b ru a ry 2 , 1 9 9 6 ▼ 2 3
¿ETTIN6
TOGETHER
Continued from page 21
orty-one-year-old Rupert Kinnard
recently spent a delicious weekend
on the Oregon Coast. Don’t get the
wrong idea: It wasn’t simply two days of
lounging and relaxation—it was a chal­
lenging 48-hour retreat marked by intense
yet inspirational discourse among nearly a
dozen members of Brother to Brother/
Portland, a group formed in 1993-94 by a
number of local African American gay and
bisexual men looking for kinship. Their
hours together were memorable, says
Kinnard, as each man labored toward a
sense of intimacy and a spirit of solidarity.
“There was so much power in that
room,” says Kinnard, recounting the expe­
rience, "not political power or power in the
traditional sense of the word, but rather a
personal power based on the passion we
each shared for each other, this group and
its potential.”
And you can bet that the future direc­
tion of Brother to Brother/Portland was the
prime topic of reflection and deliberation.
“Some people felt Brother to Brother
should primarily focus on HIV prevention
in the African American community,” says
Kinnard. “1 personally feel like it would be
great if Brother to Brother could really
establish itself as a place where younger
gay and bi African American men know
they can come—that we’re here and can
serve as role models.”
He adds, “We all had ideas to share, and just
doing that—while not always easy—was really
beautiful.”
While Brother to Brother/Portland is still
working to stand on its organizational legs—
securing a tax status and developing a set of
bylaws are a couple of the more mundane yet
essential tasks that lay ahead—the group has
already made inroads in terms of its visibility in
and its contributions to the sexual minority,
African American and human rights communities.
For instance, despite being a relatively new
kid on the block back in 1994, Brother to
Brother/Portland took the lead in organizing a
ing understanding.”
dance benefit at Echo Theatre for the No on 13
Brother to Brother/Portland members also
effort.
enjoyed a recent potluck with lesbian and bisexu­
Kinnard says Brother to Brother/Portland
al women of color at the home of La Verne Lewis,
joined with other people of color organizations
executive director of the Lesbian Community
and raised nearly $2,500 during that event; those
Project.
dollars assuredly helped lead to the defeat of the
“It was an attempt to bring us together with
anti-gay-rights initiative.
African American lesbians and bisexual women,”
Brother to Brother/Portland was subsequently
invited to a press briefing following Ballot
Measure 13’s downfall. Representatives from sev­
eral organizations that fought the measure were
asked to remark about their roles in the successful
N fcw w n Hiw I i H w
campaign.
Kinnard says, “I’m delighted that Brother to
Overcoming
Brother was on that list. I’m also very proud of
Homophobia
what the group did.”
IDS »
Brother to Brother was, in fact, singled out for
honors during this past Portland queer pride cele­
bration.
The Rev. Cecil Prescod is one of those who
got involved in Brother to Brother/Portland pre­
cisely because of Ballot Measure 13.
“I was concerned that the religious right was
aak
beginning to [court] the African American com­
munity on gay issues,” he says. “I felt that it was
critical that there be a voice acknowledging the
existence of gay and lesbian people within the
African American community.... I believe
Brother to Brother helps give voice to a commu­
nity that has been silenced for so long.”
Kinnard hopes to see Brother to Brother/
Portland connect with the broader African
American community even more this year.
“I’ve heard about a group of what I believe are
says Kinnard. “Back in the early 1980s, there was
straight African American men who are doing
an attempt to do that [but] I think the whole AIDS
some good work in Northeast Portland,” he says,
crisis led to a different kind of segregation.
“I would like for Brother to Brother to get togeth­
Hopefully, we can come together again.”
er with them and maybe dispel any misconcep­
Twenty-five-year-old Jonathan Hutchison
tions they may have about gay and bi African
says he got involved with Brother to
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Members o f Brother to Brother/Portland
work for the Multnomah County Health
Department.
“I think men get into Brother to Brother for
any number of reasons,” he says. “Maybe it’s for
AIDS prevention, or to socialize. People some­
times have a tendency to think that all black peo­
ple are the same. That’s just not the case.”
Indeed. Hutchison will be the first to tell you
that there is “a lot of fragmentation within Brother
to Brother” alone. Many spirited behind-closed-
doors conversations addressing everything from
interracial dating to the Million Man March have
occurred among Brother to Brother members.
“I personally did not endorse the march,” says
Prescod. “I had very serious concerns about the
organizers’ sexist, homophobic and anti-Semitic
leanings. At the same time, I felt the march may
have inspired and empowered some men to work
to improve their communities, which is positive.”
He adds: “What it comes down to is that
Brother to Brother is a good safe place for men to
(003) 227*3403
by Corwtta Scon Kin«
A
not an illnr** that afflict»
« J t P r t w r i f , AIDSt»Hwrahrw
r. fu lly
h r t r r a r x u J » Yet it
i» clear that the nnxoflr to era»ka(e A ID S
and the Mrftenng that a m n y a w A I D S t*
n u d r h r mure diftunh by the penrrtencr c4
bigotry and perjinJne toward gay people
Th e hefeftaexual w t i n * c t A ID S , mrlod-
ing children, are alio getting an unexpected
lea-in in the kemNe price »< bigotly
I would urge tie to-called trligiou» lead­
en who »ee A ID S a» a lurm »4 divine retn-
butKTi to explain why A ID S M y admg
a m »« « hrtercwexual» and «hrldran. I would
» 4 them to trv w t the teaching t Jeru» of
an»i being judged. I would
them to ttihJy
h * deed», hut cony
innate healing of the
wck, h a e n tra re d the o u k W i and cwfre-
. lied and ‘ the leart of there * I wiaild aak
them to tell me wherr m d ir 'em h i n * of
wyone
I
w n f d alt them to < p m their hewn» to hw
m ew uy
umvenul love, m lo v e one
am «he r » I have loved you,* and to remem­
ber that every penetri with A ID S a aa much
a child cé G o d a» any other h u m w being I
Heart lard Journey cf M « y , who were tour­
ing the retlkwi in a hu» T h e w onungrcaw
alway» ttk thiwe who would peraecute oth­
er» to look into their own heart» From time
to time I get let ten, phone calk and other
■irwolKited advice Ira n peegde who tell me
I dxmldn'r
»»it for the rudit» >4 gay
kuflenrg into a powtive cartexagn to edu­
cale the p d d k ahait A I D S There y»ajth
are an >rapirai ion hr, . « w they lefiitr to be
the hggMty experienced by gjgr» and lea-
bran» Rut there » a connection he twee n
dlowing how to live jvw five live» <f arr-
vice. One «rf the parent» put a tolklunty
bracelet on my atm, which I am »till wear
the homojdicfie
They all rhare a Jth u
Scene cl.urti that pm tn nng A m e n r m
o the A ID S erma with
n d generally
I w r A ID S not only m
t aa a teat of h e
i n n y w o n and decency c i thiwe who enyoy
f.m d health. Rrgorry » a drbdtfatwg neun>
m i , hut it w an fir m » that can he cured with
hi meat »ell-examination and education
Tha i » why we muM never let a hpWed
The y all »hare a rfck need to Jth u m m a r
T h e Km g Center ho» Mgparted A ID S
latrd r i M lor a nunhei ■< ye.«», inrlud-
A ID S 101 workdM *. We
a g ra g i cf H I V jxwrtive
e ra g m , called die la m p
onentatHWi wiaild be extending 'tpecuf
ng htt' lo gay pe>g4e Irannatv. f w w n r
languagr wa» <ard a» tar back a» I M 2 to
rggxwe civil n^w » lor former J a w » O v d
nght» am mx '«p n til n^tt».* hut bra»»
nght» that belong to all peegde A » my h»rw-
band, Martin Luther Kmg Jr, »rad, *1 have
< om tm m * om a e ri pm g ì
“AIDS wasn’t created
in a vacuum. It can be
compounded by a deep
sense o f isolation in the
people o f color
communities,
particularly in places
like the Pacific
Northwest.
We ’re here to give
African American gay
and bisexual men a
safe place to talk and
get together.
It’s a place to feel
community, a place to
build self-esteem. ”
— Ja m e s G riffen
have those types of honest discussions.”
Other groups have sorouted from Brother to
Brother/Portland. In March, 28-year-old Brian L.
Crosby-Payne formed a support group for African
American gay and bisexual men called Friends.
“F is for friendship, R is for respect, I is for
"individuality, E*is‘ for effort,*N is for neecI.TI is fo r'
debate, and S is for sharing,” says Crosby-
Payne, who is recovering from a stroke he
suffered a couple of years ago. He has
^ learned firsthand how vital a support net­
work is.
“Sometimes you just need someone to
talk to. I can remember being on the play­
ground in sixth grade and talking with
other kids, helping them out, being there.”
Some things, it appears, never change:
“Sharing information and knowledge,
empowering others is really important to
me,” says Crosby-Payne. “A support sys­
tem is more important than anything.”
James Griffen of Brother to Brother/
Seattle echoes the notion that a support
system can save lives.
“AIDS wasn’t created in a vacuum,”
says the 42-year-old POCAAN project
coordinator, who has been involved with
Brother to Brother/Seattle for three years.
“It can be compounded by a deep sense of
isolation in the people of color communi­
ties, particularly in places like the Pacific
Northwest. We’re here to give African
American gay and bisexual men a safe
place to talk and get together. It’s a place to
feel community, a place to build self­
esteem.”
Portland’s Prescod adds: “The African
American community has been so severely
impacted by H1V/AIDS. I see Brother to
Brother doing vital outreach to a popula­
tion that often finds it difficult to access
predominantly white agencies. Brother to
Brother can be thought of as an advocate
for these men.”
According to Griffen, Brother to
Brother/ Seattle meetings are held on an
c »oing basis and, like Sistah 2 Sistah, its
nt sletter reaches an estimated 200 people.
During the past five years, Brother to
Brother/Seattle sponsored a two-day presentation
on Tongues Untied and its producer/director
Marlon Riggs, as
“Ifelt that it was
well as safer-sex
critical that there
,
.
be a voice
acknowledging
the existence o f gay
and lesbian people
within the African
.
.
J
American commit-
nity....
I believe Brother to
Brother helps give
voice to a
P ^ .ies ^or men
African descent who
have sex wjtj1 men
The group hosted an
H iv
community
forum 31111 co-spon-
sored Seatt,e s ?**-
ticipation in the
Natjonal
Black
Churches Day of
Prayer. For the past
three years> Brother
to Brother/Seattle
. ^ ^
has sent the largest
community hat
0u,-oMow„ delega-
has been silenced
tjon to the national
fo r SO long. ”
Black Gay and
__Cecil Prescod Lesbian Leadership
Development
Forum.
“Our social events are typically open, but our
meetings are closed and confidential; it really
needs to be that way so gay men of African
descent can talk,” says Griffen. “It’s POCAAN’s
and Brother to Brother’s belief that the messenger
is as important as the message. Black gay or bi
men are going to be more likely to listen to other
black gay or bi men.”
A note: There is no official group in Oregon
comparable to Sistah 2 Sistah.
For information about Brother to
Brother/Portland, call Hutchison at
(503) 248-3030. Friends meets in a confidential
location in Portland the second and fourth
Wednesdays o f the month from 6 to 8 pm. Call
(503) 227-2453fo r more information.
Brother to Brother/Seattle meets the first and
third Mondays o f the month at 7 pm at
POCAAN, 1200 S Jackson St. in Seattle. Contact
the Brother to Brother Info Line at
(206) 5282-2028.
Sistah 2 Sistah meets the second and fourth
Sundays o f each month from 4 to 7 nm. Call
(206) 322-706! fo r more information.
>4. l i t .