Black History Month is upon us again; this year, we cannot let it commence without acknowledging where we come from as a movement. The LGBTQ+ movement for equality is an effort that spans decades, passed from generation to generation. What comes before it, however, has spanned centuries. The LGBTQ+ Movement would not be where it is today as a human rights effort if not for the Civil Rights Movement and the many efforts for equality led by Black people. This year, we want to celebrate our Black queer and trans trailblazers and foundational leaders who helped shape what the movement for an intersectional society looks like today.
Miss Major Griffin Gracy has contributed immensely through her advocacy for trans rights. From her efforts supporting the community at the Stonewall riots to her advocacy for public health during the AIDS epidemic to becoming the first executive director of the Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Project, her legacy reminds us of the power of intersectionality in creating meaningful change. At Equality North Carolina, we are especially moved by her continued dedication to fighting for trans rights and power.
One of Miss Major's most powerful messages is encapsulated in her words from a poignant interview with Vice, "We’ve got to revolt, and we’ve got to reclaim who the fuck we are and let these people realize, before they came along, we were honored and worshipped and appreciated and adored. If this world is going to get its act together, they have to support and put in the front to lead this revolution the people who are the most oppressed, which is my Black transgender community." We are so grateful that Miss Major continues her efforts to this day and for the wisdom she has passed down throughout the decades.
We encourage you to learn more about Miss Major Griffin-Gracy and her trailblazing efforts through Vice, Women, and the American Story or by heading to your local library for her memoir, Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary. Let’s honor their legacy by committing to showing up for our Black trans community this year on the local level by getting involved in local advocacy efforts, supporting the work of organizations like Equality North Carolina, or educating ourselves about trans rights in North Carolina.
Pauli Murray is one of North Carolina’s most notable LGBTQ+ trailblazers. As a Durham native, Pauli Murray’s efforts were multi-faceted. S/he was the first Black person to earn a JSD (Doctor of the Science of Law) degree from Yale Law School, a founder of the National Organization for Women, and the first Black person perceived as a woman to be ordained an Episcopal priest. Pauli’s legacy reminds us of the power of intersectionality in creating meaningful change. Equality North Carolina holds gratitude for Murray’s contributions to our legal landscape, religious diversity and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, feminist studies and praxis, and poetry and literature.
One of Murray's most potent, resonant messages is, “Hope is a song in a weary throat." Pauli’s words ring true as we fight for equality and inclusion in our communities.
Today, her legacy lives on throughout North Carolina, primarily through the Pauli Murray Center, a space for people to take part in art, activism, and learning and sharing Black history and the history of other social justice movements, a noble tribute to what she provided to us, but never enough in comparison. You can learn more about Pauli from his own words in his memoir, Song in a Weary Throat.
Fannie Lou Hamer’s work reminds us that for us to succeed, we must remain rooted in the experiences and expertise of the most targeted members of our community. Fannie Lou Hamer grew up in poverty, sharecropping in childhood and tending to a plantation timekeeper in adulthood. She became active in the Southern organizing movement after facing forced sterilization by a white doctor. She started organizing with leaders from the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). She was known as one of the founders of Freedom Summer, one of the most monumental voter registration efforts in the South. As we navigate the realities of voter suppression and unequal representation in our governing structures, Equality North Carolina is proud to carry on the legacy of voter advocacy and protection for years to come.
There are many great things given to us by Hamer, but this quote continues to hold weight: “Sometimes it seem like to tell the truth today is to run the risk of being killed. But if I fall, I'll fall five feet four inches forward in the fight for freedom. I'm not backing off.” We honor her words through our efforts to ensure that North Carolinians are informed and protected as they exercise their right to give truth to power.
We encourage you to learn more about Fannie Lou Hamer and their inspiring journey by reading History.com, the National Women’s History Museum, or some of her speeches or biographies encapsulating her life’s work.
Andre Leon Talley is near and dear to North Carolina’s heart. Though not born here, Talley was raised by his maternal grandmother, Bennie Francis Davis, who did custodial work for Duke University. His love of fashion grew throughout the years, and he received his high school and college education at Hillside High and North Carolina Central University, respectively. He later worked with influential artists and fashion writers like Diana Vreeland, Andy Warhol, The W, Ebony, and the New York Times. Talley notably became the first African-American male creative director during his lifetime and continued to contribute to pop culture and fashion for the rest of his life. Equality North Carolina remains incredibly grateful that Talley showed the world that North Carolina is full of brightness and creative ingenuity.
Talley reminds us of the critical importance of having a supportive community with his words: “I know what it is like to be brought up with unconditional love. In my life, that came from my grandmother.”
We encourage you to read his editorial work or memoir, The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir, to learn more about his contributions to the fashion industry.
To love North Carolina’s impact on Southern organizing means to love Mandy Carter's work. Mandy Carter has been and continues to be a beacon of strength and hope for the Southern LGBTQ+ movement. Mandy was raised in the orphanage and foster care systems in New York, not becoming acquainted with Southern organizing until she learned about Quakerism through the American Friends Service Committee. Their summer work camp exposed Carter to Southern-led Civil Rights efforts. Throughout her life, Mandy has dedicated herself to building out Southern organizing. She’s one of six co-founders of Southerners On New Ground, a co-founder of the National Black Justice Coalition, and even worked for Equality North Carolina for some time!
Students: if you have a collegiate library card, you should head to the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to gain viewing privileges for the Mandy Carter Papers Collection. Otherwise, you can learn about Carter’s work at the LGBTQ Religious Archives Network or OutHistory. In Durham, you may see Mandy out and about; she’s made the city her home.
Did you know that a Black gay man organized the March on Washington? One of Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.’s closest advisors, Rustin was a powerhouse organizer for the Civil Rights Movement. Rustin’s rise from his youth, navigating the struggles of having a challenging home life while holding fast to his Quaker “values,” led him to New York City, where he devoted himself to multiple pursuits in the arts and eventually joined the Young Communist League, an act landing him on the FBI’s radar. Rustin dedicated his life to organizing, helping to launch The Congress of Racial Equity in 1943, speaking out on what he believed in, and even landing in jail for draft evasion. It wasn’t until 1956, when he was in his forties that he connected with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. He continued to serve the Civil Rights Movement despite attacks on his character and his sexuality and served as a principal organizer in the historic March on Washington.
As a writer and artist, Rustin has provided the world with many poignant thoughts, including this one, “If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence. If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society. If we desire a society that is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well as an end.” We appreciate Rustin’s continued dedication to serving our community above and beyond the work of many. We aim to hold his legacy of centering peace for everyone at the heart of our work.
To learn more about Bayard Rustin, head to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, PBS, the National Park Service, or read from his own words.
Zora Neale Hurston was a powerful Southern storyteller, anthropologist, folklorist, and documentary filmmaker. Born in Alabama and raised in Florida, Hurston eventually became educated, earning degrees from Morgan College, Howard University, and Barnard College. Her dedication to studying and sharing the history of Black culture continued throughout her life, often traveling to learn more about African religions and cultures throughout the diaspora. Her studies bled into her fiction, serving as a snapshot of what we could imagine life to be like for African Americans and African people navigating earlier times of slavery and colonialism. Some speculate she was even a secret student of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but it has yet to be validated. She did, however, serve as a teacher at North Carolina College for Negroes (later to be known as North Carolina Central University) and spoke at the Carolina Dramatic Association, which met on UNC’s Campus.
Hurston reminds us always to do our research: "Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. It is a seeking that he who wishes may know the cosmic secrets of the world and they that dwell therein." In this spirit, we encourage you to learn more about Hurston through her official website, the National Women’s History Museum, and the many works she has gifted us throughout her career and posthumously.
Who are the trailblazers in your community that we should spotlight this year? Let us know!
