Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Call to the Community

From Impact Cincinnati:

PEACEFUL PROTEST - STANDING FOR JUSTICE

There is clear evidence presented before the Council and the people of Cincinnati that inequities exist in the awarding of city contracts. As members of a minority community, we share the concerns of the NAACP about this major issue. The healthy development of any urban area depends upon a wide variety of viewpoints and expertise in its active creation. Any potential discrimination to silence those views must be considered seriously and thoroughly by officials elected to represent the spectrum of our greater community.

With this in mind, IMPACT Cincinnati applauds and endorses Council members Laketa Cole and Cecil Thomas for their seriousness in grappling with this contentious debate and proposing the creation of a Minority Business Task Force. We encourage dialogue that approaches the problem from all views, whether they are around race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. Further, IMPACT Cincinnati views the appointment of Rea N. Waldon, Ph.D. of the Urban League to lead the OPEN Cincinnati MBE/SBE Taskforce as a positive step in the creation of truly comprehensive protection for all potential minority contractors in the Greater Cincinnati area.

We will maintain a close watch on the study and results of this committee and will actively promote the enforcement of its guidelines to create a fairer and more transparent Cincinnati. In the words of our own city creed, we are strengthened in our unity. In a gesture of acknowledgement to that fact, we further recognize the major stumbling block that racism is in the LGBTQ community. No minority group can expect equality for itself while perpetuating the oppression of another. In the words of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. Whether we are black or white, gay or straight or any mixture of the thousands of spectrums that make us all unique humans, we must support one another in our quest to be fully accepted as ourselves. We therefore are encouraging all members of the LGBTQ community in Cincinnati to join the NAACP on April 8th at 12:30 pm at the Cincinnati City Council meeting to promote awareness of the injustice perpetuated upon another minority group and so that the entire range of discrimination can be fully recognized.

In so doing we ask the local NAACP, as leaders of the African American community, to take a meaningful look at the issue of homophobia and the detrimental effects it has on members of their own community who identify as LGBTQ and respectfully challenge both the African American and LGBTQ communities in Cincinnati to find a way to engage in a meaningful dialogue around the issues that hinder our own mutual acceptance. It is not merely enough for us to acknowledge racism in our own backyard. For true acceptance, both sides must grasp the problems that stand between them and work with good faith to overcome them. Therefore, we are proposing a series of forums to discuss the intersection of racism and homophobia. Only through honest and forthright discussion can we come to a point of acknowledging what we can do to move beyond wounds that have festered for too long.

IMPACT Cincinnati, as a collection of individual grassroots activists from wide-ranging backgrounds, has been founded on the idea, and continues to believe, that the arc of history bends towards justice ... but occasionally needs a little nudge. Therefore, we hope and expect that our fellow members of the social justice movement will join us in this comprehensive endeavor to create a greater Cincinnati.

8 comments:

Wolfie said...

OH HELL NO!

Does ANYONE actually read my BLOG?

http://www.back2stonewall.com/?p=1251

God I am losing so much respect for the whole of Cincinnati's Organized LGBT Community.

Anonymous said...

Oh mercy.

"We will maintain a close watch on the study and results of this committee and will actively promote the enforcement of its guidelines..." Think maybe you ought to wait and see what the results are before you agree to promote them???

"... we further recognize the major stumbling block that racism is in the LGBTQ community." Huh? Show me the systemic racism. Show me! Gays as a whole are very progressive on race (are exceptions, always will be) -- more so than society at large, and so much more than blacks are progressive on GLBT issues it hardly bears mentioning.

How is there racism in the gay community? Just because blacks are underrepresented on organizational boards does NOT, ipso facto, mean that racism is to blame -- effects of historical societal racism, perhaps, but not racism on the part of the gay organizations.

There just is no SYSTEMIC rasism in the gay community, and this desire by some of self-appointed opinion leaders to just lick up Smitherman's spew and bathe in self-condemnation -- fuck that. I have even heard it said by the author of this blog that gays are somehow complicit in the passage of Prop 8 because we "failed to engage in outreach" to the black community. Kinda like the abused wife agreeing that she brought on the beating herself by not being a better communicator.

Smitherman appoints an outspoken homophobe to his board, makes threats and snarling remaks at us when we raise concerns, and then says we have to jump up and participate in his egotistical temper tantrum -- and we do it? FUCK THAT.

The issue of passive black support for GLBT issues is nowhere to be found. It appears that the price for Smitherman to simply STOP engaging in actions HOSTILE to GLBT (such as putting active homophobes on his board) is for us to go beyond passive support, and actively behave as his pawns in his egomaniacal war with Mayor Mallory. And Impact is attaching his strings. Lordy.

Smitherman is going to go down hard at some point, and I suggest we all just stand the hell back.

Wolfie said...

Well I really have just one more thing to say then I'll stop. because i've put it all out there and done so much research and posted honestly on my blog whats really going on which no one cares to read or is just too afraid to believe it and not involve themselves with Smitherman.

"With this in mind, IMPACT Cincinnati applauds and endorses Council members Laketa Cole and Cecil Thomas for their seriousness in grappling with this contentious debate and proposing the creation of a Minority Business Task Force. We encourage dialogue that approaches the problem from all views, whether they are around race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. Further, IMPACT Cincinnati views the appointment of Rea N. Waldon, Ph.D. of the Urban League to lead the OPEN Cincinnati MBE/SBE Taskforce as a positive step in the creation of truly comprehensive protection for all potential minority contractors in the Greater Cincinnati area."

If its being worked on why the protest? Also Smitherman has called this protest in anger not in peace.

But whatever. After the response form the "organized" LGBT Community over all this the past few weeks all i can say is no wonder Cincinnati and Ohio's LGBT Community is in such a mess. And if they conbtinue this path follow it they deserve it.

I just can not even express my disgust at Impact Conconnati right now.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure I'd characterize IMPACT Cincinnati as being organized; it's kind of a stick in the eye to LGBT organizations and I wonder if this was started out of an identified need that other existing organizations weren't addressing or if because Cameron Tolle works better on the periphery? I don't see him staying in Cincinnati after graduating so he must be working on his cred for getting work elsewhere/nationally.

Wolfie said...

Barry:

What happened to the other Post that you had up with the recap and the exerpts from my statement?

Wolfie said...

Oh fucking lovely

http://blackcincinnati.blogspot.com/2009/04/gblt-group-caves-to-smithermans.html

Bunch of bitches. thats what we are alright

Keepsake said...

I follow local politics and Wolfie is right on this -- you all are being used.

The city is addressing this issue already, and Chris Smitherman's statistics are inaccurate.

Wolfie said...

CALL TO BOYCOTT The April 8th Protest @ Cincinnati City Hall - The PROTEST Itself Not The CAUSE.

From Back2Stonewall.com

Yesterday Afternoon Impact Cincinnati in an unwise and ill-informed move called on the GLBT Community of Cincinnati to join NCAAP Resident Christopher Smitherman at a protest tomorrow at Cincinnati City Hall.

The protest called by Smiterman out of anger and rage is supposedly to protest the City of Cincinnati’s flawed SBE which the city itself is well aware and in the process of fixing. Mr. Smitherman is well aware of this fact but still calls a protest to do nothing more to show his power.

Over the past two weeks Smitherman has both insulted and threatened the GLBT Community of Cincinnati. First with the appointment of Christopher Finney to the Board of the NAACP and then afterwards with warnings and threats that if we did not support his choice or his action that there would be a price to pay.

Yesterday I posted a piece about what I believe are Smitherman’s REAL REASONS behind this protest.

I ask that you all read it.

I ask you to decide for yourself.

PREVIOUS POST:
http://www.back2stonewall.com/?p=1251

I for one DO SUPPORT the idea of Small and Minority Business being able to be awarded City Contracts. But I will not physically show up and stand with this man who has insulted and threatened my community. And who I believe has called this protest for no other reason than to flaunt his “power”.

Do not enable Christopher Smitherman and show up for this protest! Show your support for Minority and Small Businesses instead by calling or writing City Hall and the Mayors office and telling them of your support instead. But DO NOT feed Smithermans power trip or bend to his will. He has insulted and belittled us. To support HIM at this moment would be not only hypocritical but also paint our community as weak and apathetic.

I personally am shocked, offended, and appalled by Impact Cincinnati’s call to support Smitherman and his protest after all that has happened. To show up at City Hall tomorrow after all that Smitherman has done and said will show support for him as a Leader. Not for the cause. And this has been a MAJOR mistake on the part of Impact Cincinnati who did not even send out a release after Christopher Finney’s appointment in the first place.

BOYCOTT THE PROTEST!

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR SMALL AND MINORITY BUSINESSES BY EMAILING OR CALLING CITY HALL INSTEAD.

DO NOT PHYSICALLY SHOW UP AND ENABLE SMITHERMAN WITH MORE POWER!

Wolfie
www.back2stonewall.com