Collection

Holmes, Sandy Collection

Span Dates: 1978-2000
Bulk Dates:
Volume: .85 cubic feet

Description

This collection contains materials collected by Sandy Holmes, who served as secretary to the Bay Area Black Lesbians and Gays (BABLAG) in the mid-1980s. Of interest is the BABLAG connection with the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays (NCBLG). Black MCC ministers Darlene Garner, Renee McCoy, and Delores P. Berry were central to the founding and leadership of the NCBLG.

Hist/Bio Note

Sandy Holmes is a lesbian activist who was involved in a number of Black queer rights organizations throughout the 1970s and 1980s, in addition to working for the ACLU, parenting, and pursuing her interest in film studies. Holmes served as secretary to the Bay Area Black Lesbians and Gays (BAYBLAG) in the mid-1980s. A decade prior to her involvement in BAYBLAG, while Holmes was a student at Yale University, she headed a campus group called Yalesbians. Established in 1982, the Bay Area Black Lesbians and Gays (BAYBLAG) was a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the civil rights of gay and lesbian people of color. The group was among the earliest Black gay and lesbian societies in the Bay Area. In addition to hosting social events at members’ homes, BAYBLAG organized campaigns aimed at educating the general public about Black and queer issues, such as economic oppression and the AIDS epidemic. BAYBLAG was closely affiliated with the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays (NCBLG). In 1988, members of BAYBLAG joined with other local organizers to form the NCBLG’s first Bay Area chapter. In 1978, A. Billy S. Jones-Hennin, Darlene Garner, and Delores P. Berry organized the National Coalition of Black Gays (NCBG) in Columbia, Maryland, to provide a national advocacy forum for African American gay men and lesbians at a time when no other organization existed to express their views. The organizers, also including Louis Hughes, Gilberto Gerald, Rev. Renee McCoy, and John Gee, were motivated by a belief that existing gay and lesbian organizations did not represent the views and experiences of African Americans. In 1984, NCBG added Lesbian to its name to become the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays. Renee McCoy assumed leadership of NCBLG when HIV/AIDS was approaching the height of global devastation and the organization was forced to narrow its focus to this disease, joining with other organizations serving people of color to ensure equitable care. McCoy continued providing pastoral support through the ministries of MCC Washington D.C. When health and financial challenges required her to move back to Detroit, NCBLG agreed to relocate the national office to Detroit and she remained the Executive Director until 1988.

Finding Aid

An online finding aid is available through the Online Archives of California.
https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8qz2hxr/

Location

GLBT Historical Society San Francisco, California 94103
https://www.glbthistory.org

Tags

McCoy, Renee | Garner, Darlene | National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays | MCC | Black | Berry, Delores