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MOW ‘Master Strategist’ Bayard Rustin is Finally Recognized

My latest for EBONY is on the front page: "March on Washington ‘Master Strategist’ Bayard Rustin Finally Recognized".

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama posthumously named Bayard Rustin as one of the newest recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Rustin organized the logistics—from buses and lunches to child care and celebrity speakers—and was the top lieutenant to King and labor leader A. Phillip Randolph. Rustin is generally credited with mentoring King and helping to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He was a "master strategist of social change" wrote historian John D'Emilio in the 2003 biography Lost Prophet.

"Rustin was a logistical genius," Earl D. Fowlkes, Jr. told EBONY. Fowlkes is President/CEO of the Center for Black Equity and the newly-elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee's LGBT Caucus. "He was an advocate for earth-moving change through peaceful action and conscience-raising."

Rustin was also openly gay.

"I never read about Rustin in high school and did not hear his name until years later when I was coming out as a young Black lesbian," adds Mandy Carter, the veteran social justice activist who co-founded the NBJC. Carter lead the organization's 2013 Bayard Rustin Commemoration Project.

The interviews include Earl Fowlkes, President/CEO of the Center for Black Equity and the newly-elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee's LGBT Caucus;  National Black Justice Coalition Executive Director Sharon Lettman-Hicks;  veteran social justice activist and NBJC co-founder Mandy Carter;  Reverend MacArthur Flournoy, director of Faith Partnership and Mobilization for the Human Rights Campaign; author and activist Darnell Moore and others.

Read the article HERE. There is much more at EBONY's thorough March on Washington coverage—including a gallery of brilliant archival images.

VIDEO: LGBT Celebration at Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial

Black LGBT activists and leaders from across the country were in Washington DC for an historic reception and dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. National Black Justice Coalition Executive Director Sharon Lettman-Hicks said Black LGBTs must press for equality. "We must be proud enough to claim that we are a part of the civil rights movement. And dare anyone to challenge us on that."

"Gay activists who participated on the historic March on Washington were also recognized at the event. The evening concluded with a push to honor Dr. King’s trusted openly gay advisor Bayard Rustin with a postage stamp," notes NoMoreDownLow.

"Everyone remembers Dr. Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech from 1963. So few people know that [openly gay] Bayard Rustin was responsible for organizing the march," adds North Carolina-based activist Mandy Carter.

There has been a renewed focus on MLK's strategist as the nation prepared to dedicate the King Memorial. The Washington Post recently published an excellent profile of Rustin that stressed that most civil rights leaders and historians have ignored Rustin's legacy because of his sexuality.

Watch NoMoreDownLowTV's report AFTER THE JUMP ...

WATCH: Wale Performs at DC Black Pride, Apologizes for Cancellation

Washington D.C.-based rapper Wale caused some controversy almost two weeks ago after canceling his performance at D.C. Black Pride. At that time, the singer's agent told organizers the rapper would not be "comfortable" at a gay event. On Sunday, Wale made a guest appearance at D.C.'s Black Pride to dispel any notion that he is homophobic. The performance was free, reports MetroWeekly.

The 25-year-old rapper, best known for his track  ''Chillin''' featuring Lady Gaga, told Metro Weekly's Ebone Bell: "For anybody to think that my music is prejudice against any orientation...or lifestyle [is] absurd to me and I just had to clear it up."

The decision was announced on Friday. According to Earl Fowlkes, the D.C. Black Pride board member and spokesperson, Wale's team reached out and said the rapper wanted to make amends with the black LGBT community, reports MetroWeekly. "According to Fowlkes, Wale's contract with Black Pride originally would have netted the artist $18,000 for a 45-minute set. Wale will now appear for free as a guest artist, alongside J. Holiday, who stepped in as headliner after Wale backed out."

Very impressive, imo.

Watch Wale's announcement and interview, as well as his performance of "Chillin'" AFTER THE JUMP ...

Wale Cancels at DC Black Pride; Didn't Know It was a "Gay" Event

UPDATE: Wale responds to R20 via Twitter.

Washington D.C.-born rapper Wale has reneged on an agreement to perform at D.C. Black Pride after allegedly feeling uncomfortable with the gay event, reports Washington Blade and MetroWeekly. Wale was scheduled to headline the May 30 event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

"Earl Fowlkes, a board member and spokesperson for Black Pride, said organizers were startled this week when they received two e-mails from Wale’s agent, one saying the rapper had to cancel due to 'family obligations,' and the second saying he didn’t know Black Pride was a gay-related event when he agreed to appear. 'We were clear about what kind of event this is,' Fowlkes told the Blade. 'After doing this for 20 years, we certainly don’t want to put ourselves and the artist in an uncomfortable situation by not telling them what we are. We’re Black Gay Pride... We made that very clear.' Fowlkes said Black Pride officials believe homophobia was the underlying reason that Wale canceled his appearance. He said Wale’s agent has refunded an advance fee that Black Pride made to book the rapper, but noted the group is considering taking legal action for what Fowlkes described as a breach of contract."

Didn't know "Black Gay Pride" was a gay event? That's original for someone who grew up in D.C. ...

Born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin in the District to parents who emigrated from Nigeria, Wale rose to fame in 2006 with his track  "Dig Dug (Shake It)." The singer is best known for his song ''Chillin''' featuring Lady Gaga from 2009's Attention Deficit. 

Organizers were able to book D.C.-born singer J. Holiday as a replacement for Wale. Holiday is one of the relatively few black male R&B singers that are willing to performed at gay events.

The first emails promoting Wale's appearance were sent to Rod 2.0 on Wednesday evening. News of the cancellation came later that day. Sources tell Rod 2.0 that Wale "got cold feet" after the email blast. But the rapper's camp tells MetroWeekly that he was "mislead."

"According to an e-mail from Jesse Kirshbaum, a talent agent representing Wale, the rapper has canceled 'shows in various markets in May alone due to his extensive spring touring of over 50 shows in March and April,' in an effort to record new music and spend time with his family. Kirshbaum goes on to say Wale...took the date because it was a local Washington event, but that he was ''mislead.'  'All of the facts of the event were not disclosed with the offer and therefore, he feels mislead and regretfully declines.'"

Singer and actress Mya—who is very popular in the black gay community—was scheduled to perform June 13 at Capital Pride festival. She has also canceled due to complications following foot surgery.

While the Wale cancellation is the first in recent memory associated with an official Black Pride event, several club promoters associated with the weekend have a history of promoting talent that was not booked. Several years ago a D.C. club promoted a Patti Labelle appearance that was never booked. And in 2008, Darryl Stephens and Jensen Atwood were the much-hyped headliners at an event that never contacted them.

Earl Fowlkes Appointed to DNC, Only Black Gay on Committee

The Democratic National Committee voted last week to welcome six new LGBT members appointed by DNC Chair and Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine. One of the new LGBT members includes black pride activist and political consultant Earl Fowlkes, "believed to be the only African American openly LGBT person" on the 447 member body.

The Washington DC-based Fowlkes is a member of the board of the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute, an arm of the Victory Fund, and president of the International Federation of Black Prides.

The DNC also welcomed Barbra Casbar Siperstein, a transgender woman to its ranks, "the first time that a major U.S. political party has appointed an openly transgender person to its national governing body," reports the Washington Blade. The other LGBT appointees include: Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund co-founder Terry Bean; Evan Low, a member of the Campbell (CA) City Council; Sheriff Lupe Valdez of Dallas; and Randi Weingarten of New York City, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

Hopefully the six new LGBT members of the DNC will lobby Congress and pressure the White House to move on our issues, such as ENDA and a "Don't Ask Don't Tell" repeal. Hopefully.

White House Reception Recognizes LGBT Pride and Stonewall 40th

Forty years after the Stonewall riots sparked the gay rights movement, President Barack Obama hosts an historic reception for LGBT activists and their families to honor LGBT Pride and the 40th Stonewall anniversary. The speech, carried live on CNN and other networks, marks the first time a sitting president has given a live televised speech on LGBT issues.

The President, who has been criticized by many LGBT rights advocates for inaction on his many campaign promises, says his Administration has made some progress on behalf of gay Americans and will do more. Full remarks AFTER THE JUMP:

"I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that," Mr. Obama said at a reception for LGBT Pride Month at the White House. "It's not for me to tell you to be patient anymore than it was for others to counsel patience to African-Americans who were petitioning for equal rights a half-century ago."

"But I say this: We have made progress," the president continued. "And we will make more. And I want you to know that I expect and hope to be judged not by words, not by promises I've made, but by the promises that my administration keeps."

Obama spoke about the "movement" created some 40 years ago: "The riots at Stonewall gave way to protests, and protests gave way to a movement, and the movement gave way to a transformation that continues to this day. It continues when a partner fights for her right to sit at the hospital bedside of a woman she loves; it continues when a teenager is called a name for being different and says, 'So what if I am?'; it continues in your work and in your activism, in your fight to freely live your lives to the fullest."

The list of attendees was forwarded by the White House Press Office to Rod 2.0. (Full list AFTER THE JUMP.) Invited guests included openly gay Administration officials such as Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry and Asst. Labor Secretary Mary Beth Maxwell. Leading LGBT advocates such as Human Rights Campaign's Joe Solmonese, and Jarrett Barrios, the new president of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

There were a number of prominent black and Latino LGBTs that should be familiar to Rod 2.0 readers: Phil Wilson, Black AIDS Institute; HRC's Donna Payne; Andre Leon Talley; Connecticut State Rep. Jason Bartlett; Denise Simmons, Mayor of Cambridge, MA;  Cornelius Baker, National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition; San Diego City Commissioner Stampp Corbin; actor Wilson Cruz; Bishop Yvette Flunder, City of Refuge United Church of Christ;  Earl Fowlkes, International Federation of Black Prides; Lupe Valdez, Dallas County Sheriff; and black Chicago lesbian leaders Mary Morten and Vernita Gray, interviewed in my Advocate cover story on Obama and Hillary Clinton.

An historic occasion and we should be mindful of the progress being made and how much further we have to go. It was also a pleasure to hear Obama allude to the black Civil Rights Movement. The occasion would have been more meaningful if there were more substantive policy initiatives to announce. The guest list was pleasantly diverse ... but very Stonewall 1.5. Online LGBT activists are leading the fight for equality and none were represented. Very out of character with the Facebook, YouTube and BlackBerry-driven White House.

WHEN YOU JUMP, Obama's full remarks and the guest list.