LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Way I See It |
by Steve Elkins, Editor |
A mid March press release from HRC reported that Sylvia Rivera had died of liver cancer. Sylvia, according to the book Stonewall by Martin Duberman, played a pivotal role in the confrontation at the Stonewall bar that is credited with launching the modern GLBT movement. The book reports that on the morning of June 28, 1969, the day Stonewall Inn patrons fended off police in a raid of the bar, she was heard shouting to her partner, "I'm not missing a minute of thisit's the revolution!" Since that time, many people have participated in "the revolution." Stonewall opened the doors, but all across the country people were ready for change, ready to stand up and stop being afraid. Though we've come a long way since 1969, we still have a long way to go. In churches, in schools, in businesses, in families, in every part of our lives the quiet revolution continues. People like Sylvia opened the doors, but it's up to each of us to keep them open, to strive for equal rights for all people. A friend who recently moved from Rehoboth to a small town in South Carolina reminded me just how difficult it can be to come out in an alien placehow difficult it can be for some people who live outside the safe borders of the gay ghetto. It is for many, still a world of fear. All too often I take living in Rehoboth Beach for granted. Life on Baltimore Avenue does not represent your typical main street. I'm glad I'm a part of it though, it's what our life is aboutand I too don't want to miss a minute of it!
Speaking of life on Baltimore Avenue, as we reported in the last issue of Letters, CAMP Rehoboth is now happily situated in the large front space at 39 Baltimore Avenue. On Saturday, April 13, the Spring meeting of the CAMP Rehoboth Project Advisory Committee (CRCCP) will meet to hear about all the changes that have taken place this winter and to continue with plans for the coming year. The CRCCP meetings are open to anyone wishing to participate in the work of CAMP Rehoboth. It was out of this group that the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Project was born. It's a very exciting time in the life of CAMP Rehoboth, and to quote Sylvia again, "I'm not missing a minute of this." I hope you don't either. Another important program that has grown out of the CRCCP is The Women's Project of CAMP Rehoboth. As this issue of Letters hits the streets, The Women's Project will be making final preparations for their Second Annual Women's Project Conference at the Rehoboth Convention Center. The Conference, which includes a keynote address by Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner, would never have happened without the hard work of the Women's Project CommitteeAndrea Andrus, Ellen Feinberg, Joan Glass, Maggie Ottato, Lesley Rogan, Maggie Shaw, Libby Stiff, and Bea Wagneras well as CAMP Rehoboth staff members Kathy Weir and (honorary lesbian) Sal Seeley. We've been teasing Sal about the women's conference, but as many of you know, he's the man responsible for overseeing our CAMPsafe program. CAMPsafe is our state funded AIDS prevention program that now includes @campsafe, a web based intervention program. Sal and his designers are promising a new and exciting 2002 CAMPsafe program. Last I heard, he was still looking for models for this year's campaign, and he's always looking for volunteers to wrap up the packages of condoms that CAMPsafe distributes by the thousands throughout the year. It's a volunteer project you can take home and do in front of the TV. For all the hard work, Sal, thank you! While I'm saying thank you, I don't want to forget the many volunteers who have worked so hard to get us settled in our new offices on Baltimore Avenue. Most of all a very special thanks to Harvey Sharpe for the countless hours that he has devoted to CAMP Rehoboth this winter. He makes all things possible! |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 12, No. 02, March 8, 2002 |