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EQMD TO HONOR SEN. GWENDOLYN BRITT AT NIGHT OUT FOR EQUALITY ON JUNE 1
by: Equality Maryland, OIA Newswire
Equality Maryland is
pleased to honor the late
Sen. Gwendolyn T.
Britt
with the Advocate for Equality Award
at the
7th Annual
Night
Out For Equality
Gala
CELEBRATING
OUR SUCCESSES –
HONORING OUR HEROES
Sunday, June
1, 2008
6:00 - 11:30 pm
Marriott
Bethesda North Hotel
and Conference
Center
Our Special
Guest
George Takei
Our
Emcee
Candace Gingrich
Out For
Equality Award
Takoma Park Mayor
Bruce
Williams
Ally For Equality
Award
Montgomery County
Council Member
Duchy
Trachtenberg
Ally For Equality
Award
Attorney General
Doug
Gansler
State
Senator Gwendolyn T. Britt lived her life fighting for the
rights and dignity of others. In the 1960s, Britt took
tremendous personal risks fighting for the civil rights of
African Americans by challenging and changing the practice of
segregated seating at lunch counters in Prince George's County,
Montgomery County, along the Route 40 corridor between
Hyattsville and Baltimore, and as far south as Warrenton,
Virginia. Her work in Virginia was the first desegregation of
any kind in that state's history.
Britt made headlines in Washington
in 1960 when she and four other black friends sat on the
merry-go-round at Glen Echo Park, segregated at the time, and
were arrested for trespassing. The lawsuit that they
subsequently filed challenging the Park's policies eventually
made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and successfully
led to the desegregation of Glen Echo Park. Britt went on to
become a Freedom Rider, fighting Jim Crow laws in Mississippi,
where she spent 40 days in jail for sitting in a whites-only
train station waiting room in 1961. She was also a voter
registration volunteer in McComb, Mississippi, helping African
Americans who had been denied the right to register to vote
because they could not interpret the Constitution before white
registrars.
Within hours of the court ruling
that upheld Maryland's 34-year-old ban on same-sex marriages,
Sen. Britt announced that she would be the lead sponsor on a
Senate bill to legalize civil marriage for same-sex couples. At
a time in our nation's history where LGBT people seek champions
for the equal protection of our families, Sen. Britt rose up and
declared our cause her own. She was a founding member of the
Maryland Black Family Alliance, a coalition of Black families
and leaders speaking out against discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation and gender identity.
Gwendolyn Britt, a true Maryland
gem, stood with LGBT Americans because it was the right, and not
necessarily the most popular, thing to do. Sen. Britt was only
66 when she died in January. She is survived by her husband,
Travis Britt, two children, and five
grandchildren. Full Story. [5/15/08]
1ST ANNUAL JOINT REFORM JEWISH GLBT PRIDE SHABBAT SERVICE
Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, Har Sinai Congregation, Temple Emanuel of Baltimore & Temple Oheb Shalom > Full Story. [5/14/08]
AIDS ACTION BALTIMORE AND THE HIPPO PRESENT SANDRA BERNHARD
On Friday, May 2,
2008, AIDS Action Baltimore and The Hippo will host two
performances by the legendary Sandra
Bernhard. The shows will be held at The Hippo, One West Eager Street,
at 8pm and 10pm. A Champagne Reception will be held at 7pm, preceding the 8pm
show. Tickets for either show are available for $55 for reserved
seating (sold in tables of four), or $30 for standing room.
Tickets for the Champagne Reception, which will feature an appearance by Ms. Bernhard, will include
reserved seats for the 8
PM show and are available for $100. Proceeds will benefit AIDS Action
Baltimore. > Full Story. [4/24/08]
BALTIMORE TO HOST REGIONAL MEETING FOR HIV COMMUNITY
BALTIMORE—On Monday, May 5, from 5 p.m.
to 8 p.m., people living with HIV/AIDS and their service providers
from across the mid-Atlantic region will gather in Baltimore for CAEAR Coalition’s HIV Community Meeting: “Have
Your Voice Heard in DC…Without Leaving Baltimore.” The
meeting will take place at First and Franklin
Street Presbyterian Church, at 201 W. Madison Street in Baltimore. > Full Story. [4/24/08]
SAVE THE DATE! NIGHT OUT FOR EQUALITY GALA - JUNE 1, 2008
Mark your calendar for
Equality Maryland's 7th Annual > Full Story. [3/7/08]
EQUALITY MARYLAND URGES GOVERNOR O'MALLEY TO EXTEND EQUAL BENEFITS TO STATE EMPLOYEES
Monday, February 4, 2008 > Full Story. [2/6/08]
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