Dear Editor,
I want to respond to the letter from Professor Kevin J. Mumford, which is entitled "Where's the color?"published in Windy City Times on Oct. 21concerning the exclusion of African American participation in queer history.
I agree with what Mumford says in the first two paragraphs, but I strongly disagree with his assessment of Black and White Men Together as an anti-racist activist group in the 1980s and '90s. While I do not take issue with interracial relationships per se, I have a problem because the group fostered fetishization and maintained a stereotypical dynamic between white, middle-class men and younger, African-American guys who wanted to be socialized in white, middle-class circles.
Throughout its history, Black and White Men Together, with the possible exception of a few chapters on the East Coast, was not committed to serious anti-racist work. It was primarily a social-dating group. Therefore, I do not share the view that Black and White Men Together should be considered among groups that fought for the liberation of queer people, especially queers of color.
Sincerely,
Darrell Gordon