Black & White Men Together

The Milwaukee chapter of Black and White Men Together (BWMT) began in fall 1980, only seven months after the original chapter formed in San Francisco.  Nine additional chapters formed within this same timeframe, including New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Memphis, Chicago, Detroit, and Atlanta.

Founding members of BWMT-Milwaukee included Mark Behar, Paul DeMarco, Steve Byers, Alyn Hess, and Michael Lisowski.

Over the years, BWMT-Milwaukee experienced many transitions, including a period of decline and even briefly disbanding.  However, the group has rebounded and is again a national player.

In July 2014, the local chapter hosted the national BWMT convention in Milwaukee.

Here is organizational information from the BWMT-Milwaukee website:

Vision
Black and White Men Together - Milwaukee (BWMT-Milwaukee) is a gay, multi-racial, multi-cultural organization established in 1981 as an outlet for social interaction for men of all ethnic persuasions. We are committed to fostering a better understanding of issues across color lines. We are also committed to combating discrimination in the lesbigay community and society at large.

Mission
To these ends, we foster a supportive environment for interracial relationships and friendships and engage in educational, political, cultural, and social activities as a means of dealing with the racism, sexism, homophobia, and other inequalities in our communities and in our lives.

In 2004, D.A. Leonard provided this organizational history:

The early years

The primary purpose of BWMT was two-fold: to combat racism in the gay community and homophobia in the white and Black communities. Membership quickly grew in the early 80s to 40-45 members. At its peak in 1986-1987, BWMT-Milwaukee had a membership of 65 men, with an additional 25-30 friends regularly attending social functions.

In Milwaukee, the BWMT Chapter also took on a mission of education and political action in the local community. Further, BWMT-Milwaukee provided a safe environment for interracial couples and singles interested in interracial dating. Members challenged discriminatory entry policies at local gay bars, which were designed to keep Black customers out. BWMT-Milwaukee also provided financial, lobbying, and letter-writing support for the Wisconsin Gay Rights Law of 1982.

Throughout the 1980s, the Milwaukee chapter hosted three regional meetings alongside other Great Lakes and Midwest chapters. These weekend meetings brought 60-70 visitors to Milwaukee for workshops, political action sessions, and social events. "Regionals" were held at smaller downtown Milwaukee hotels, including the Ramada or Holiday Inn. When Milwaukee was not hosting a regional, the local chapter sponsored an anniversary weekend reception, banquet, and speaker series. The Banquet keynote was usually a state politician friendly to the LGBTQ community, including State Representative Marcia Coggs, State Senator Gary George, Judge Stanley Miller, State Representative Tim Carpenter, County Supervisor Betty Coggs-Jones and County Supervisor Dorothy Dean and the Governor's Liaison to the Gay/Lesbian Community, Earl Bricker.

In1982, the Milwaukee chapter sent delegates to the NABWMT National Convention for the first time. Since then, Milwaukee has been represented every year at the national convention. In 1987, Milwaukee hosted the National Convention. The Convention Committee received letters of commendation from Milwaukee Mayor Henry Maier, Milwaukee County Executive William F. O'Donnell, and Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson. In addition, a sign was posted on the south side of City Hall welcoming the delegates to the NABWMT Convention. This was the first time Milwaukee City Hall signage welcomed a gay organization to town.

A decade of decline

Membership began to wane in the early 1990s, as many original members left the organization, moved away, passed away, or were directly impacted by the AIDS crisis.  In addition, four members of BWMT-Milwaukee were victims of Jeffrey Dahmer.

As cultural pressures shifted, some Black members were pressured by community leaders to renounce their interracial relationships and date within their own race. Others went back into the closet and stepped away from organized activism altogether. White members were frequently bombarded with anti-Black racism, and that pressure increased throughout the 1990s.

To combat membership decline, the organization changed its name twice. In 1993, BWMT-Milwaukee changed its name to Men of All Colors Together (MACT) when a Hispanic member joined. Two years later, the name changed to People of All Colors Together (PACT) to reflect two Black lesbians joining the group. These name changes did not resolve the membership crisis. In fact, the group seemed more mistrusted by other racial and ethnic groups than ever. 

In fall 1997, the chapter disbanded, although a few of the long-term members maintained contact with one another and continued individual membership in the NABWMT. Five couples launched an interracial men's support group called Milwaukee Men Together in fall 1998. This group never expanded beyond its original five couples, only met infrequently for dinning out occasions, and eventually disbanded.

The rebirth of BWMT-Milwaukee

In fall 1999, two Milwaukeeans -- who were in interracial relationships but had never been a member of the organization -- made contact with each other via the Internet. At the bequest of the National Organization, these two men attempted to resurrect a chapter in Milwaukee.

They achieved the impossible:  BWMT-Milwaukee was back! On August 15, 1999, they launched a website. On September 20, 1999, they held their first meeting at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center. Thanks to strategic local advertising, the small meeting room was overflowing with interested men.

Subsequent monthly meetings grew to over 20 members. The new group is primarily social; however, there are occasional political or educational discussions. The group sponsors a number of house parties, dining out experiences, and cultural events throughout the year.

In fall 2000, BWMT-Milwaukee sponsored a successful Midland Regional for all eleven chapters of the organization. The Milwaukee group is represented at PrideFest Milwaukee, the National LGBTQ Task Force Creating Change Conference, Midland Regional Meetings, and the NABWMT conventions. 

While the local chapter does not have a website, BWMT-Milwaukee maintains an active Facebook group.

The UWM Archives LGBT Collection has ownership of the BWMT-Milwaukee Collection, including organizational documents from 1981-1991.

The collection documents the functions and activities of the Milwaukee chapter of Black and White Men Together (BWMT), which held its first membership meeting in November 1980. BWMT--Milwaukee provided a safe environment for gay male, interracial couples and individuals interested in interracial dating. It also raised awareness about and combated racism within Milwaukee's gay community and homophobia within its black community. The collection includes brochures and fliers, newsletters, correspondence between the Milwaukee chapter and the national association, agendas and minutes from membership and steering committee meetings, and information about the 1987 national convention held in Milwaukee. The collection also contains some general information about the national association (NABWMT).