Periodically, different staff and Board members will be writing blog entries. Over the summer, we are going to begin inviting community members to also submit. This is the first entry for this blog written by Alfonso Wenker, currently Director of Programs and soon to be Director of Development & Communications.
Early on Friday, April 29, Kate and I got in a car and headed northwest. We spent two days listening and learning with LGBT and allied leaders in St. Cloud, Fargo and Grand Forks. Our travels were part of PFund’s QNet Roadshow – community listening sessions we hold in cities and towns across the greater Upper Midwest. We began this tradition last summer and will continue it into the coming year.
These community visits are our words in action. We’ve been writing here on our blog and speaking publicly about regular regional travel, community listening sessions and regional outreach. This is part of our commitment to be more accountable to our region as a whole.
In St. Cloud we met folks from St. Cloud Pride, Winning Marriage Equality and St. Cloud State University LGBT Center. Everyone in the room shared that they were battling the reputation of an unwelcoming St. Cloud. Much of their work is aimed at creating a welcoming and affirming climate for LGBT people living in and visiting St. Cloud. The organizations we met with are working to mobilize their communities and to provide St. Cloud and the surrounding communities with the skills needed to develop allies.
Following our visit to St. Cloud, we headed out to Fargo. There we were inspired by the work the Pride Collective and Community Center and Dakota LGBTQ Campus Alliance had done to organize a counter protest during a local production of The Laramie Project. When followers of Fred Phelps came to town to condemn the theatrical production, local groups organized more than 2,000 community members in a counter-demonstration that focused on building community within and among LGBT people. The local organizers also used this opportunity to focus on creating opportunities for developing a common agenda for LGBT communities in Fargo.
On Saturday, April 29, the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks was host to the first annual North Dakota GLBTQA Conference. PFund scholar, Tanner Schuh, was one of the primary organizers of the conference. During a feedback session he encouraged participants to consider making a gift to PFund. He shared, “I wouldn’t be in school if it weren’t for PFund’s recognition and support of my activism.” It was so exciting to see one of our scholars in action and organizing in his community.
National bisexual activist, Robyn Ochs, keynoted the conference. Robyn spoke of the importance of local organizing efforts and supporting one another in our work for the long haul. “We’ve made a lot of progress in our movement’s short history,” Robyn remarked. “But we have a long way to go until each and every one of us experiences the world as a just and fair place.”
As the first segment of our 2011 QNet Roadshow, Kate and I were moved by the breadth of commitment and brilliance across our region. We are excited to continue learning from community members as we begin to plan our next trip.
- - Alfonso
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