Fall/Winter ascent2009 Art Direction & Design: ©Emerson, Wajdowicz Studios / NYC / www.designEWS.com Printed on recycled paper. on recycled paper. Printed Studios / NYC www.designEWS.com Art Direction & Design: ©Emerson, Wajdowicz Arnal ©Kike cover Back Service; News Radio ©Talk 2 Page Wajdowicz; ©Jurek 4-7 pages and cover Front Photography: Tipping Point Moment In this issue: For Fred Davie, joining the Arcus Foundation as senior director of Social Justice and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Programs is the culmination of decades of professional work and personal activism on behalf of the LGBT community. Fred’s presence at Arcus comes at a critical time when the movement is near a tipping point moment. Recent significant Our MIssIon federal policy changes and initiatives have given LGBT Americans The mission of the Arcus Foundation is to achieve protections they would have never thought possible just a few social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, years ago. gender identity and race, and to ensure conserva- Also in this issue, Steve Ross of the Lester Fisher Center for tion and respect of the great apes. the Study and Conservation of Apes at Lincoln Park Zoo discusses significant changes occurring in captive ape welfare. Sanctuaries, For more information on Arcus Foundation programs, researchers and policy makers are, for the first time ever, working please visit our Web site at www.arcusfoundation.org together in a coordinated, large-scale effort to improve primate protections here in the United States. Fred Davie TheT ime Is Now By Rebecca Steinitz The Arcus Foundation’s philosophy and Why have you decided to join Change conference in Atlanta. Shortly after priorities are guided by the belief that the Arcus at this time? that, Urvashi became a program officer at path to true equality for all LGBT people I have been involved in LGBT work since Ford, and we had the opportunity to work requires a particular emphasis on the 1986, when I came out and joined the together as colleagues. I’ve always had a intersections of LGBT rights, racial justice board of New York City’s Anti-Violence deep appreciation for her vision and her Tand societal constructs around faith and Project, which is dedicated to eliminating understanding of the web of social justice morality. That powerful perspective is hate violence against LGBT people. I’ve concerns that bind LGBT issues with fun- what made Fred Davie the logical choice served on other LGBT boards since then, damental social change causes like racial to be Arcus’ first Senior Director of Social and have been active in the community justice. Urvashi has the vision to “connect Justice and LGBT Programs. in a variety of ways. But I have also been the dots,” and that excites me. After I was Davie has not spent his life and career passionate about racial justice work and appointed to the Obama administration’s focusing exclusively on LGBT issues in the the power of progressive faith-based action. transition team, I talked to Urvashi about traditional sense. Instead, he has achieved In fact, that’s what I’ve spent most of my my feeling that LGBT issues are the next path-breaking success as an African-American career working on, from my earliest days major frontier in human rights, and told her gay man and ordained Presbyterian minister as a community organizer in Brooklyn to I wanted to be involved in that work full-time. who for decades has been on the forefront my more recent work at Public/Private Why now? of racial justice and progressive faith-based Ventures. Recently, I had the privilege of Part of what excites me now is that the causes. Most recently, he was president being invited to join President Obama’s movement stands on the verge of over- and chief executive officer of Public/Private Advisory Council on Faith-based and turning Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, getting a Ventures, a national, action-based research Neighborhood Partnerships. That’s been nondiscrimination bill through Congress, and evaluation institute that works to assess an exciting opportunity. But the Arcus and achieving other important goals. But and advance innovative social programs Foundation’s understanding of the inter- I’m also inspired by the change that has and policies – particularly those that connection between LGBT liberation, happened in this country over the past affect low-income and people-of-color racial justice and faith speaks to the very year. As an African-American gay man, it communities. Prior to joining P/PV eight core of who I am. So when this opportunity has been profoundly meaningful to me to years ago, he was a program officer for presented itself, I felt compelled to join the see Barack Obama – an African-American the Ford Foundation in Faith-based Arcus team. who talked throughout his campaign about Community Development. Last year, Davie The chance to work with a great lead- LGBT equality – be elected President. To me served on the Obama administration’s ership team headed by [Arcus Executive this sea change represents a new world of transition team; he is currently a member Director] Urvashi Vaid also was a big possibilities – that we really can start to of the President’s Advisory Council on attraction for me. While I was with the Ford tackle the interconnected issues that bedevil Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Foundation, I met Urvashi at a Creating our society in such fundamental ways. This seems like the chance of a life- The National Equality March of 2009 drew more than 200,000 to demand time to advance an agenda that bridges equal protection for LGBT people. LGBT issues and racial justice, and turn some of our faith communities from being barriers to LGBT progress into agents for positive social change. You’ve been in your new position for several weeks. What are you working on? I am studying Arcus’ history of giving in my program areas, and talking with my colleagues about ways to continue our giving and investments as we develop new ideas and approaches and explore opportunities for cross-program fertiliza- tion and cooperation. A chance to bridge LGBT issues, racial justice, faith and morality. 2 Our Racial Justice, Sexual Orientation & approach is to find the places where those What is the role of a foundation Gender Identity program and our Religion attitudes can be moved, and then work like Arcus in times, like these, of & Values program are a perfect example of to reform them. I know from personal social and economic turmoil and the type of “cross-pollination” I’m talking experience that it can be done. Religious political change? about. Faith institutions within communities institutions, for the most part, are the Our role is to understand that many of of color, especially the African-American last of the traditional institutions to hold the most fundamental social and economic community, played a major role in the moral inequality of LGBT people issues have a profound impact on the advancing the civil rights agenda. Now, as official policy. As someone who is LGBT community, and to leverage those we want to explore the opportunities for ordained and who studied for four years connections to build powerful coalitions people of color, in particular historically in a seminary and divinity school, I that advance a shared agenda of equality African-American denominations, to work think that the biblical and theological and empowerment across communities. with LGBT organizations to advance LGBT justifications for the thinking of many From my experience, this is the way real rights. At the same time, we’re exploring denominations that are hostile to sustainable progress is made, be it locally ways in which LGBT-focused organizations LGBT people are simply flawed. These or nationally. At one level, economic and institutions can engage on issues that justifications are smokescreens for bias, hardship knows no sexuality. But for LGBT are important to immigrants and people and because these are smokescreens, people and people of color, this hardship of color, such as employment and health I believe they can be overcome in is exacerbated by wage discrimination care. Historically, we’ve seen that it’s this strategically chosen sectors of faith that reduces income and limits savings kind of bridging of linked issues that brings communities. There are leaders within all and wealth. The LGBT movement has about sustainable and meaningful change. denominations and faiths who support an important role to play in seeing the On the international side, we want to pro-LGBT theological and biblical positions. links and acting on them. Some of that is facilitate collaboration between LGBT rights We need to give those leaders the support about the basics, like getting Congress to organizations in the United States and they need to advance their positions enact employment protections for LGBT emerging LGBT organizations in places like within their faith communities, as exem- people. But that’s the beginning, not the the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Southern plified by the success of Arcus’ Religion end. The larger issues affect everyone, Africa and East Africa. I recently returned & Values program in supporting pro-LGBT and the LGBT movement has an important from a trip to Nairobi, where I met with Episcopalians and Lutherans. role to play in proposing solutions that LGBT activists from Uganda, Kenya, President Obama’s inauguration will have a positive impact on not only our Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda, at a last January felt like the triumph community but on the world as a whole. gathering organized by Arcus’ International of ideals that many of us cherish. Arcus must invest in opportunities for LGBT Rights director Carla Sutherland.