Dear Friends,

We are writing to keep you informed about proposed changes at the Center. Our building at 1407 Sherwood Avenue has been put on the market. While we hope to sell the building, we are not changing our mission or retreating from our commitment to the LGBT community in Central Virginia.

As the Board of Directors of the Richmond Gay Community Foundation, Inc., the parent organization for Diversity Thrift and the Gay Community Center of Richmond, we have an obligation to be good stewards of the Foundation’s resources. The Board has decided that the facility is not central to our mission and that too much of our energy and resources currently is committed to its maintenance.

The building is huge, much bigger than we need to operate Diversity Thrift and other Center programs. Much of the space in the building remains in need of renovation and, therefore unusable. In addition, the location is not ideal for our purposes, and the building is not as close to public transit as we would like. The location and transportation accessibility issues have been cited as reasons that the facility remains underutilized by the community.

After months of study, wrestling with the issues, and thoughtful consideration of the alternatives, the Board voted to put the building up for sale. The plan is to relocate Diversity Thrift to another location, and to identify appropriate alternative space for the Foundation’s offices, current Center programs like SAGE, and community meetings.

We are in the process of developing a business plan for Diversity Thrift which will help determine how much space we will need at the new location and the best ways to maximize revenues. We want to continue to build on Diversity Thrift’s reputation as the best thrift in Richmond and to increase our ability to return value to the community.

We continue to be committed to serving the GLBT community of Central Virginia and working toward full equality and inclusion. At the same time, every responsible nonprofit must constantly examine itself to ensure that it is serving its constituency and the public in the best possible ways, investing donated dollars wisely and producing programs that are needed by the community. These are not decisions that the Board has taken lightly.

If you have questions or suggestions, please contact our interim CEO, at Bill.Harrison@lgbtrichmond.net or by calling 804.622.4646, ext. 20.

Thank you for your continued support.

Very truly yours,

John Melleky	Beth Marschak
Board Chair	Chair Elect

Saturday, March 10  |  5 pm  |  GCCR Event Hall  |  $5 suggested donation

“I Am” chronicles the journey of an Indian lesbian filmmaker who returns to Delhi, eleven years later, to re-open what was once home, and finally confronts the loss of her mother whom she never came out to. As she meets and speaks to parents of other gay and lesbian Indians, she pieces together the fabric of what family truly means, in a landscape where being gay was until recently a criminal and punishable offense. This award winning film by VCU Film Professor, Sonali Gulati, is an intimate look at the meaning of family.

The screening of “I Am” by Sonali Gulati will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker. Saturday, March 10 at 5 pm in the GCCR Event Hall. Suggested donation: $5 (more if you can, less if you can’t, no one turned away)

See the multiple awards “I Am” has won, and view the trailer at http://www.sonalifilm.com/I-AM.html.

It has only been a few days since I assumed the job as Interim Executive Director of the Gay Community Center of Richmond, but the work is consuming me. And that’s good. GCCR has such potential and it is exciting as we begin the process of plotting our future.

One of our major funders, Diversity Thrift, is doing well. We are looking at ways to make the stores even more profitable, customer- friendly and service oriented.

Our bingo games, another major income source, continue to bring in several hundred players each week.  Like the thrift stores, this is due to the diligence of dedicated paid and volunteer staff.

Just within my first few days as CEO I have heard from several people, past and present GCCR supporters, who want to know what’s going on. As one person asked, “You’ve got money coming in, but no money going back into the community. Why is that?” Good question.

As you probably know, GCCR was originally created with one aspect of the mission to be a source of financial support for other programs that benefit our community. That has not happened for several years and that is one of our top priorities….to make sure we have the resources to resume providing grants to organizations doing great work in our community.

We are actually giving back to the community in ways maybe not so apparent. For example, we supply meeting and event space at our Center for numerous community organizations and communities of faith. We also provide marketing support to community organizations through our newsletter, website and electronic billboard that is seen by a minimum of 100,000 travelers every day. We also offer an array of events and programs here at the Center which are explained in our newsletter and on our website, GayRichmond.com.

With that said, we are examining our programs to ensure that they are what the community wants and needs. We must develop projects that will provide benefit to the community and fill gaps…areas that other nonprofits are not addressing.

We have much to do and we need your input. Please let me hear from you. Call me at 804-622-4646, ext. 20 or write me at Bill.Harrison@LGBTRichmond.net. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Bill Harrison
Interim Executive Director

“We are elated that we could snag Bill,” stated Beth Marschak, incoming GCCR Board Chair. “He is so well respected, has a wealth of nonprofit experience, is a bridge-builder and people person. His commitment to the community’s causes has been proven many times.”

“I was very humbled, but a bit conflicted when they approached me,” stated Harrison. “I took early retirement last spring and have loved my new life of writing. It is a decision I took very seriously as I wanted to make sure I could deliver what is needed as we strategize the Center’s future.”
“I had my questions, my concerns, and the board addressed all of them. We had very honest, direct conversations. I have complete confidence in their support and can’t wait to get to work,” he said.

Harrison’s affiliations include serving as Board Chair for the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities; Public Relations Society of America, Richmond Chapter; past board chair of the Downtown Neighborhood Association and past board member of the Virginia ACLU.

Sunday, February 19th  |  8 pm  |  GCCR Event Hall  |  $12 in advance

GCCR welcomes SONiA and disappear fear back to Richmond. This is a rare appearance of SONiA and the band, including one of Richmond’s favorite drummers, Debbie Flood. Come support GCCR’s music program and hear a fantastic one of a kind artist and activist!

Live Authentically, Love Out Loud, Disappear Fear

“SONiA is an incredible person as well as a great songwriter with meaningful, impactful music.  I’ll admit from the beginning that I am not at all objective about SONiA and Disappear Fear; I am a huge fan, and I recently had an opportunity to sit down and talk to SONiA via phone about her life and her music.

SONiA performs socially relevant songs with deep, impactful lyrics that sit right in your gut.  They typically aren’t angry songs, but they do call all of us to account. Many of her songs address deep social justice issues:  peace, poverty, racism, and homophobia, among others.  Ultimately they also speak of the healing power of love, and the power of love to “disappear fear “.

In addition to having socially relevant lyrics, her music spans many styles.  Most of her albums probably fall somewhere in the folk rock spectrum, but, her three most recent CD’s reflect the diversity of styles.  Her most recent release “Get Your Phil,” is a collection of Phil Ochs songs, more in a folk tradition. “Blood, Bones and Baltimore” was very bluesy.   “Tango,” on which she sings in English, Spanish, Hebrew and Arabic (all the songs are translated into all 4 languages in the liner notes) might be considered “world music.”  SONiA has released over a dozen albums and sold over 500,000 worldwide; whatever mood you’re experiencing, you can find songs in SONiA’s music that reflect that mood, both lyrically and musically.

I also like how her music is described in her bio on her website (www.disappearfear.com):  “SONiA writes and performs captivating love songs and confronts the hypocrisies and biases of our culture with a positive message of openness and optimism.  Having performed in Israel/ Palestine and in many parts of the world, SONiA‘s Judaic roots live in the colors of her songs and paintings.”

For a moment I want to talk about SONiA herself.  It is still somewhat unusual to find out artists today.  When Disappear Fear was formed in 1987, it wasn’t unusual to find lesbian artists who were open but playing only in the “women’s music” circuit.  SONiA , however, was unusual: an out lesbian artist who sought to play to wider audiences in mixed venues who took her uncompromising social justice message wherever she played.  Her uncompromising integrity and dedication to the message may have at times kept her from playing larger more profitable venues; her refusal to tone down her political message actually recently lost her a booking at a large conference (note:  when I use the term political here, I’m not speaking in terms of Republican or Democratic politics, but global social justice politics).

When the band was formed in 1987, it was SONiA and her sister Cindy.  SONiA at the time was working for the Baltimore Center for Victims of Sexual Assault, which was looking for a new name.  SONiA suggested “The Disappear Fear Center” because ultimately she felt that helping victims overcome their fear was one of the greatest challenges, and at the very core of work with domestic violence survivors.  When a person is assaulted and abused, they become very afraid of their world, and to get their lives back, to become confident and empowered, they must find a way to disappear fear in their lives.  The shelter didn’t adopt the name, but when SONiA and Cindy were looking for a name for the band, the name was still on SONiA’s mind. Music is one thing that reaches beyond borders, whether they are personal, political or geographic, and helps to break down barriers of fear and anger.  Thus “Disappear Fear” was born.

There have been many configurations of Disappear Fear, but SONiA has been the heart and soul from the beginning.  SONiA has played as a solo act, duo with her sister Cindy, recently with Laura Cerulli, and with various sized bands.  One of her tours took her to Israel and Palestine in 2006, when Israel and Lebanon were engaged militarily with bombings.  While on this trip she performed at a Palestinian girls’ camp.  When SONiA was leaving the camp, some of the girls wanted to keep her guitar. She did not leave her guitar, but she promised to get them one.  This group of girls just wanted a means to musically express themselves.  Sonia said “music is a great way to pull yourself out of a difficult situation” and dispel some of the pervasive fear.   She fulfilled her promise not long after returning home and Guitars for Peace was born.  Guitars for Peace delivers guitars and musical instruments to children in the Middle East and Third World countries.

This trip to the Middle East amidst an armed conflict is another example of SONiA’s dedication and integrity; it was a trip that involved risk and fear, a lot of people urged her not to go because they were afraid for her safety.  When we talked, SONiA said that she had to be true to herself, to the underlying message of Disappear Fear, and that she felt she had to go.  I had heard the story before, but each time I feel more respect for SONiA.

SONiA also puts her money where her mouth is.  She has performed at a number of benefits to raise money for causes she believes in, to help make our world a better place in which to live in.  She has been involved for a number of years with The Friends of Daniel Pearl Festival (FODfest).  Daniel Pearl was a Jewish American journalist who was kidnapped and brutally murdered by Pakistani extremists in 2002.  Shortly after Pearl’s death, his parents founded the Daniel Pearl Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music, and dialogue.  FODfest, Inc. is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to strengthen, empower, and educate communities through the universal language of music, which obviously fits so well with the mission and vision of SONiA and Disappear Fear.

Consistent with her social justice vision and mission, SONiA’s independent record label disappear records, also donates 18% of sales to the UN World Food Programme, which provides food for children throughout the world.  Donating part of her sales to the UN Food Programme and being involved in FODfest are just two of the many ways that SONiA gives back.  I believe sharing her gift of music is also a tangible way that she gives back because it is hard not to be moved by the music to live more authentically.  If we all lived more authentic lives, I think the world will be a better place.

Talking about SONiA always comes back to the music. It’s hard to pinpoint favorites, because I have different favorites depending on how I’m thinking and feeling on any particular day, but I’ll mention just a couple of songs that I have been listening to a lot lately.  One of these is “By My Silence,” from the CD Splash, which is based on a sermon by Pastor Martin Niemoller in Nazi Germany, and talks about how people are complicit in violence through silence.  In our conversation, SONiA brought this into today by talking about bullying.  Bullies, whether they are youth or adults (look at the current public language about LGBT people), do not act in a vacuum. When good people do not stand up and speak up, bullies are empowered.

Another one of her songs that has resonated with me lately is “Is There Anybody Here?” a Phil Ochs song, which is included on several of her CDs including “Get Your Phil.”  One line is particularly impactful. “Is there anybody here that thinks that following orders takes away the blame?”  When I mentioned that line and the song, SONiA also pointed out that this has relevance not just to the military, but to other entities like the police.  I think it particularly resonates with me right now because of the Occupy Movement and the violence that has been occurring against non-violent protesters.

While I could talk all day about SONiA and her music, I doubt I could keep your attention that long.  You can find information about SONiA at www.disappearfear.com.  I hope to see you here at GCCR where you can experience SONiA for yourself.” Cindy Bray

Sunday, February 19 at 8 pm in the GCCR Event Hall
Tickets: $12 in advance, $18 at the door. Available at Diversity Thrift and DT2 and online. Purchase tickets online here. Tickets purchased online include a $1 service fee.

Learn more about SONiA and disappear fear at their website.

Saturday, March 17  |   8 pm  |  GCCR Event Hall  |  $5 in advance

Experience the dynamic and compelling performance of Adegbalola and Barnes as they conjure up another era and put on one hell of a show.

“Gaye Adegbalola embraces and redefines the classic style of the great blues divas of the 1920′s and 1930′s, those of the fiercely independent ‘wild women’ who were unashamed to lay their souls bare and unafraid to give advice. She invokes the spirit and addresses the lyrics and improvisational techniques of the classic blues women and brings history to life” Gaye was a founding member of Saffire the Uppity Blues Women and is truly the epitome of “Uppity.” Roddy Barnes is a classically trained pianist and can play any genre, but excels in the old-timey sound that works best with this music.

Saturday, March 17 at 8 pm. Doors open at 7:30 pm. All seating is general admission.

Tickets are $5 in advance, $10 at the door, at Diversity Thrift and DT2. Tickets are also available online here. Tickets purchased online include a $1 service fee.

A master strategist and tireless activist, Bayard Rustin is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the United States. He brought Gandhi’s protest techniques to the American civil rights movement, and helped mold Martin Luther King, Jr. into an international symbol of peace and nonviolence.

You are invited to a screening and discussion of the award-winning film “BROTHER OUTSIDER: THE LIFE OF BAYARD RUSTIN” on Sunday, March 18th, at 4 PM in the GCCR Classroom. A $5 donation is suggested.

Despite his many achievements, Rustin was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned and fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay man in a fiercely homophobic era. Five years in the making and the winner of numerous awards, BROTHER OUTSIDER presents a feature-length documentary portrait, focusing on Rustin’s activism for peace, racial equality, economic justice and human rights.

Today, the United States is still struggling with many of the issues Bayard Rustin sought to change during his long, illustrious career. His focus on civil and economic rights and his belief in peace, human rights and the dignity of all people remain as relevant today as they were in the 1950s and 60s.

Rustin’s biography is particularly important for lesbian and gay Americans, highlighting the major contributions of a gay man to ending official segregation in America. Rustin stands at the confluence of the great struggles for civil, legal and human rights by African-Americans and lesbian and gay Americans. In a nation still torn by racial hatred and violence, bigotry against homosexuals, and extraordinary divides between rich and poor, his eloquent voice is needed today.

Popcorn and drinks will be available for a donation.

Learn more at the film’s website.

It’s time again this year to join MCC Richmond’s Spirits of Joy and other choirs from local churches and synagogues to “Sing Out for Freedom, Pray for Peace.” This annual event is a glorious celebration of the human desire for freedom and peace, and is free and open to the public. An amazing variety of choirs—MCC, Mormons, Baptists, Presbyterians, Jewish—bring their distinctive styles into one place for great music and testimony.

4 pm, Sunday, January 22 at Congregation Beth Ahabah, 1111 West Franklin Street (just east of Stuart Circle). Their parking deck is across the street. A lovely reception will follow the concert. Come. Be inspired. Support our choir.

Saturday, February 11  |   7 – 11 pm  |  Event Hall  |  $10 for Adults, $5 for Students with ID

Come out to GCCR and dance the night away on Saturday February 11 at our 3rd Annual Love Equality Style Dance. Although it’s happening right before Valentine’s Day this is not just for people with a sweetheart or significant other – singles and couples of all ages are welcome. We encourage singles to come and join the fun. There will be a DJ and light refreshments provided.

You can dedicate a song to that special someone or possibly meet someone new to dance with. If you have requests for specific songs, email Stephanie at Stephanie.Smilth@LGBTRichmond.net.

Saturday, February 11, from 7 – 11 pm in the GCCR Event Hall. $10 for Adults, $5 for students with ID. More information will follow soon.

Every other Thursday  |  GCCR Lounge  |  7 – 8:30 pm  |  $95

GCCR announces the second installment of Reading and Writing LGBT Lives, our ongoing series of writing workshops. This course, set to meet every other Thursday began February 2nd, and showcases the work of two Black artists whose unique insights and sensibilities have expanded the boundaries of our common humanity. The course is taught by Randy Marshall. (Late starters are welcome to join.)

Randall Kenan is an American author of fiction and nonfiction. Raised in a rural community in North Carolina, Kenan has focused his fiction on what it means to be black and gay in the southern United States.

His stories, at once uplifting and troubling, explore the grey areas where individual passion and personal history get tangled up in the grape-vine of a made-up town, in its gossip and its gospel. But the love and loneliness and longing for redemption that Kenan’s characters share are as real as it gets.  

Audre Lorde, self-styled “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” dedicated her life and her talent to confronting the injustices of racism, sexism, and homophobia. Her writing, as Joan Martin notes in Black Women Writers (1950-1980): A Critical Evaluation, “rings with passion, sincerity, perception, and depth of feeling.” Lorde resisted modern society’s tendency to categorize groups of people and fought the marginalization of such categories as “lesbian” and “black woman,” thereby empowering her readers to react to the prejudice in their own lives.

Born Audrey Geraldine Lorde on February 18, 1934, this Caribbean-American essayist, poet, and activist was published very regularly during the 1960s—in Langston Hughes’ 1962 New Negro Poets, USA; in foreign anthologies; and in black literary magazines. During this time, she was politically active in the civil rights, anti-war, and feminist movements. Lorde identified issues of class, race, age, gender and even health—this last was added as she battled cancer in her later years—as being fundamental to the female experience. She argued that, although the gender difference has received all the focus, these other differences are also essential and must be recognized and addressed.

Lorde was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1978 and underwent a mastectomy. Six years later she was diagnosed with liver cancer. She wrote The Cancer Journals which, in 1981, won the American Library Association Gay Caucus Book of the Year Award. She lost her fourteen year battle with the disease on November 17, 1992.  Her outspoken poetry and cultural criticism are her legacy.

The course is taught by Randy Marshall. Marshall earned his BA in Spanish from VCU in 1991 and his MFA in creative writing, also from VCU, in 1997. His poems, essays, and reviews have appeared in the Richmond Arts Magazine, GSU Review, Cream City Review, and Blackbird (an online journal of literature and the arts). Marshall co-edited Larry Levis: The Gazer Within, which was published in 2001 by the University of Michigan Press as part of its Poets on Poetry series. Since 1999, he has been a featured contributor to Platform, a broadside published by New Virginia Review to promote Poetic Principles (an ongoing reading/lecture series that has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts). Selections of his poetry were finalists in the Frank O’Hara Award Chapbook Competitions for 2004 and 2005. He lives and works in Richmond and currently serves as a senior editor for Blackbird.

This course will meet 6 times: February 2^nd and 16^th, March 1^st and 15^th, and April 5^th and 19^th from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. Registration is $95. For more information contact jrandymarshall@gmail.com or call Cindy Bray at 804-622-4646 ext. 22.