Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  BLACKLINES

Freedom to Choose
by Earnest Edward Hite
2003-01-01

This article shared 4172 times since Wed Jan 1, 2003
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


Blacklines, January 2003

Copyright © 2002 Lambda Publications Inc. All rights reserved.

My return to Chicago comes after seven wonderful years in northern California and most of that time was spent in the city of Oakland just 15 miles from the beautiful coastal City of San Francisco. I have relocated to Chicago to continue the work of activism and being an advocate. The myriad problems Black gay and lesbian people face are compounded by silence and undirected voices, coupled with a vision that is largely hedonistic.

The drama of social justice for our people indeed all must be addressed. The saying 'none are free unless all are free' rings true with crystal clarity. We may trade places with folks in power but it is important to not play the game, but rather change the game so that every life is enriched.

Today more than ever our community is faced with a deficit of character, caring and confrontation of the evils that exist in our own lives and communities. The world has become more ethically unbalanced and morally challenged by the uncertainty of life, and has the finger-pointing exercise in full swing.

My work is that of the heart and spirit here in the city of Chicago. A good portion of that is telling my story and putting it into viable words for others to see and experience. Now my experience is not everyone's, nor will it be, but it is a view and a voice, so I will bring my many positive memories of the people encountered from the government to the streets, the places visited and the things experienced. We are living in times that challenge our very soul power either lifting us to heights of glory or into the depths of perdition.

The history of Black people in the context of American history continues to be ignored. The Black LGBT community remains largely invisible politically, socially, economically and spiritually. The abuse of women and men in relationships … yes, brothers do get their butts kicked in relationships ... the massive use and abuse of drugs, the consistent march of HIV/AIDS in the young minority population, the attacks of human lives based on the mere supposition that they are gay and a threat to heterosexist tradition.

The need of our spiritual lives and the assault by clergy who clearly do not understand the message of 'God loves.' Our lack of involvement in politics from voting to visiting our elected officials, no matter what party they represent. There is much to do.

The march of time has left the Black LGBT people without voices. The failure to prepare for freedom and our civil rights will be our undoing. Now the real need is for each of us to prepare on an individual level every day. Why not leave an infrastructure and capital to the next generation to build upon? Remember the battle is given to those who endure to the end and it still takes money and equity and vision to accomplish goals. In 1963, Bayard Rustin, an advocate, activist and a gay man worked with the leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( SCLC ) . Bayard Rustin, a man of considerable skill, largely mapped out the strategy for one of this country's largest civil-rights marches in the latter half of the 20th Century.

Bayard Rustin just happened to be gay. He changed America. He changed the lives of Americans by his act of selflessness and commitment to community. He stepped down from his visible position at the request of SCLC leadership not because of shame but because he knew the whole was more important than the piece of his pie. He saw the bigger picture. Bayard's great paradigm was how we can and must work to change the heart and soul of our own lives first and then turn to transform our streets, churches, civic organizations and communities. Today our lives must reflect the future we want. What is your contribution? What are you going to do to effect change?

I welcome your comments; please send correspondence to Ehite10496@aol.com .

Copyright © 2002 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved. Windy City Media Group produces Windy City Radio, and publishes Windy City Times, The Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community, Nightspots, Out Resource Guide, Blacklines and En La Vida. 1115 W. Belmont 2D, Chicago, IL 60657; PH ( 773 ) 871-7610; FAX ( 773 ) 871-7609. Web at www.windycitytimes.com . Contact: editor


This article shared 4172 times since Wed Jan 1, 2003
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Chicago alder proposes renaming street after Obama 2024-03-22
- Openly gay Black Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson has proposed renaming Columbus Drive after former U.S. President and city resident Barack Obama, media outlets noted. The street stretches through the Loop from East Grand Avenue to DuSable ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ people attacked by mobs in Greece 2024-03-14
- Just weeks after a landmark law granted same-sex couples in Greece the right to marry, nearly 200 people dressed in black chased a transgender couple through the town square in Thessaloniki, the country's "second city" and ...


Gay News

Women's History Month doesn't do enough to lift up Black lesbians 2024-03-12
- Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by ...


Gay News

No 'explanations' needed: Affinity remains a haven for Chicago's Black queer community 2024-03-12
- Back in 2007, Anna DeShawn came out while she was studying for her undergraduate degree. At around the same time, she searched online for "Black lesbians in Chicago." Her search led her to Affinity Community Services, ...


Gay News

SAVOR Eldridge Williams talks new concepts, Beyonce, making history 2024-03-08
- One restaurant would be enough for most people to handle. However, this year Eldridge Williams is opening two new concepts—including one that will be the first Black-owned country-and-western bar in the Midwest. Williams, an ally of ...


Gay News

Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams's violin stylings help COH mark Black History Month 2024-02-23
- As part of its celebration of Black History Month, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., presented a solo jazz performance by violinist Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams on Feb. 21. The two-hour long performance presented a showcase ...


Gay News

HIV criminal laws disproportionately impact Black men in Mississippi 2024-02-21
--From a press release - A new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that at least 43 people in Mississippi were arrested for HIV-related crimes between 2004 and 2021. Half of all arrests in the state ...


Gay News

Human Rights Campaign report releases new data on experiences of Black queer youth 2024-02-14
--From a press release - WASHINGTON — Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released a report in ...


Gay News

SAVOR 'The Bear,' new pizza lounge, Chicago Black Restaurant Week 2024-02-11
- "Bear" necessities: The third season of the Chicago-set series The Bear will debut in June, per Variety. FX chairman John Landgraf made the announcement during the network's presentation at the Television Critics Association's winter 2024 press ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Raven-Symone, women's sports, Wayne Brady, Jinkx Monsoon, British Vogue 2024-02-09
- In celebration of Black History Month, the LA LGBT Center announced that lesbian entertainer Raven-Symone will be presented with the Center's Bayard Rustin Award at its new event, Highly Favored, per a press release. She joins ...


Gay News

National Black Justice Coalition commemorates National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2024-02-07
--From a press release - WASHINGTON — Today, Feb. 7, marks National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). In commemoration, Dr. David J. Johns, CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), a leading Black LGBTQ+/same-gender ...


Gay News

Comcast NBCUniversal partners with News is Out, Word In Black on fellowship program highlighting Black, LGBTQ+ issues 2024-02-06
--From a press release - Digital Equity Local Voices Lab Fellows to be placed at 16 local publications to receive training and create content Philadelphia (Feb. 6, 2024) — News is Out [ https://newsisout.com ] , a queer media collaborative of ...


Gay News

SAVOR Jean Banchet Awards, new Black-owned spots and free pizza 2024-02-04
- Congrats!: The winners of the Jean Banchet Awards—which honor Chicago cuisine—were recently announced at Venue Six10. Longtime Chicago Tribune critic Phil Vettel was (justifiably) honored with the Culinary Excellence of ...


Gay News

ART Champaign display looks at the Midwest Black lesbian experience 2024-02-03
- In Illinois, archival photos are the centerpiece of a new display at the Krannert Art Museum focusing on the Black lesbian experience in the Midwest, IPM reported. The new solo exhibition by St. Louis-based artist Jen ...


Gay News

SAVOR Going 'Underground,' change at Skylark and Mango Pickle closing 2024-01-29
- Pop(-up) life: Chef Mariya Moore-Russell—who guided the local spot Kikko to a Michelin star, becoming the first Black woman to helm a kitchen with one of the food world's highest honors—is returning to Chicago to lead ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.