Black Lesbians meet

"The decade of the 80's does not look promising for Black women. History reveals that in times of hardship Black women suffer most. So it is with our present and future condition in mind, we ask you to share those skills and techniques that have enabled you to survive, with each other."

by Tania Abdulahad

This above statement was an excerpt from the opening address made to the conferees by the Committee for the Visibility of the Other Black Woman (CVOBM). Over two hundred Black, Hispanic and White Lesbians gathered for the first Black Lesbian conference to be held on the East coast. The conference was held during the weekend of January 16-l8th and featured poetry, singing, and a variety of workshops. The keynote address was given by Barbara Smith, a well known Black Lesbian feminist, from Boston, Massachusetts.

Ms. Smith began by giving an historical overview of Black women's history and the significance of certain Black women's contributions to the struggle for not only Lesbian rights, but also a feminist consciousness. Some of the women mentioned were Mable Hampton, Audre Lorde and Lorraine Hansberry. She also noted that while there may be differences among us, such as class, color and educational opportunities, we must always remember that our economic root is the same and that is slavery.

The conference continued with a series of workshops. The first series consisted of such topics as "Women in Non-Traditional Trades," "Black Women and Feminism," and "Cross-Cultural Relationships." The second series included "Lesbians and Religion," "lnterracial Relationships," and "African Women in Antiquity." On Saturday evening the final series of workshops included "The Organized Lesbian/Gay Movement," "Psychodrama" and "Networking."

Throughout the weekend one could admire art work on display, browse through books and pamphlets on the literature table and purchase hand-crafted jewelry. While the conference was an historic event, it certainly was not without its problems. One obvious problem was the split among the organizers that occurred just before the conference and which centered around who should be the keynote speaker. Some were opposed to Barbara Smith giving the keynote address because she is a radical feminist. They felt the speaker should be someone more "politically acceptable."

Other disagreements concerned who should attend the conference. Only Black Lesbians versus Black and White women? Should certain Black Lesbian organizations be excluded? And what of the Third World women? These conflicts, however, did not seem to impair the success of the conference. Those attending left more informed and ready to build other organizations, to reach out to others. The hard work ahead to resolve such problems was emphasized by Ms. Smith in her keynote address:

"While these differences may be real, and I don't have any concrete proposals on how to eliminate them, never has there been so desperate a need for all of us to work together as there is now. If we don't take advantage of this time now, then we, along with the rest of the world, are truly doomed by the ruling elite and the economic system that keeps us all oppressed."