Jabari Lyles is a teacher, the
outreach specialist at FreeState legal Project and co-chair and education
manager at GLSEN-Baltimore. Busy as he
is, he has recently taken on an additional role: President of the Board of
D
irectors for the Gay, Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of
Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB).
In doing so, Lyles becomes the
fourth person to hold that position in the last 10 months. He graciously agreed to be interviewed so
that the community would be more acquainted with him and to allow him to address
the rate of turnover at the GLCCB, the center’s purpose, its finances as well his
vision for the center.  |
| Jabari Lyles Photo: Bob Ford |
Steve Charing: What motivated you to join the GLCCB board
and ultimately agree to be its president?
Jabari Lyles: I
joined the GLCCB Board to work towards reifying its potential. After working in
the local nonprofit and LGBTQ advocacy scene for some time, I became curious as
to why, besides Pride, the GLCCB seemed nonexistent and hidden. It was
particularly confusing, as a young, black, gay person in Baltimore, that I
didn’t feel a connection to this center. I certainly knew this absence was not
for lack of need.
Eventually, I learned about
parts of the center’s history, the community concern it generated, and perhaps
the reason why the GLCCB seemed to exist in the shadows. Instead of continuing
to condemn the organization, I saw an opportunity to make change from within.
To me, continuing to neglect the center was continuing to neglect the people it
could represent. I decided to apply to join the Board, with a specific focus on
the GLCCB’s transparency and inclusion, work with people of color, youth, and
the transgender community.
I immediately took an active
role on the board and became heavily involved in the center’s operations and
direction. I became impassioned with the idea of a community center that is
truly community held, community-serving and community-building—supported by an
organization that has the trust and buy-in from the people we serve. To me, this
is what a community center should always be. I agreed to be Board President
because I believe in what the GLCCB can be, I believe in my community, and I
believe that I can lead with hope, love, knowledge and courage.
SC: You have been working with several successful
non-profits, such as GLSEN and FreeState Legal.
What has been your experience at these organizations that you can bring
to the GLCCB?
JL: I have worked
with GLSEN Baltimore for nearly 10 years now, and for several years under the
tutelage of the late, great Kay Halle, longtime social justice advocate and
community servant. There was a bit of love in everything that she did, and
though small in stature, she was a force to be reckoned with. Although I am
quite large, those who know me would agree that I approach my work with a nice
balance of tenderness and intensity.
GLSEN is a fantastic
organization that continues to show me the importance and impact of investing
in young people, speaking up for the victimized, and refusing to negotiate
safety and respect for all people. FreeState expanded my understanding of LGBTQ
issues and encouraged a more intersectional approach to my work. From my work
with FreeState, I learned how race, gender, class, all come into play as one
navigates systems: education, legal, or health care. Both organizations are
well run, consistent, and have a high sense of integrity and accountability to
the community. All decisions are tied to the mission. Routines and expectations
are firmly in place. I will bring all of these things, my approach and
experiences to my work at the GLCCB.
SC: What do you see as your number one priority and why?
JL: My number one
priority is identifying appropriate, reliable and stable leadership at all
levels. Effective leadership will add value and credibility to our
organization, has been sorely needed, and will begin the process of mending the
GLCCB’s relationship with the community. This includes assembling a dynamic and
well-resourced board that reflects the diversity of our community, hiring an
Executive Director who has strong executive chops with an authentic
understanding of the needs and interests of the entire community, and reviving
a Community Advisory Board to look to the people we serve for direction.
SC: Over the course of the past 16 months there have been
4 different executive directors or interim directors serving in that capacity
and 4 board presidents since November. How
can you reduce the frequent turnover and create stability and thus, generate
more confidence in the GLCCB?
JL: We need to be
much better at setting our leaders up for success so they are best poised to
lead. That looks like: proper on-boarding and orientation, a reliable directory
of resources, and open communication between board and staff leaders. I feel the first step is stepping back and
clarifying and perhaps recalibrating our mission and purpose. It’s time for us
to reboot.
The GLCCB is due to ask itself:
Why are we here and what do we do? Who do we serve? How do we serve? We will surely find stability in this renewed
sense of purpose. What will be most important is how we listen to the community
to answer these questions. At this critical junction in the center’s history,
we are presented with an opportunity to recreate our organization in the
community’s image.
My job will be to unify the
right group of people who identify strongly with this mission who will realign
and recommit, and who will move forward together with passion and cohesion. As
your current President, I don’t intend on going anywhere so long as the people
I serve will have me. I have a hands-on, bear-through-the-storm approach to
this position; I don’t scare easily, and have advised a similar approach to my
fellow board members.
SC: The GLCCB has often been criticized for virtually
disappearing once Pride is over. What
can you and the board do to change that reputation? In other words, please explain how the GLCCB
can serve the community year round.
JL: Honestly, before joining the board, I was
probably one of those community members that wondered what the GLCCB did when
Pride wasn’t happening. I now know of the many amazing, wonderful services and
opportunities that the GLCCB offers year round, that many people take advantage
of, but are not well-known by the community.
One of our longest running and
most well-attended groups, Sistas of Pride (formerly Women of Color), meets
nearly weekly. Mixed Company, another regularly well-attended group for LGBTQ
young adults, provides weekly educational and networking opportunities. During
this past summer, we hosted 20 Youth Works hires who developed their very own
homelessness support program called Helping Hands, which attracts regular
patrons. We are hoping to expand our programs and outreach strategies to better
support the community’s needs and to keep the community better informed. For
more information on current programming, visit www.glccb.org/programs.
SC: During the past few years board members have assumed
more of an oversight role rather than rolling up their sleeves to help in the operations
of the center. Will you encourage a more
hands-on role for the board?
JL: Taking into
account how much work has yet to be done, we simply cannot have it any other
way. Willingness to get hands dirty is a requirement to join this board, and
I’ve mentioned this during each interview with every new board member. We are
certainly a working board in many respects; however, being a working board
certainly does not absolve us of our governing duties.
Strategic delegation of tasks is
how we will ensure strong action as a governing body, such as hiring a new executive
director, and ways we act as individual working members, such as staffing an
event. It is also important to note that I expect the duties and expectations
of board members to vary as the needs of the organization change.
SC: Money problems continue to beset the Center. What do you see as the best strategy to put
the GLCCB on a better financial footing?
JL: The money
problems that beset the Center are multifaceted, are the result of missteps of
many people, and thus require a multifaceted, multi-person solution. We must
strengthen our financial oversight. This includes taking a concentrated look at
who spends, how much is spent and why, and, how records are kept. We must
(re)establish the Finance and Audit committees on our Board, and enlist the
help of financial professionals to improve our accounting practices.
We must empower the Board, as
chief fundraisers of the organization, to work closely with our development
coordinator on a fundraising plan. We must always consider financial decisions
ethically, legally, and with the community’s best interests in mind. Most
importantly, we must prove ourselves worthy of support from the community if we
ever want individual giving to be a thing.
SC: One of the biggest criticisms of the GLCCB has been
its perceived lack of inclusivity of minorities and transgender folks in its
governance. How will you change that
perception?
 |
| Lyles addressing crowd at Pride Photo:Bob Ford |
JL: This entire
year, I have observed the GLCCB making strides towards becoming an organization
that authentically represents people of color mostly in its programming and
outreach decisions. We will continue to move in this direction. As an
outspoken, strong ally of the transgender community, I will say that the we
have a bit more work to do on trans* inclusivity and representation.
As current chair of the Programs
and Outreach committee, I plan to work diligently on how the center works with
and for these communities. I am specifically interested in transgender representation
on our Board and staff and investigating how we can work with existing
trans-focused organizations, such as Sistas of the T, Baltimore Trans Alliance,
and Black Trans Men, Inc.
SC: As the first African-American in decades to hold the
position of GLCCB board president, how will you go about trying to improve race
relations within the LGBT community?
JL: I firmly
believe that my status as an African-American Board President offers nothing
different or extra to improve race relations within the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ
racists will not learn or believe anything different by this positioning, I
cannot tell them anything that hasn’t already been said, and in the end it will
be up to them to work towards changing their damaging mindsets.
Minorities in positions of
leadership do not an anti-racist society make. President Obama is ending his
second term in office, yet black churches are being targeted by terrorists and
unarmed black people are being killed by police. What I will do, as a Board
President that condemns racism and approaches all work with a social justice
lens, is lead this organization in a direction that visibly recognizes and
works against racism in all its forms, intentionally works to uplift those who
are most marginalized, encourages and eventually leads conversations about
oppression, intersectionality, and authentically serving communities of color.
SC: What would you like the community to know about
Jabari Lyles?
JL: I am a
passionate public servant who finds true happiness and endless energy in
working for positive change. I have over ten years of combined experience as an
educator, program manager, outreach specialist, and LGBTQ activist. My
interests include STEM education, urban education, queer theory, gender and
sexuality studies, and educational technology.
I am a proud Maryland native,
and I currently live in the Reservoir Hill neighborhood of Baltimore City. When
I’m not working, I’m usually cooking, dancing, or spending time with those I
love. I am outgoing, extroverted and approachable. I believe in my city, my
community, and the great things that come out of working together. I am excited
to work and grow with the GLCCB.
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