|
When Dyke Community Activists decided to kick off its annual series of film benefits this Saturday, January 21, with a documentary
that explores racial divisions in a small Southern town, it seemed only natural to the organizers to use the money they would
raise to benefit lesbians of color whose lives have been torn apart by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The film, Two Towns of
Jasper, shows at 7:30 p.m. at the Hearing, Speech & Deafness Center, 1609 19th Ave. (nw corner of 19th and Pine). Admission
will be a voluntary donation of $5-$15 with more gratefully accepted and no one turned away.
Proceeds from the event will go to an intrepid New Orleans lesbian community organization called the Sisterhood Foundation.
The Foundation is an offshoot of Sisterhood Magazine, which was started in 2003 by Joy Spaulding and Sharron Federico. Partners
Spaulding and Federico began publishing Sisterhood Magazine in an effort to encourage unity and cooperation in the diverse
New Orleans lesbian community.
New Orleans has long taken pride in its long history and the rich racial mix of its population. However, this diversity
has also meant injustice, division, and mistrust. That was the reason why I started Sisterhood Magazine, Spaulding said in
a recent interview, Because I wanted to bridge the gap. I thought that we could celebrate our uniqueness and learn to benefit
from it.
Sisterhood Magazine provided a forum for all New Orleans lesbians to discuss everything from spirituality to relationships
to community. Spaulding soon felt the need for more concrete service. She and Federico established the Sisterhod Foundation
and Sisterhood House to begin to fill that need. The Sisterhood Foundation became a membership organization which offered
social, emotional, and even financial support to the lesbians of the Big Easy.
Sisterhood House contained an art gallery, bistro, thrift shop, jacuzzi, and gathering space. Open from 10 a.m. until
the wee hours of the morning, Sisterhood House was home to many community events from parties to regular Monday night bitch
sessions, where women could talk about their problems and get support for a wide range of issues. Sisterhood Foundation members
organized concerts, drag shows, auctions, and a gay community Expo, raising funds to support the House and to help community
members in need.
That need increased dramatically in August and September of 2005, when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed into the Gulf
Coast. Thousands of New Orleans most vulnerable citizens suffered devastating losses, many members of the queer community
among them. With homes destroyed and refugees scattered across the country, many lesbians found themselves separated from
friends and lovers and bussed far from home, often to conservative states, where they became afraid to reveal their sexual
identities. I hate to say this, but more than anything, what it did was push people right back in the closet, Spaulding explained.
I mean, nothing is familiar, you don't know the rules, you just want to be accepted.
Even after the immediate threat from the hurricanes had ended, many dislocated African American gays feared that they
had nothing to come home to. Added to the misery of the loss of homes, clothes, and photos is the escalation of mistrust,
fear, and desperation. The fact that poor black neighborhoods like the Ninth Ward were virtually destroyed, while the French
Quarter, home to many wealthier gays, was spared, increased the general feeling of division.
The Sisterhood Foundation suffered its own losses. Out of almost 400 members, only about 125 have come back to the city.
Sisterhood House was lost to storm damage, and Sisterhood Magazine is on hiatus. However, the Foundation continues to work.
Spaulding has opened a new restaurant, Nawlins Flava Café, with a meeting space upstairs where women are invited to come talk
about what they need to rebuild their lives and the lesbian community in their city. Spaulding and other Foundation volunteers
try to meet needs by soliciting donations from appliances to books to give returning women the things that will help them
start new homes. Gay and lesbian organizations are not really putting any assistance out there. Spaulding said, The needs
of the people that I'm in contact with go from the simple feminine [hygiene] items that we need, to a place to sleep, someplace
to cook a meal. I mean what's the point of giving somebody food stamps when they don't have a stove?
Work progresses slowly. There is still very little housing in New Orleans, and rents have skyrocketed. Many neighborhoods
are almost unrecognizable to those who once called them home. The progressive student population has all but disappeared,
as most colleges and schools are still closed. However, the spirit of survival is strong. On January 15, the French Quarter
was filled with tens of thousands of African Americans, celebrating their return home with a traditional Black street dance
called a second line. The theme of Sunday's second line was, Let's Take New Orleans Back, and it demonstrated a hope and determination
that also describes Spaulding's efforts in the Sisterhood Foundation.
The Foundation continues its work, offering simple yet indispensible help to New Orleans lesbians trying piece their lives
back together. Spaulding also hopes to rebuild Sisterhood House and continue working to encourage unity within the queer community.
The Sisterhood Foundation welcomes all donations. Go watch Two Towns of Jasper at 7:30 this Saturday, and do some thinking
about how racial divisions affect our own community. If you are unable to attend the film and discussion, you can send your
tax-deductible donation to Sisterhood Foundation, 830 N. Rampart St., New Orleans, LA, 70116.
|
