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All Hands, Black and White, On Deck

The high number of African-Americans who voted to pass Proposition 8 may have surprised some people, but not the folks at the National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering black LGBT Americans. NBJC's CEO offers some insights about the black-white divide and how to mend it going forward.
An Advocate.com exclusive posted November 19, 2008
All Hands, Black and White, On Deck

The National Black Justice Coalition -- along with the rest of our country -- is witnessing a historic event as President-elect Barack Obama prepares to become the 44th president of the United States and the first African-American commander in chief. But even as we share in the unprecedented hopefulness for our nation’s future and the future of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, we have seen the record turnout of African-Americans who voted 95% for Barack Obama sometimes used as an explanation for the passing of anti-LGBT propositions in four states.

The California marriage amendment, in particular, has attracted the attention of politicians, commentators, and strategists alike, and some have concluded that blacks voted to pass Proposition 8 because, even though we are generally more progressive on issues like universal health care access, economic (and tax) equality, and most social justice issues, we do trend more conservative on issues of equality for LGBT people. While this conclusion is open for debate, we fully reject the racially biased musings that African-Americans were the deciding vote or that the presence of a black man at the top of the ticket led to this disappointing defeat.

Moreover, we believe that it is far too simplistic to label all who voted against marriage for same-sex couples as homophobic. We would do well to remember that African-American opinions and attitudes about marriage are shaped by religious beliefs and a tortured history, which includes the sanctity of our families not being honored in the context of slavery. For many black Americans, the Obamas' intact and loving family is as significant as his presidency. Today, fully 70% of black children are born to unmarried people, while only about 42% of Latino children and 27% of white children are now born outside wedlock. It is into this reality that opponents of marriage equality have found fertile ground to plant their seeds of fear of religious intolerance and the further undermining of the black family.

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Robinson is chief executive officer of the National Black Justice Coalition
Keywords:  California marriage  Prop 8 
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Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: Jadan
    Date posted: 2008-12-03 1:24 PM
    Hometown: San Diego California

    Comment:

    The thing the most concerns me, is the kind of rhetoric the gay community has been spewing over the past month. I think many fail to realize that all of this will come back and bite us in the butt. If you think those on right aren't going to use this as apart of their national campaign strategy against gay marriage you are fooling yourself. I'd imagine that we are going to be seeing this "Gay is the new black" and the other racial incidents that have occured during the protest used in campaigns against gay marriage. That's reality. We have to remember that you can't win people over by being divisive.


  • Name: Jadan
    Date posted: 2008-12-03 12:57 PM
    Hometown: San Diego California

    Comment:

    Eddie wrote:" The last gay person to be killed in California in a hate crime was shot at his school by a black person. I think in that incident, the LBGT community looked past the race of the murderer since we are not racist people." I don't understand this statement at all. Are we to discount all those victims whose attackers were non-black? So we should only magnify cases that involve black perpetrators? You speak as if black skin is at fault. Eddie wrote: "The results of Prop 8 should not make us hate black people, but we must understand that they do hate us." Are these two communitues mutually exclusive? I guess there are no black gay people in your world? You're belief that the LGBT community is non-racist is apart of the problem.


  • Name: Uriah
    Date posted: 2008-12-01 3:51 PM
    Hometown: Hermosa Beach

    Comment:

    To Anthony, In reference to your comment: President-elect Barack Obama is bi-racial. Why does Obama, and mainstream media insist on the perception of him being black? I'm so sick of this tired, intellectually lazy position I've heard many people take since the election. You only need to refer to history and The One Drop Rule. It was a tactic in the U.S. South that codified and strengthened segregation and the disfranchisement of most blacks and many poor whites from 1890-1910. Legislatures sought to prevent interracial relationships to keep the white race "pure", long after slaveholders and overseers took advantage of enslaved women and produced the many mixed-race children. The One Drop Rule was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1967. Despite that ruling The One Drop Rule is still the way people Black people are classified in this country. So I guess what I'm saying is don't hate the player...Hate the game.


  • Name: Xavier Chapa
    Date posted: 2008-11-25 12:03 PM
    Hometown: Amsterdam, NL

    Comment:

    Justin, marriage equality effects all of us...single partnered, black, white and so on. Until laws define us as equal to everyone else, in this case marriage, we will remain second class citizens. Personally I don't want that, and I doubt you want that too. Do you think we'd have a black President today if we continued to enforce Jim Crow and miscegenation laws? No. The courts ruled against them despite public opinion. Why is it different for us?


  • Name: JUstin
    Date posted: 2008-11-24 2:48 PM
    Hometown: Brooklyn NY

    Comment:

    Michael, I never said that gays were responsible for those things. However, as long as white gay men think they can compare their struggle by reduce it to one single issue, then they will get nowhere. And they also benefit from white privledge. Or more commonly know as the "Closet."


  • Name: Justin
    Date posted: 2008-11-24 2:35 PM
    Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

    Comment:

    Xavier, if that is true, then why is it that most lgbt people of color don't think marriage is a top priority for them? And how does that effect those of use who are still single?


  • Name: Xavier
    Date posted: 2008-11-24 4:37 AM
    Hometown: Amsterdam, NL

    Comment:

    I am sure all of us could rationale where the problem lies, but placing blame (from both sides) will lead no where. We shouldn't expect advertising to change minds. It only reinforces the support we already have. It's very clear that a majority of those who support marriage equality understand the imporance of it because they know someone who is gay. That's why it is OUR obligation to speak up to our family, friends, and community and not rely solely on celebrities to do the talking.


  • Name: Michael
    Date posted: 2008-11-24 3:59 AM
    Hometown: Sacramento

    Comment:

    Black homophobia is not rhetoric it is reality. And it is NOT a two way street. The degree of homophobia among blacks far exceeds any amounts of racism in the gay community. Show me the gay Supreme Court justice who voted to keep blacks criminals. Show me the gay general who defied his commander in chief to perpetuate barring blacks from the military. Show me the gay president-elect who thinks that blacks shouldn't be allowed to get married. Blacks in America have forgotten what it means to be legally denied civil rights. When you can tell me what laws in this country specifically and explicitly take rights away from blacks and how gays have helped get those laws enacted, then we can have some understanding.


  • Name: Xavier Chapa
    Date posted: 2008-11-23 6:44 AM
    Hometown: Amsterdam, NL

    Comment:

    Justin, as a person of color myself, I have worked diligently with my ethnic community to back gay marriage. What has Mr. Robinson done, other than complain about why the No on Prop 8 campaign didn't offer more resources to Blacks? The debate needs to move away from people of color vs gays. If anything marriage equality is more beneficial for gays who can't afford legal protections that marriage offers. This means a lot of people of color would benefit.


  • Name: Justin
    Date posted: 2008-11-22 2:03 PM
    Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

    Comment:

    To michael & Xavier. Spare me the rhetoric about black homophobia. You act as if the lgbt community is above self critcism. The community has it's own issues with homophobia as well as transphobia and biphobia. And also, racism, sexism and classism. When was the last time the community adressed or acknowledge poverty, the criminal justice system or issues that are concern to people of color? When that happends, then we can come to an understanding.


  • Name: Dan Poirier
    Date posted: 2008-11-21 10:44 AM
    Hometown: Altadena

    Comment:

    LeoOnTheEdge Per the accounts that I have seen Obama won the white vote by a slightly greater percentage than Bill Clinton. Obama 44, and Bill Clinton 43. Homophobia and racism are issues which we need to address in our own ranks. Education and outreach also need to continue in a spirit of generosity in order for these prejudices to lose their power.


  • Name: Xavier
    Date posted: 2008-11-21 5:28 AM
    Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

    Comment:

    "For one, we know that too few resources were dedicated to influencing African-Americans' perceptions (and votes) on LGBT issues during this election." This article is trying to excuse Blacks for supporting Prop 8 because we weren't spending enough money on them...BS! How much money did the Black communicty spend on the White South during the Civil Rights movement? For all those Blacks who voted on Prop 8, a famous leader once said "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -MLK. Let's not forget that gay people are also Black people.


  • Name: Xavier Chapa
    Date posted: 2008-11-21 5:24 AM
    Hometown: Amsterdam, NL

    Comment:

    "For one, we know that too few resources were dedicated to influencing African-Americans' perceptions (and votes) on LGBT issues during this election." This article is trying to excuse Blacks for supporting Prop 8 because we weren't spending enough money on them...BS! How much money did the Black communicty spend on the White South during the Civil Rights movement? For all those Blacks who voted on Prop 8, a famous leader once said "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -MLK. Let's not forget that gay people are also Black people.


  • Name: Jeffrey
    Date posted: 2008-11-20 11:15 PM
    Hometown: Mount Vernon

    Comment:

    Being an African-American Gay Man must be the worst minority to be. It seems like the African-American community has no love or support for their gay/lesbian brethren.


  • Name: LeoOnTheEdge
    Date posted: 2008-11-20 4:22 PM
    Hometown: Edgewater, NJ

    Comment:

    Barack Obama received only 43 percent of the white vote nationally. That means that well over 50 percent supported McCain, many I believe because of their racist sentiments. I even know two gay people who confided to me that they couldn't vote for Obama because of the color of his skin. They are no better than the homophobic blacks who voted for Prop 8. My two aquaintances are blatant racists and I'm the first to admit it. Fortunately racism didn't win out on November 4. Regretably, homophobia did, thanks in part to many of our black brothers and sisters who should have known better. Shame on them and shame on those who just couldn't bring themselves to vote for an African-American despite his superior qualifications.


  • Name: Eddie
    Date posted: 2008-11-20 3:02 PM
    Hometown: Los Angeles

    Comment:

    While I condem any animosity based on race, this is surely a wake up call. The last gay person to be killed in California in a hate crime was shot at his school by a black person. I think in that incident, the LBGT community looked past the race of the murderer since we are not racist people. The results of Prop 8 should not make us hate black people, but we must understand that they do hate us. Taking the rights away from gay people will not reduce the out of wedlock birth rate in the African American community. Heterosexuals need to take responsibility for their own marriages, no matter what race they are. Homophobia hasn't helped the African American community. There are very few HIV resources in the African American communities because of the homophobia and violence there. The net result has been that most new infections are in the African American community. Somehow, we have to help them to understand that hurting us is hurting them too.


  • Name: Joseph
    Date posted: 2008-11-20 2:56 PM
    Hometown: Montgomery, AL

    Comment:

    Blacksteel, before you start approving certain messages, bear in mind that the truth of the matter is that there ARE many RELIGIOUS CONSERVATIVE African-Americans in this country who do genuinely loathe gays and lesbians. There were comments from leading African-American ministers who said they NEEDED to vote for Obama IN SPITE OF his "liberal" views (race, in their eyes, was the ONLY important factor). Also, I'd like to know why it's okay when African-American ministers preach that gays are NOT entitled to "civil protections" because those ministers believe that being gay is a "choice", something that can be changed. (Of course, these idiots conveniently forget that religion is a choice and can be changed as well. Again, race is the only important factor in civil rights.)


  • Name: Ben
    Date posted: 2008-11-20 2:31 PM
    Hometown: Los Angeles

    Comment:

    It is good to see an organization that acknowledges the anger directed at the Black community for its overwhelming support for Proposition 8, whatever the reason, and to see that it recognizes the need to educate that community. I agree that the LGBT community needs to play a bigger part in helpoting to educate the Black community, but it is important that the education also start from within. Maybe with time views can change if such an effort moves forward and succeeds.


  • Name: blacksteel
    Date posted: 2008-11-20 10:14 AM
    Hometown: LA

    Comment:

    From the article: "As we go forward, we need to be mindful that our foes will continue to attempt to use President-elect Obama, the black church, and campaigns of deception and fear to foster their own agenda in manipulative and devious ways." Yes, and we also need to be mindful that some of those manipulative and devious foes post comments on gay websites to distract us from recognizing our real enemy, the political and religious right.


  • Name: Anthony J. Canta
    Date posted: 2008-11-20 8:45 AM
    Hometown: Seattle

    Comment:

    Correction: President-elect Barack Obama is bi-racial. Why does Obama, and mainstream media insist on the perception of him being black? How can we get past racism if we don't acknowledge all of what makes a person whole? It seems as if Obama is ashamed of his whiteness, and the media promotes the idea. I voted for Barack Obama as he was clearly the single most intelligent choice, but I think that it would be wise for him, and the media, to promote a sense of inclusion by referring to him as bi-racial. There are a lot of bi-racial people out here that might agree with me. Did Obama ever return to Hawaii to attend his grandmother's funeral services?


  • Name: Michael
    Date posted: 2008-11-20 7:33 AM
    Hometown: Sacramento

    Comment:

    "Moreover, we believe that it is far too simplistic to label all who voted against marriage for same-sex couples as homophobic." This is the most ridiculous statement I've read on this subject. People who are against equal rights for blacks are racist. People who are against equal rights for women are sexist. People who are against equal rights for gays are homophobic. Colin Powell is a homophobe. Pubic-hair Thomas is a homophobe. Barak Obama is a homophobe. Every black person who voted for Prop 8 is a homophobe. Nothing will change until African Americans face up to their homophobia. As long as Barak Obama doesn't admit that he is wrong and that gay people deserve full equality (not separate but equal), he is the #1 homophobe in America. Just once I'd like to hear a black leader have the balls to admit that the black community is homophobic. They don't have a monopoly on homophobia but it is deeply rooted and freely acted upon in black America.


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