In the Life: Ep. 1005, "From Rights to Reverence"

on this edition of In The Light some of our best stories on the africanamerican experience with guest host rup Hall from the pioneering pros of James Baldwin to the Revolutionary Reverend Irene Monroe plus a Health crisis facing the black community and remembering Ruth Ellis all this and more on in the Life America's gay lesbian news magazine in the life is funded in part by the H van amaran Foundation additional support provided by William J Resnik Rick Wyland Peter Zimmer and Jim stepp the Colin Higgins Foundation the Gil Foundation the Snowden found Foundation the Mitchell Gold company in the hopes of eliminating all types of fear and Prejudice thank you and the annual support of in the Life members like you [Music] welcome to in the life the television news magazine on gay and lesbian issues and culture I'm RuPaul Andre Charles now from its very first episode in 1992 in the life has been firmly committed to telling the stories of groups and individuals that reflect the full spectrum of the gay and lesbian community on this special edition of In The Life we've brought together a sampling of our best stories on the gay and lesbian African-American experience from the literary genius of James Baldwin to the passion and commitment of modern-day activists like the Reverend Irene Monroe black lesbians and gay men continue to make their mark on American society now I have a lot of respect for people like the men and women in this episode being Brown skinn being queer having ideas that go against the norm I can imagine what they've had to go through to accomplish what they've accomplished I hope they inspire you as much as they've inspired me on this episode in the Life correspondent Tanya Barfield profiles author and activist Keith boin and Paul Mueller reports on the growing AIDS crisis in the African-American Community it's a national shame and a human tragedy that aids in America has allowed to has been allowed to become blacker Browner younger and more female but first the original March on Washington in 1963 led by Dr Martin Luther King was a simal event in the struggle for civil rights what many people don't know is that the chief organizer of that March was a gay man beay Rustin was eventually forced out of his leadership position because of his homosexuality in 1996 Siri host Katherine Linton traveled to Atlanta Georgia for Martin Luther King Day there she talked to one woman determined to keep the spirit of B rustin's work Alive Book to describe another great man B Rustin I'm here with Charlene kman organizer of the Beed Rustin rally Charlene why is it important to honor Beed Rustin today and why is it important that this contingent March openly in the March it's is very important particularly here in the south in Atlanta with all eyes on Atlanta that the gay and lesbian movement be a part of the Civil Rights Movement as well well as and more specifically the African-American gay and lesbian Community take homage of B Rustin being an out black gay man back in the 40s we need that as a positive role model to help this to help break up the silence Barett Rustin found himself ostracized from the very Community to which he was so devoted simply because of his homosexuality today however 33 years later we find gay African-American leaders and organizations striving to educate all communities about issues of race and sexuality one emerging leader is ahead of the national black lesbian gay leadership Forum Keith boyin here's Tanya Barfield with the story the national black gay and lesbian leadership Forum was founded in 1988 as a means to combat racism sexism and homophobia Keith boyin was fresh out of college in 88 he then went on to law school held positions on two presidential campaigns and worked for two years in the Clinton white house before becoming the leadership forum's executive director this past year today through education programs and Coalition building boyin and the leadership Forum work to strengthen existing institutions for black gay men and lesbians and Bridge the gaps between diverse communities and identities much of our work as an organization is in educating the various communities that the members are part of so for example we would go to the black community and educate them about uh homosexuality and homophobia we'd go to the gay and lesbian community and educate them also about racism and about the causes and concerns of African-Americans so there's a duality that takes place and we uh we work on sort of Bridging the Gap between the two communities that we represent from my person my personal perspective it's important not to to uh fall into the Trap of creating a hierarchy of Oppression where one part of your identity becomes uh less important than another part uh Mel Boozer who spoke of the 19 1980 Democratic Convention as an openly gay uh representative from the District of Columbia made a statement that I think is very profound and reaches me as well he said I know what it feels like to be called and I know what it feels like to be called and I can sum up the difference in one word none boyin joined the Clinton White House staff in 1992 when he was hired by George Stephanopoulos while there he often worked on issues of concern to the gay and lesbian community and he was instrumental in organizing The Landmark White House meeting between Clinton and gay leaders in the spring of 93 he left the White House in 1994 and began work on his first book the book is called One More River to Cross uh black and gay In America which will be published by double day this year the purpose of the book when I when I set out to write it was to describe the experience of what it feels like to be both black and gay I interviewed hundreds of different people from across the country some wh were some of whom were black and some were not some Were Gay and some were straight I learned that black people are not as homophobic as people seem to think that they are that we are uh in fact my my analysis seems to indicate that blacks are probably any less homophobic than than other communities we have to make sure that we understand that the black community is also the community that elects by and large members of the Congressional Black Caucus who are for the most part the most supportive group in Congress of any demographic group on gay and lesbian issues that support was recognized last October with an award to the Congressional Black Caucus by the national gay and lesbian task force well there are a few really high-profile homophobes in the black community like Minister farakhan um who completely I think distort the representation of what the rest of the black community thinks about these issues it was fair H's Million Man March last October that presented boyin with one of his first major issues as executive director the national black and lesbian leadership Forum board of directors met in September of 1995 to discuss the issue of the Million Man March at that time there was some concern about whether we wanted to encourage our members or other black lesbians and gay men to participate after very serious and careful discussion and debate we decided that we would encourage people to participate but only if they were to do so openly and visibly about who they were not to hide a part of their Identity or not to be ashamed of who they were and certainly there to be ready to challenge any sort of homophobia that might come up or any sort of instances of sexism that we felt were of concern so it was important that we participate and we participate on our own terms after that decision was made we organized a series of activities around the March uh cultural social political activities including our own rally and we marched into the um onto the mall where the event occurred and we warmly received very enthusiastic positive responses I felt all along the March route the uh the throng of black men who lined the streets and who were in the streets parted like the Red Sea when we came through chanting gay men of African descent I mean it was just a wonderful powerful motivating moving inspiring experience for me I think for all the people who were there I think what we learned from this experience though was that when we come out and when we are not ashamed about who we are as black gay men and lesbians that our community the black community not only uh they not only accept us they respect us more in April Keith boyin spoke at the millennium March on Washington about the importance of diversity and inclusiveness in the continuing struggle for Gay and Lesbian civil [Music] rights in the next segment host Katherine Linton profiled a dynamic woman who represent presents one of the most striking personal examples of what both the modern gay rights movement and the African-American civil rights movement have meant Irene Monroe has faced and overcome obstacles all of her life as a baby she was found abandoned in a trash can in Brooklyn New York today the Reverend irin Monroe is one of the most outspoken and accomplished African-American theologians IIs abandoned at 6 months they they estimated that was about 6 months and so where most people have a date of birth and certainly have a birth name they estimated since they found me on July 11th that January 11th would be my birth date assigned birth date and I get the name Irene Monroe because Sister Irene who was the head nun of the New York founding Hospital which is in New York City um was a Marilyn Monroe fan and so she named me Irene Monroe just looking at my life um I grew up in a um economically distressed Enclave of Brooklyn New York with foster parents who unfortunately were functionally illiterate and they also uh as example uh showed me the difficulty of not having uh an education so education was um was absolutely um essential Irene and her new family partner Dr Thea James an emergency room physician and their dog and cat live in Cambridge Irene and Thea have been together for 5 years Thea is my best friend my my me my as they say my bestest of friends she's really my best friend um she runs this race with me she would say she's more disciplined she is I'm a little scattered she wakes up in a good mood every morning she's always smiling as a matter of fact when I first met her I thought thought it was a little weird that she'd wake up in the morning and she'd sing to the animals you know she'd sing to the dog she'd sing to the cat I thought it was a little strange but now you know I I've I'm used to it and I appreciate it and it's a wonderful thing you know to wake up to someone like that every day she's really learned what it can be like to have your partner as your best friend and um how wonderful it can be and how it can it can go on and it can last um forever and I probably in turn have learned that from her having graduated from Welsley College in Union Seminary Irene is now a doctoral student at Harvard Divinity School where she is the head teaching fellow for Reverend Peter Gomes Peter goms has been um a mentor I have to say in my life here at Harvard it's been quite difficult um being a an African-American lesbian doctoral student and particularly at the Divinity School um so I haven't had very much mentoring and being his head teaching fellow uh has been a wonderful gift Irene has standards very high standards and she takes No Nonsense she's been there done that and she's also a first class academician so she knows all of the academic games so she's perfect in a in a Place full of hustlers and posers such as Harvard College you can't get away with anything with Irene I'm and I'm glad she's working for me and not against me in his 1997 National bestseller the good book Peter gumes wrote that the Bible was being misinterpreted by the religious right in order to exclude gay and lesbian people from the kingdom of God well I say that there's a tremendous burden of moral responsibility and guilt on anybody uh who uh would presume to exclude U uh gays and lesbians and sexual minorities from the kingdom of heaven and any Christian who presumes to speak that invites Divine wrath and retribution that is that is the most arrogant and wicked uh assumption uh on the part of fallible human beings of of of divine power and everything that we know about God is contrary to that parochial petty little point of view so I think the good news the gospel for gay people is that you may have a beef with the church and the church may even have a beef with you but you don't have a beef with God and God certainly doesn't have one with you I do think that is um lesbian gay B sexual and transgendered people we need to take back the Bible um the very tool that's used uh as a as a tool of Oppression we can turn that around to be a tool of Liberation African-Americans did that clearly when um the Bible was certainly used as the biblical legitimate biblical sanction for slavery and we've turned that around turned that around as a tool of of of Liberation um women have turned the Bible around as a tool of Liberation and it's now our time to do the same through her preaching her participation in seminars and conferences across the country and her weekly column which appears in a Boston newspaper Irene is fulfilling her call to be what she terms a public Theologian it's important that those of us who are queer theologians to make ourself accessible in a way to explain to our community how religion is used against us but at the same time can be used to liberate us she's out there she's getting her hands dirty she's out there among the people so I see her role I see her theology is coming from doing that kind of work uh it's certainly not my my experience of her is that she's certainly not doing theology from the Ivory Tower I mean she's taking theology back where it belongs on the street in the newspaper on the radio on television she talks theologically to people who don't know she's talking theologically which probably is the best way uh to do it last year Irene wrote an article about Nation of Islam leader leis farakhan which caused Great controversy especially in the African-American Community I open up saying that his misogyny is no different than Christian um African-American Christian ministers but that because lisis faran is in the Limelight we have a lot more quotes by him and a lot more information about how he has shaped his misogyny and homophobia but in essence this kind of misogyny that he espouses in homophobia is really pandemic throughout the entire as I see it African-American Community to have one kind of EXT extremism shape the American uh culture shat is very much what democracy is about which is about Freedom individual Freedom you can't help how you come in this world but you certainly can help how you leave it and what you do while you're here God's gift to us is our life and what we do with our life is our gift back to God so that's sort of what motivates me few months after this story first aired Reverend Monroe became Reverend Dr Irene Monroe when she received her PhD from Harvard [Music] [Applause] University hand you the Lambda legal defense and education fund pursues litigation in every area of the law that affects lesbians gay men and people with AIDS they've succeeded in establishing positive legal precedents in court cases Nationwide involving issues such as job discrimination domestic partner benefits and adoption you don't have to be an attorney to make a difference in the fight for equal rights and lambda's website offers ways you can get involved D in your community to find the link visit inel life's website at www inel tv.org I'm Toshi Regan and you're watching in the [Music] life during its fourth season in the Life spoke with renowned writer Randall Kenan about a new series of books aimed at young adults entitled lives of notable gay men and lesbians Keenan's book about the life and work of James Baldwin is the first in the [Music] series I think most young adults do not especially gay and lesbian young adults do not have role models and so that underscores how important this series is James Baldwin believed very much that love was more important than gender or color or national origin and anything of that matter Baldwin's first book Go Tell It on the Mountain is considered an American classic but his second novel giovan's room is the one that holds a special significance for gays and lesbians I don't think a lot of people realize how significant the publication of giovan's room was we must first remember this was in the late 50s and that uh here to for not many people had actually published uh Works about same-sex love so for James Balwin to do it and actually his American publisher refused to publish it and he had it had to be published in England first um was a very bold and and and brave act an ex Patriot for most of his life Baldwin returned to America to take an active part in the Civil Rights Movement he was scheduled to speak the 19 1963 March on Washington but its organizers the southern Christian leadership conference orc ultimately canceled his appearance the march in Washington in particular was a Bittersweet experience because Baldwin had worked a great deal um with um the leaders of the March and the leaders of thec were particularly homophobic and were afraid of letting it known that bayed Rustin and a number of other people who were working with him U were actually gay and lesbian people so at the last minute they uh refused to let Baldwin speak on stage which I think is one of America's greatest loss Baldwin never denied the fact that he was what some people might call Gay he felt that he didn't want to be put in anybody's box he felt already as an African-American that that label was in and of itself restrictive when it was defined by some other than himself so he had a distrust for using the term gay because he felt it was not a term he himself defined but he in no way allowed that to Define who he fell in love with so I think when people really read these book especially young adult uh um gay men and lesbians they will see that bald was first concerned with love and secondly with how we Define ourselves [Music] on this episode's in the news the bomb in Gilead a National Organization that works through black churches to stop the spread of AIDS in the black community sponsored an event on December 1st World AIDS day let us let go of pride of Shame of denial let us break the silence let us break the live simcast worship service linked churches in Harlem New York to soo South Africa the program was designed to raise International awareness of the role churches must play in addressing HIV and AIDS that the church exist to address human HS and human hopes I believe it is wicked for the church it is wicked for church folk it is wicked for people who believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ to turn their backs to close their eyes and not address the epidemic of AIDS in our [Applause] [Music] communities the alarming statistics on the rate of infection in African and African-American communities fostered not only a sense of urgency but also A Renewed commitment to fight the [Music] epidemic the statistics are distressing when one thinks about it that one in 50 uh African-American men are suffering with HIV or Aids and one in 160 women are suffering with it that in our homeland there are the largest population of people suffering some 22 million in South Africa and in the Caribbean the second largest number it is the statistics are disheartening but thanks be to God we are the people of the Resurrection we have been to bad statistics before we know what it means to be down and come up HIV is but the most recent in a long line of seemingly insurmountable challenges but like political economic and racial exploitation this too will be overcome the service was later broadcast to 30 African nations the Caribbean and throughout the US on the Odyssey cable network [Music] and in December of last year more than 14,000 high school and middle school students from New England and around the world participated in the 7eventh annual team Harmony event in Boston Massachusetts to learn ways to combat racism violence and discrimination in their schools and communities what we are heading to is that we're are heading for one community that will be based on principles of Love Harmony and peace team Harmony combined education inspiration and entertainment to help teams understand how they can make a difference in the fight against bigotry for the first time team Harmony went Global with satellite feeds connecting students in South Africa Northern Ireland and the usbody else they stay around the people they're comfortable with President Clinton was also present via satellite even though we live in the most modern of worlds the biggest problem we face as all of you been discussing is perhaps the oldest problem of human society people are afraid of those who are different from them because of things like race religion or sexual orientation it's an honor to speak to you Mr President and the president addressed a student's concern about the AIDS epidemic that is devastating South Africa we have to work together to fight this epidemic it threatens all South Africans Americans the young the old black and white you must educate yourselves and educate others and talk about this disease no matter how hard it is if you and all your classmates do this you can protect yourselves and an entire generation in addition to the annual event the team Harmony Foundation is collaborating with Harvard's Center for Public leadership on the creation of a youth leadership ship Institute lesbian Alliance and you're watching in the light still to come on in the life the AIDS epidemic and the black community and remembering Pioneer Ruth Ellis but first one of in the life's most inspiring segments opened in Washington DC where in 1996 the massive AIDS Memorial quilt was displayed on the Great Lawn in its entirety for the Last Time Katherine Linton filed this report during this weekend an unending Litany of the names of the Dead rang out from podiums around the perimeter of the quilt many of those who read from the list also shared their own story of living with AIDS one of the 2,000 people lending her voice is a Fierce and brave woman a lesbian a woman of color a mother of two and so far a Survivor on a mission to leave her Mark we are here to remind our government that the AIDS Community is not just panels in a quilt the AIDS Community is living breathing working and voting Americans we bring you now a day in the life of Michelle Lopez guys what do you want for breakfast do you guys want waffles in SNS yeah okay I get up at 6:30 in the morning you know get myself something you know probably drink some coffee or so and then I get them up at 7 got to get them brush your teeth prepare breakfast you know get them out the door you ate the waffle take your vitamins I have to eat you ate the waffle huh he ate the waffle Michelle found out she was HIV positive in 1991 and her 6-year-old daughter Raven was diagnosed in 1992 her son rondelle is 9 years old Michelle is not only raising two kids she is used her AIDS diagnosis to speak out for women of color for mothers and for lesbians living with the disease my whole focus and activis is based you know on women and children so you know at times I get out there in podiums and I'm talking about women's health and then I get you know you know I always talk about who I am because you know I'm I'm comfortable today you know to say that I'm Alle and living with a and then I got to deal with this people asking but how come you're lesbian and how come you got infected you know I really think it's unfair for a lesbian to have to explain why you know she chose to go with men I I just think that is just so unclear all right so tell her s we see you soon come let's go Raven knows that she's infected but I you know I got to be honest she's she does not identify with what society says about this disease so she thinks it's something glorious you know she would say to people you know Mommy and me guess what we have a germ and the two of us you know our germ is called HIV we HIV positive and she says it with a smile you know cuz she just look at that I think she looks like some kind of special bond that me and her has rondelle on the other hand he he sees me you know around doing you know a lot of activism work he has seen me in magazines you seen me on television but then he sees the sides when if I'm in the house and I'm not feeling well if I goes into the hospital if I'm not feeling well or rap goes into the hospital Raven's not feeling well he goes crazy after walking the kids to school Michelle gets herself ready for work maintaining Raven's Health ke in mind with Ravens is a lot it's a lot easier because I'm I'm I make sure she gets to her doctor's appointment and she gets Hermits I'm going to be honest I neglect myself a lot and this is really the norm with a lot of women that I know who are HIV positive we run around we take care of the household we take care of everyone else but it's like our own health you know it's like on the back burner you know I really have to you know be honest if I don't take care of me I'm not going to be here to take care of Raven and everyone else in Rondell who I want to take care of I actually begun to be you know get involved in the struggle and the fight for AIDS in um '92 actually this was when my daughter was diagnosed so I actually started going down to act up act up New York you know I got to be honest was a group of um Caucasian lesbians that was organizing this demonstration so it was a bit of intimidation but then it was actually part of let me see how much of an effort they're really making to address All Women's Health all women of you know living with AIDS so I asked the question is there anyone here working on issues for women of color living with AIDS and you know what about lesbians so I asked a question and got involved this is the poster of the agency that I work for it's a Women's Health Organization and believe it or not this organization got funded in 1992 to do HIV primary care it's a family planning organization and when they got funded to do HIV primary care I was the first client that they had and at that time you know I was actively using I was homeless at the time just you know out there we go back out into the community we educate women about HRV prevention risk reduction I do safe for sex workshops and you know talking about you know the issues surrounding Women's Healthcare oh my God am I going to be able to walk I got to go to Central when I leave here I want to welcome everyone to Women's Center the Women's Center has been in the community for 25 years at cfpc's Women's Center in the Bronx Michelle has been working with Dr Milano to expand healthare services to lesbians Michelle Lopez she's been a client a coworker in her work Michelle talks about her own life as a way to help others my daughter result when it came back um positive as I said it was actually my waking up call and that's actually the time that I started looking at me as an individual starting to address recovery it was not until actually I and I'm going to be honest 19 um 93 that I actually identify a group of people who actually says Michelle it is okay it is okay to be gay it is okay to be who you are you're living a productive life you have come from a past where you know your drug use and your past history has influenced what is going on with you today but you are still somebody and you're still a human being and that's what actually really made me decided then well I can go on with my life so I can actually say I came out being comfortable with myself and my sexuality as a woman living with AIDS but it took a diagnosis of HIV for me to actually pay attention to my life and start you know dealing with you know what I'm feeling Within Myself you ready yeah CU she got the Emma and that area is nice and numb before meeting rondelle at home for Halloween Michelle takes Raven to the hospital for blood tests okay and you're going to go home and be a nice pink Power Ranger the challenges of I mean being a mother living with Aid single parent you know you have two choices either you're going to get up and do something about it fight or you can do what some people conceive the norm in some of a you get AIDS you get diagnosed you wear their weight and you die I I choose to fight and I choose to challenge this disease and do the best that I can to maintain myself and my kids and try to be a good mother had a r the [Music] kiss in December of 98 Michelle received a grant from the fund for the City of New York which she used to help set up the family Legacy project a program she founded to be run by and for women who are HIV [Music] positive on this episode's in the Arts Gina Rivera Michelle Lamar Richards and MC light star in the romantic comedy a love tale written produced and directed by cidra Smith the plot follows the Romantic Adventures of photographer Taylor James as she falls in love with magazine editor and older woman Candace Montgomery I'm complete when I think of you you're in my life forever if only in my dreams the 45-minute film was executive produced by Tisha Campbell Martin and won audience Choice Awards at the Hollywood black Film Festival the Atlanta film and video festival and the Tampa International gay and lesbian Film Festival did yall um get busy shut up okay okay the filmmakers are currently planning an expanded featurelength version of the film with production slated to begin this spring take this sh there you go okay all right there you go get it girl get it [Music] girl last November in the Life alerted viewers to an acclaimed comedy called punks that had Film Festival audiences cheering Lenny Kravitz he makes me wet the artist formerly known as PR oh do you remember the inside album jacket to 1999 directed by first timer Patrick I and poke punks follows the escapades of a group of gay African-American men in West Hollywood the big thing that attracted me to the piece was that uh the four guys in the film were men of color who were not killing each other you know it's like yeah I want to I I'd like to I'd like to be a part of a film where you know we're actually shown loving each other you know that we do love each other and that we do care for each other and that we do try to take care of each [Music] other punks is now scheduled for theatrical release this spring in New York Los Angeles and San Francisco with more cities soon to follow [Music] in 1999 in the Life confronted the troubling reality that along with diversity can come disparity this is no more evident than in the ongoing battle with AIDS a struggle that has historically been associated with the gay community but now it is the African-American community that is disproportionately affected by the disease Paul Mueller reported on the rise of AIDS among communities of color [Music] Quanza a unique celebration of African-American people and culture 1998 marked its 32nd anniversary observed by more than 13 million people worldwide each day for 7 days a Candle is lit symbolizing African-American Pride but in recent years this community has felt the deadly consequences of a devastating epidemic 16,000 people become infected with HIV each day and nearly all of them live in developing countries now here in the US the number of new reported AIDS cases is on the decline except in the African-American and Hispanic communities which are experiencing the disease in epidemic proportions more reported cases than ever before according to the Centers for Disease Control nearly 45% of the new reported AIDS cases in 199 7 were among blacks even though they account for only 133% of the population it's a national shame and a human tragedy that aids in America has allowed to has been allowed to become blacker Browner younger and more female Philip Hilton is Vice President of the new york-based national black leadership Commission on AIDS anywhere you have socioeconomically disadvantaged African-Americans constituting the majority of any population in any given in City town or Village chances are they're going to be living in conditions that rival those that exist in third world countries we do not have access to Quality healthare if we have access to health care at all some people find out about HIV after they've been infected but that doesn't mean it's too late to stay healthy Kevin Hardaway tested HIV positive three years ago he remembers how he felt when his doctor broke the news kind of afid you know kind of frightened you know uh I knew it came with the territory you know uh you know I was I was scared people used to share needles quite often I've shared them you know before this virus was even mentioned but what Kevin didn't know could have killed him today he's changed the way he lives to accommodate the virus I have to take care of myself a lot better you know eat the proper Foods you know uh stay in tune with my doctor you know things like that things like that he learned as a client at beehive better existence with HIV a 10-year-old Chicago based AIDS service organization serving primarily African-American men who are or were IV drug users I think largely African-Americans especially in inner cities are dealing with so many issues that sometimes HIV risk is the last in a long line of concerns concerns such as um drug use gang activity um just surviving as the number of reported AIDS cases continued to rise beehive developed two new programs centered around issues within the African-American Community I think there's a lot of homophobia and a real denial um in the community to acknowledge HIV and AIDS as a problem because it means discussing drug use and sexuality it just came to a point where I said I want to live you know I don't want to die you know in order to do that you know I have to seek uh you know help AIDS awareness reached a new level of national exposure in October when President Clinton responded to a call from the Congressional Black Caucus for action in the war against the disease the president declared AIDS in ongoing and severe Health crisis in communities of color and unveiled a plan for $156 million in additional Federal funding for programs targeting African-Americans and Latinos this is an unpr precedented historic initiative until the 105th Congress and the president of the United States pretty much came to to the rescue we never really had any programs or any specific funding to address those special needs that we have in the black community the Congressional Black Caucus came out and basically declared a state of emergency um in the African-American community in terms of the the AIDS epidemic and I'm glad to see leadership on a national level but not everyone is breathing a collective sigh of relief some like Hilton worry about what will happen when the money runs out this is just the beginning because this is a onetime only initiative once the monies have been spent unless additional monies are allocated by the 106 Congress and there's a continuing commitment by the Clinton Administration to make sure that we build upon the track record that we've established with with this initial $156 million we're going to find ourselves right back where we started before good morning momentum how may I help you the leading cause of HIV infection in communities of color is IV drug use the momentum AIDS project in New York serves over 2,000 clients predominantly IV drug users African-Americans and Latinos a stark contrast to its gay white male clients when it began 14 years ago the gay community uh really worked to conquer the disease with their money with their expertise with their various resources um they had a power base that they could use the more disenfranchised communities don't have access to that proper nutrition is momentum's primary approach in its outreach program and many of its clients are hungry and homeless in addition to the food we do a rather comprehensive nutrition program which is very important as nutrition is a co- therapy for people who have AIDS people who have compromised immune systems need a different foods from those who do not have compromised immune systems While most organizations accept clients only after their te- cells fall below a certain level momentum was one of the first organizations to offer services to clients who are newly HIV diagnosed if people don't come early there's no way to be preventive there's if you wait until people have been hospitalized a couple of times um you can help them but not in the same kind of way how you doing sister oh morning the show is good to see you back in Chicago an African-American performance Ensemble uses humor drama and dance to address African-American gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered issues the members of a real read tell their own stories and write material from their own life experiences their mission is all about HIV and AIDS prevention to their Community he told me I should trust him he told me just where and how I should touch you he told me he loved me but he told me that he couldn't tell me that he had AIDS because that was too personal I may be dying but I got to stick around long enough to teach my baby the messages that have reached the the white gay community because they're targeted to them have worked they haven't reached the African-American Community because a lot of the men in the African-American Community or some of them are what we call msms men who just mess around with other men and that is really one of the big things that is killing us it's Unique that we have an opportunity again to see a group of people on stage that are saying very clearly out loud I'm African-American I'm gay I'm lesbian I'm bisexual I'm transgendered and I'm proud of it we are all part of this community we talk about the diversity of the community we talk about the rainbow but we often don't see it as the reality that man has got to be a homosexual the reality though for Kevin has set in and now he's offering advice to those who think they may be at risk for HIV if they're living this type of Lifestyle I think they should be tested you know period at the rate we're going right now I it's all almost impossible for me to think that things can get much worse than they are at the present time right now in New York City one out of 50 people is HIV positive or has AIDS you know that's almost every street corner you're on that's almost every restaurant you're in it's a sub boy C I knew I never should have gotten involved with that woman part of her power being she was a bad Butch who made women unravel come undone at the seams like Wonder Woman beneath their armor was desperate I knew I never should have gotten involved with that woman but somewhere inside she moved me to another country and I started speaking in languages I had never learned one of the most effective tools in the fight against AIDS is having the right information facts about prevention and treatment if you want more information on AIDS and communities of color contact the National black leadership Commission on AIDS or the national minority AIDS Council for these and other links to organizations working in the battle against AIDS check out our website at inthe tv.org this is Pamela sne for in the Life in April 2000 in the Life spotlighted a documentary about a woman whose life spent more than a century Ruth Ellis was proud of being an African-American a lesbian and out of the closet for most of her 100 plus years now this remarkable story could have been left Untold but award-winning director Ivon welman felt compelled to document Ellis's inspirational life when was the last time you had sex oh I guess I was about 95 Ruth is like us she's a person that has lived as she says an ordinary life and to me she's had had a few extraordinary moments my name is Ruth charlot Ellis and I was born July the 23rd 1899 in Springfield Illinois the first time I ever saw Ruth Ellis she was dancing I was at the National Women's Music Festival in Bloomington Indiana and I was trying to figure out how old she was and the next day I found out she was 97 I was really uh surprised at her age and her Vitality that's how I met people danc mhm i' go up and ask him may I have this dance they said sure the more I talked to her the more I realized there was an amazing history in her the biggest challenge was trying to figure out how to tell her story I was in high school in the Armes was sign that was a big day all five and 10 cent store they sold out of 10 pans and things oh we had quite a day I made a decision to edit it historically so we start at the beginning of the century and we just kind of go through her life and kind of make it a social history documentary Martin Luther King made a way for the black people to have more privileges than they've had the greatest thing I ever attended was when they had the march here in Detroit you come in and you think you're going to hear this story about a black lesbian but what you end up hearing is an American history story as lived by a black lesbian uh I wasn't in what you call a closet never I wasn't I didn't have anybody to now my parents my mother died early in life so I didn't have to worry about that but my dad and I had three brothers I never heard anything from them concerning me except one night my girlfriend and I would made a little bit too much noise my dad told me next time you girls make that much noise I'm going to put you out as a lesbian and African-American living in the 1940s and 50s Ruth Ellis witnessed many cases of discrimination and homophobia so together with her lover babe they opened their home to the disenfranchised and soon the place became known as the gay spot throughout the Midwest it sort of a Haven for the young people who didn't have any place to go mostly it would be man boys would come in and we'd let them stay there until they get on their feet if they get a job something like that or maybe they want to go to school in Detroit they're actually um building a gay and lesbian center for um teenagers who are street street teens who are getting lesbian and they're naming it the Ruth Alice house um in her honor what was your greatest accomplishment joining the lesbians I think that the lesbian Community was dying for Ruth I mean it was like you know where are our foremothers you know has anybody been on this path before us and I mean it it isn't just that they that we welcomed her it was that we really wanted and needed to have a connection one of the things that Ruth says has changed for her the most is that she is more out she's out she's proud she's very out in her building if anybody ever makes a homophobic comment she goes you know when you're talking about them you're talking about me did you want to see the old gy see the old gy okay we're not too far from there so my favorite moment in the documentary is when Ruth Ellis returns to Springfield and visits her high school and takes one last run around the gym every time I see that it still kind of brings a little tear to my eye meeting Ruth Alis changed my life in a number of ways I count her now as one of my friends the main thing that has happened is I've kind of Taken on some of Ruth's life philosophy she doesn't let little things bother her she um which is great because I think you live longer right if you just don't get stressed out over the little things inhale and what other secrets of longevity did the filmmaker learn she does stuff like she always drinks 32 ounces of water every day and you know I mean she has these basic things that she does get on this old bik and go tell them one of the things that I think that keeps Ruth so vibrant and energetic is that she exercises all the time Ruth couldn't believe that so many people were interested in little old her Ruth has received hundreds of emails because of this movie and one of the most amazing was a woman said I'm white I'm heterosexual I'm I'm 6'1 CU you know Ruth is 4 fo8 okay and you would think that we are opposites but we're not and in seeing your story I'm seeing myself Living With Pride Ruth Ellis at 100 has played at many film festivals and was recently part of creatively speaking 2000 visions of new black filmmakers at Aaron Davis Hall in New York City I think it's a wonderful piece of film making it highlights the fact that there are um many aspects to the African-American Community the fact that Ruth is a lesbian has been around and out for over uh her lifespan has is really phenomenal um I think she was really a Pioneer in a lot of ways may I present Dr Ruth Alice the reason I called it living with pride is that she has always been true to herself she's never been ashamed of who she is she's always lived her life with pride and I think if she can do it we can do it that's it for this show thanks for watching and we will see you next [Music] month [Music] morning that God is stand still and look [Music] up is going to show up standing he is stand [Music] [Applause] [Music] in the life is funded in part by the H van amaran Foundation additional support provided by William J Resnik Rick wiland Peter Zimmer and Jim steep the Colin Higgins Foundation the Gill Foundation the Snowden Foundation the Mitchell Gold company in the hopes of eliminating all types of fear and Prejudice thank you and the annual support of in the Life members like you [Music]