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Kerry Lobel, Exec Dir of NGLTF, Resigns from MMOW Board
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Subject: NGLTF's Executive Director, Kerry Lobel, resigns from MMOW Board=20
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1999 13:06:17 EDT
Kerry Lobel resigned from the Board of Directors of the Millennium March on
Washington at the Board meeting which began on Sunday, April 25, 1999. The
resignation is effective immediately. She has served on the Board of
Directors of the Millennium March on Washington since June, 1998.
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April 25, 1999
Dear Colleagues,
It is with great regret that I resign as a member of the Board of Directors
of the Millennium March on Washington, effective immediately.
The reasons for my resignation stem from three basic issues, which have
continued to grow over time. First, I have significant political
disagreements with the March call and planning, which have not been
addressed. Secondly, I have grown increasingly skeptical of the value of
this event for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) movement
at this time. And finally, I cannot endorse certain decisions made by the
Board. Although I have great trust and affection for each of you
individually, it does not assuage my concerns and questions. I now believe I
will be most helpful to the community from outside the Board.
Since the initial call for the March, grassroots activists have consistently
challenged us as national leaders. Their concerns address the credibility
and legitimacy of the March and they have demanded an opening of the March
process for greater discussion. The questions have been on whether to march,
what agenda to march for, and how best to use the tremendous platform and
visibility that such marches provide.
Despite my political disagreements with the call and process, I agreed to
serve on the March Board, believing my participation could change the course
of the process. I also felt that as a representative of the oldest national
political organization, and one of the few explicitly progressive national
GLBT groups, my voice was needed in the March planning process. I stated at
the time that I would remain on the Board as long as my presence represented
the best interests of Task Force members, our constituents, and the movement
as a whole.
Since I joined the Board, my participation has been challenged by members
and activists with whom we have deep and long-standing relationships.
Individuals from all perspectives have intensively engaged me, the Task
Force staff, and our Board. I took their concerns to heart and carried them
in my work on the March Board. During my tenure, I voted in the minority on
key resolutions on personnel issues, the naming of the March, and the
broadening of the planning effort to allow more people a seat at the table.
I helped lead the successful effort to ensure that funds raised by the March
would go to statewide organizations, people of color organizations and other
constituents underrepresented in our movement. However, the Board has
largely ignored the fundamental issues that lead me into become involved:
why we should march, the agenda, and the involvement of the entire GLBT
community. I cannot serve on a Board that will not open itself to greater
input and scrutiny from the communities we claim to represent.
The second reason for my resignation is that I continue to doubt the value
of this March at this time. I honor the value of our previous national
Marches and acknowledge them as having been political turning points in the
lives of many current leaders and activists. However, the effectiveness of
such an enormous commitment of time and resources at a moment when more and
more energy is demanded of the GLBT movement at the state and local level is
questionable. Nothing so dramatically reinforced this as the success of
Equality Begins at Home.
Held one month ago and sponsored by the Federation of LGBT Statewide
Political Organizations and the Task Force, EBAH was supported by national
and local groups, including the March Board. It demonstrated the incredible
power of investing in state and local movement building. It also exemplified
the real possibilities for political advancement of GLBT equality in every
state. More favorable bills were introduced in state legislatures, more
allies were reached and involved, more media coverage was generated in every
state on GLBT issues than had ever been achieved at the state level. Because
of its overwhelming success, the campaign is likely to be repeated in years
to come, perhaps even annually.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has committed the vast majority of
its resources to deepening and growing political power in every state. The
time I have spent on the March Board has taken away from my important work
at the state and local level. I need to concentrate my energies on NGLTF=B9s
efforts to build this state-by-state movement and on advocating for our
grassroots constituents at the national level. This is the heart and soul of
our work and it requires us to have the courage of our convictions.
Finally as a Board member, I have had personal financial responsibility and
liability for the nonprofit corporation producing the March. I am concerned
that the March is not moving forward in a strategic manner. I am also
concerned that neither the Board members nor our GLBT community have full
access to information about March management and finances. I can no longer
accept the personal risk my participation on the Board requires. I hope that
my colleagues, many of whom are working very hard and responsibly, will push
for information and accountability in the planning process.
In closing, I want to assure you that the Task Force will be visible at the
Millennium March on Washington to encourage gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgendered people from around the country to continue their work through
state and local organizing. They will come to Washington to experience the
power of gathering in their nation=B9s capital, to feel strength in numbers,
and to create a show of force for the GLBT community. We will be persistent
in our efforts to ensure that the energy and momentum of the March carries
to local communities. The financial commitments made by the March Board to
organizations dedicated to statewide organizing and people of color
organizing could be the finest legacy the March will leave to our=20
movement.
If significant changes are made in the March planning and organizing, the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will gladly consider rejoining the
planning efforts for the Millennium March on Washington. In the meantime, we
will advocate for the inclusion of our entire community in the March process
and for the linking of our agenda to those of other movements for social
justice. We hope these issues will be reflected in the March planning and
agenda.
Sincerely,
Kerry Lobel, Executive Director, NGLTF
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