| BWMT/Atlanta is a gay multiracial, multicultural organization committed to fostering supportive environments wherein racial and cultural barriers can be overcome and the goal of human equality realized. To these ends we engage in educational, political, cultural, and social activities as a means of dealing with racism, sexism, homophobia, HIV/AIDS discrimination and other inequities in our community and in our lives. All who share our goals are welcome. |
| Black and White Men Together |
| ATLANTA |
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| For people of all colors together. A part of the community since 1981. |
| Black and White Men Together |
| ATLANTA |
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| For people of all colors together. A part of the community since 1981. |
| A brief history of BWMT Atlanta. In 1981, four visionary and disgruntled souls came together at what was Crazy Ray's Restaurant (same location as the present Burkhart's in Ansley Square) to talk about founding a local BWMT chapter modeled after the San Francisco group founded by Mike Smith. Two of the four of us are still alive and living in Atlanta. We were riding on the revolutionary spirit which characterized the 1960's and 1970's. Our first and successive meetings were at the Atlanta Gay Center which was then in an old house on Ponce de Leon Avenue. The atmosphere in Atlanta in 1981 was hardly open in the sense that it is now, and racial discrimination in many of the bars was blatant. People of color were frequently carded (sometimes requiring as many as 4 or 5 i.d.'s), so the need for political action was primary in our minds. Our first meeting was on a cold November evening, and was well attended since we had run ads in the ETC magazine. We soon evolved into a political AND social group. I well remember the rap groups as being very lively with a stimulating and group therapy kind of format. We also started the tradition of pot lucks in individual members' homes, and we even published a newsletter (for which I was the movie critic). I am proud to say that we were the main catalyst for the passage of city ordnance banning discriminatory carding in the bars. We did that with the help of a young future mayor Bill Campbell, who attended a large benefit with us at the Egyptian Ballroom. Then came the AIDS pandemic in the late 1980's and early 90's. As with many other groups, we were hit hard and lost many beloved original founders. We persevered and steadily added new members throughout the 1990's and 2000's, even though at times membership waivered. All in all, the history of BWMT is one of brilliant survival due to the injection of new blood and their multi-faceted talents. Willis Bivins July 22, 2009 |