Martin Luther King Day is approaching

[stormkeeper_lovedoris]

Martin Luther King Day is on the 15th, and I have a bit of a dilemma. At work, the company's African American employee network is hosting a celebration on the 16th (we get the 15th off). They have asked the other affinity groups (Asian, Hispanic, women's, and GLBT) to attend the celebration and have a representative say a few words about MLK Day, what King meant to us, etc.

The chair of our GLBT group had asked for volunteers a while ago. I emailed him the other day and he said no one has stepped up to the plate yet. (In defense of our network, we are a pretty small group. But I am forced to admit that our membership is almost entirely white). We can't let MLK day pass and have our group not take part in it. So I was asked if I would say a few words.

I know there's a lot I can talk about. There are so many parallels between the struggles against racism and against homophobia (though I am also told that many racial minorities do not like their struggle being compared to gays and lesbians' fight for rights). I am just extremely nervous about doing this and not sure of what I'd say. Plus I don't have a lot of prep time.

Any ideas?

Comments

[earthwhatwere.livejournal.com]

This is coming from someone whose marriage is interracial--I'm white, my husband is black.

Homosexuality aside, unless you are a minority in the sense of race I'd steer clear of that issue.

Racism isn't dead or gone, but because of MLK's belief and fight for equal rights for all men and women, regardless of skin color, your company is likely blessed to have men and women in its ranks it couldn't have 40 years ago. Imagine how different your company would be without these people there.

[selve.livejournal.com]

Wow, what a bind. Well, you ARE being asked to speak about MLK's life and accomplishments from a specifically LGBT perspective. If the AA employee network had a problem with that comparison, they wouldn't have asked your group to contribute. Still, I guess it's best to play it safe.

Maybe you could focus on the struggle for equality--I don't think anyone could take issue with the fact that it's the common denomitator between various minority groups, whatever their particular experience.