BECOMING VISIBLE: THE FIRST BLACK LESBIAN CONFERENCE, held from 17 to 19 October 1980, at the Women’s Building in San Francisco, was the first official gathering of African American lesbian women in the US. The theme of the conference was “Becoming Visible”—in the words of co-organizer Marie Renfro, “If we become visible to ourselves, then that’s the beginning of becoming visible in the community.” Its mission statement also emphasized creating and reinforcing networks of solidarity: “This conference gives us the opportunity to say that we are indeed present and struggling with the total lesbian community in fighting the battles of sexism, racism, classism and homophobia. Our purpose is not to separate the fight from the struggles of other women. Our intent is to create a workable network and support system for Black lesbian women.”
The conference drew two hundred participants. Workshops addressed issues such as Black women and imperialism, affirmative action, interracial relationships, being Black in White organizations, alcoholism and drug abuse, Black feminism, and teenage lesbians. Keynote speakers included Angela Davis; Pat Norman, cofounder of the Lesbian Mothers Union; and activist Andrea Canaan. In her speech Davis emphasized the necessity of organized resistance to racism, sexism, and classism. She received a standing ovation.
At the close of the conference, attendees reiterated their commitment to networking and vowed to create a “skills bank” that would allow Black lesbian community members to utilize one another’s talents in the future.