I have heard lots of talk about the 2010 and 2012 elections lately. Although these years are important, let’s not sleep on the opportunities to support gay and gay friendly candidates who are running for office in 2009.

     Having been on the board of directors for both national and statewide organizations, I can appreciate the focus on getting the right people in office that can more directly impact our causes with legislation in Lansing and Washington, D.C., but there has always been one nagging question - how do we keep potential candidates who represent our issues and other progressive policies in the political pipeline.

     I looked, of all places, to the far right’s play book for answers.  Long before the George W. Bush bad old days, the conservative/far right began developing, training, promoting and supporting candidates who shared their philosophy. They ran these candidates in every race from the dog house to the white house.   They got elected to the school board and city commissions. They got appointed to committees/boards by governors. They became media “go to” voices speaking, so they would say, for the common man and often, as the result of this exposure were perceived as authorities on issues redefining policy and the balance of power.

     What value you might ask is there in promoting an openly LGBT or Ally candidate in an election for a non-influential position? The answer is simple, name recognition and votes for the future that would position fair-minded LGBTQA people to set a new political agenda across the board.

     Like it or not we have seen a host of candidates elected simply because the voter recognized their name from being on the ballot in past elections as well as receiving publicity both paid and free (quotes in newspapers, interviews, etc.).

     One classic example I remember occurred in Detroit when Rev. Nicholas Hood Jr. ran for a seat on the Detroit City Council where his father, Rev. Nicholas Hood Sr., had served for many years. After the election I encountered many people who were surprised to see the younger Hood at Council. They had not taken the time to investigate the candidate. They saw the name Hood and it was good enough for them.  Fortunately in this instance it was a good choice. But we can’t rely upon luck if we want to move our agenda for full equality forward.

     This is not just a Michigan phenomenon. Who didn’t chuckle when they heard professional wrestler Jessie “the Body” Ventura was running for governor of Minnesota or Arnold “I’ll be back” Schwarzenegger for governor of California? Well who is laughing now?? Did they turn out to be good elected officials or bad? We may all have our opinions but ultimately only history will tell.

     This year we have openly gay candidates running in several races most notably Jim Rasor in Royal Oak, Greg Pawlica in Ferndale, Terry Kuseske in Kalamazoo and Charles Pugh in Detroit.

     Now don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating voting for someone just because they are gay.

     I don't think you should vote for anyone just because they are gay, male, female, white, black, etc. They must earn our confidence. They must be agood candidate who is qualified to do the job.

     What I am advocating is, as a community, we should encourage qualified LGBTQA individuals to run for office and then help them win elections. We can't change the system if we are not part of the system.

     Too many good people don't run for a number of reasons (1) it puts all of your business out there for public comment; (2) it takes a huge amount of resources; (3) needs community support; and (4) can wreak havoc on your personal life and finances. If you are openly gay multiply these challenges by tenfold. But the benefits to our community are huge just look at Ferndale’s explosion due in part to the leadership by Craig Covey first on city council and now as Mayor. Ferndale is not a “Gay” city. It is a vibrant, alive, cool city, an example for the renaissance of cities across the state.

     The national organizations like HRC and NGLTF fund the big dogs. The Victory Fund has offered support to up and coming gay politicians including Charles Pugh. But the reality is our candidates need our support.

     So, in the days to come, let’s all reach out to our candidates across the state and show our support. You can go door knocking, make phone calls, attend a rally, plant a lawn sign or put a bumper sticker on your car. Learn where these candidates’ stands on issues affecting your community as a whole, then talk to your neighbors about the candidate on the issues.  Let’s keep it on the issues and off that “gay thing.” 

We didn’t need economist to tell us that the country had landed in a recession that had begun in December 2007. In Michigan we’ve known it all along. To paraphrase Malcom X, we didn’t land in the recession, my brothers and sisters - the recession landed on us.

Job losses, layoffs and foreclosures have been equal opportunity assailants on families both gay and straight. Non-profit organizations have seen significant drops in contributions as the needs of the community grow.

It has been especially hard on LGBT organizations that have been traditionally underfunded. Ruth Ellis Center, Affirmations, Karibu House and others have always been experts at stretching the dollar but now have to be magicians to make ends meet. But with record unemployment the traditional year-end contribution bounce is more important than ever. To keep doors open and programs in place.

Year-end letters are outnumbering Holiday Cards some days in my mailbox with requests coming from not just LGBT organizations, but social justice agencies, various diseases advocates, the humane society and even the Carter Center.

In many instances corporate support is also dwindling as businesses downsize hoping to ride out the recession. Support from the auto industry has been reported to probably decrease as part of streamlining concessions made to appease legislatures deliberating their bailout loans.

But there’s no bailout in store for us, so we all will have to dig a little deeper, tighten our belts a little tighter to help our own family and community.  It’s scary economic times but there’s more at risk.

For years, the LGBT community has seen more progress towards equality in the business world than in the legislature.  While states have denied our families equal protection, recognition of our marriages, protection in the workplace and from hate crimes and used anti-marriage amendments to strip domestic benefits, corporations have lead the way in instituting nondiscriminatory policies, diversity programs, and partner benefits.

HRC’s Corporate Equality Index shows an unprecedented 260 major U.S. businesses earned the top rating of 100 percent, up from 195 last year which should bode well for the LGBT community. Following the lead of these major businesses many in the fortune 500, many smaller companies have incorporated more fair minded policies in the work place. These policies have allowed more and more LGBT Americans to be out in the work place, an action in and of itself promotes equality. It is a proven fact being out is one of our greatest tools to end discrimination and promote equality. Policies promoting equality developed in the boardroom, transform communities for the workforce out.Unfortunately in the month of December 2008 there have been 85, 753 layoffs (and the month’s only half over) at America’s 500 largest public companies.  Companies like, AT&T, DuPont, JP Morgan Chase, Viacom, PepsiCo, Bank of America, Whirlpool, Anheuser Busch, 3M, Dow Chemical, GM, Ford, Cummins, and Wyndham Worldwide, all scoring 100 % on HRC’s equality index, are among the employers with layoffs in December.Maybe I’m just being paranoid but I think we need to be afraid, very afraid by this recession. Hard times bring out the best and the worst in people.  When fighting over crumbs it is easy to turn one person against another, one race against another and turn back the hands of time, and breeds intolerance.Today many “foreign” cars, made right here in America, employing Americans, have become targets of intolerance. The current crisis in the auto industry has led to acts of vandalism on “foreign cars.” Tires have been slashed and insults, reminiscent of those smeared on foreign autos some thirty years ago, are again being scrawled on windshields and keyed in paint. Incidents of foreign/immigrant workers, especially if they are brown, being harassed by co-workers and immigration officials has not gone away but only been replaced by economic headlines in the paper. But any Monday, in southwest Detroit, you will find along Vernor protests by Latino/a workers and activists against injustices suffered by this community.Homeless families can be found in every community. Those who can move do, but what of those who can’t?  These are the people coming to our centers, calling on our community for help.  -The youth at Ruth Ellis, the support groups at Affirmations, the callers to Karibu Houses Hotline. And the numbers are growing every day.  Triangle Foundation has been responding to increased reports of hate crimes, reporting a 133% increase in anti-LGBT crime in 2007In November we voted for change but business went on as usual. Now the financial “house” is crumbling before our eyes and everything is on the line.There’s no bailout coming for us, so we must be the change we want by truly embracing community, looking out for those most vulnerable in the LGBT community but reaching out to others in need as well. It is more important than ever to be out, to put a human face to the LGBT community to remind others that we are struggling just like them and are asking for not special rights but the same rights as every other American in good times and bad. And in these hard times we must come together as Americans, gay and straight to find new solutions, new ways to redefine, rebuild and respirit our communities from the ground up. Together we can.

  

The only way we will end racism is to understand how this evil has lived on and impacted lives long after the Emancipation Proclamation. I strongly recommend these two books "The Shadow of Slavery - Peonage in the South 1901-1969" by Pete Daniel and "Slavery by Another Name:The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II" by Douglas A. Blackmon.

In a recent radio interview of Douglas Blackmon - a caller related the story of his immigrant/white grandfather who was enslaved under these practices. So you see it is not just a black thing. Racism is an equal opportunity manifestation of hatred. If we don't acknowledge, understand and learn from its history, things will never really change.

Just returned from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators in New York. WOW!!!!
People are doing some amazing work out there. In preparation for National Reading Month in March I am contacting schools to do readings. It has been mostly rewarding as the librarians and teachers have been enthusiastic. We must encourage children's literacy especially for our most at risk populations. I know for me reading provided a gate way to different worlds and possibilities. Books still are a wonder and joy to me - my very best friends. So In March read a book yourself; Read to a child; Share a favorite book or Give a book as a gift.