The National Association of Black and White Men Together, Inc.: A Gay Multiracial Organization for All People (NABWMT) is a network of chapters across the United States focused on LGBTQ and racial equality. It was founded in May 1980 in San Francisco as a consciousness-raising, multicultural organization and support group for gay men forming multiracial relationships. It is a registered IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
History and Impact
NABWMT began when founder Michael Smith placed an advertisement in The Advocate for a potluck that attracted 20 people. Within a year of its founding, local chapters were established in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Memphis, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, and Milwaukee. Chapters operate under various names, including "Black and White Men Together," "Men of All Colors Together" (MACT), "GREAT (Gay Racially Equal And Together) Men of (city)," and "People of All Colors Together" (PACT), the latter of which includes women. Local chapters host social and educational events and support their communities. For example, the Detroit chapter raised funds for and provided direct assistance to the Ruth Ellis Center in 2006.
As a result of AIDS education and support work carried out by chapters, the National Task Force on AIDS Prevention (NTFAP) and Bay Area HIV Support and Education Services (BAHSES) both emerged from NABWMT in the late 1980s. In 1980, Reggie Williams, an executive director of NABWMT and NTFAP, began outreach to Black gay and bisexual men, as well as other gay men of color communities in San Francisco.
Conventions
The first national convention was held in San Francisco in 1981. Notable convention speakers have included Walter Naegle (Bayard Rustin's partner), historian Dr. Martin Duberman, United States Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders, Chris Bartlett (executive director of the William Way LGBT Community Center), Pauline Park, Ohio State Representative Sandra Williams, and Joseph Fairchild Beam (editor of the anthology In the Life).
Archives
Materials relating to the organization are held by the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries, described in an Online Archive of California collection guide. The collection includes photographs documenting activities in the Los Angeles area, including images by photographer Miles R. Everitt. Additional records are held by the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University.
