Clarence Fluker: Young and Wonderful

Photo by Todd Franson courtesy of MetroWeekly.

Where did you grow up? I can imagine that you were an exceptional child. Talk about growing up black and homo.
I grew up in East Cleveland, Ohio. Many natives affectionately call it "EC." It is a predominantly black and economically disenfranchised suburb of Cleveland. Most people look at EC and think to themselves that they are glad they didn’t grow up there and wouldn’t want to raise their kids there. I actually look back on it as a great experience. I know I wouldn’t be the young man I am today without the bad and lots of the good experiences I had as a little gay black boy in the hood. I tell people all the time even before I was a flame I was a flicker :)

If exceptional means exception to the rule, then my mother would say I was certainly exceptional. In second grade I became the first male cheerleader at my school. (My mother should have known right then.) Later in fourth grade when I came up with the idea of having a birthday party I told prepared a sample menu for the “event” that included mini quiche, shrimp cocktail, mock martini’s and an assortment of fruit and veggie trays. (Some things don’t change.) So I was certainly different from my siblings and other kids on my block.

The great part about it though is that in that community with the exception of a 7th grade biology teacher/minister no one ever tried to change me. I was allowed to be. I was allowed to appreciate the arts. I was allowed to not play football. I was allowed to be a thinker. I was allowed to say what I had to say. I was allowed to be funny, flamboyant, have a good time me and for the most part people were okay with that. Maybe everyone else was more concerned with taking care of themselves, they didn’t have the time nor care to worry about me or maybe they just knew I was who I was and let me be. I was never questioned and so I just was and I am thankful.

Tell me a little about your education.
I actually began my college career at the University of Cincinnati. I was there for two years and somewhere along the way I discovered two things, the city of Cincinnati wasn't really for me and that the school was in many ways a reflection of the City, thus it wasn't for me either. I had a friend who was going to UC at the same time and one day she told me that she was going to transfer. A light bulb went off in my head. I am somewhere that I don't want to be and it is probably not healthy for me to stay here "I am an adult" I can choose to leave. So I left. I took a semester off to save up money for my transfer and I transferred to Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. (Go Bears!) I majored in speech communication. It was fantastic. I enjoyed Morgan because it was the HBCU experience I wanted which encompassed more students of color, professors and administrators of color, people who looked like me and who I wanted to be. Moving to a Baltimore was also a great step for me in terms of being in a city with more of a black LGBT community. I was really able to begin to connect with people in Bmore, DC, Philly and NYC socially and politically. That was something I wouldn't have had a chance to do in the same way in Cincinnati. I chose speech communication because I have always had a love for great orators and rhetoric. In the study of communication we actually study history of the world and its inhabitants--or so I like to think.

After Morgan I immediately began a graduate program in public communication at American University in Washington, DC. I focused on public affairs. It seemed natural to me. I was at that time thinking I would begin a fabulous career in PR or doing public education for a national organization. I learned a lot at AU about PR and had a couple of great professors who also let me dig deep in communication theory.

I love communication and I love to communicate in all forms with purpose and direction.

What inspires you to write.
I would love if I had some terrific and deep answer for that but I don't. I am inspired to write generally because of an event that strikes a chord with me. Men have also been a great muse for me. I also write (like on my blog or in my journal) because I know that if I don't write my story or point of view no one else will.

How does writing compliment/enhance/dovetail with your work as a community organizer?
That is an interesting question. The other day I was cleaning out my closets and going through boxes that I hadn't even touched probably since I had first moved in my apartment five years ago. In one of the boxes I found a note card that I had written on at the beginning of a workshop I conducted at DC Black Pride in 2000. On the note card I and the participants in the workshop were to write down all the things we were. My card had words like, son, brother, student, single, student loan holder, and the word writer. At that time I thought that more than anything writing would be my primary form of working in or contributing to the community.

I think my writing is very important because as a "community organizer" people often see or attend an event that I have helped put together with the purpose of trying to build community. It could be Black Pride, it could be a forum, it could be a screening of a film , but in those venues I am usually not able to get out all my thoughts, use my voice--in my writing I am. There are people who have probably been to every event I've have helped put on but don't know where I stand on gay marriage. In my writing I can say so. People can read it. Hear it. Know that's how I feel--not an organization, but me.

When and why did you first join DC Black Pride's board?
I joined the Board of DC Black Pride in September 2002. I joined for two very important reasons. The first, which is something I think a lot of folks can learn from, is because Earl Fowlkes asked me to join. I was 22 and had just finished graduate school. I had lots of energy and lots of time on my hands and he thought that I could contribute something. He also saw there was a void on the Board of people under 30. He had become familiar with me because I had done some workshops targeted at young people at 2 prides in previous years and knew I had an interest in community.

Too often I think I still hear people say, "well, where are the young people?" and "they don't care." Too all those people I beg of them to step and do what Earl did and invite a young person to the table and let them have a voice. They will learn that there are young people who do care and want to build a stronger black LGBT community with viable and sustainable infrastructure. Step one is inviting them to do so. Step two is being open and engaging when they get to the table.

The other reason I joined the Board is because I thought if I joined that maybe one day some guy or girl would feel the very same feeling I felt in my body when I attended my first Black Pride and looked around and for the very first time in my life knew I was not alone. That was exciting.

Now that you are the president (are you the youngest in the history of the organization?) what are your plans for the organization?

I am the youngest person to serve as president of DC Black Pride. My plans are pretty simple. I want to continue to produce and enhance a strong weekend of events. I want to increase the awareness of our events! The organization DC Black Pride throws no parties Memorial Day Weekend. Club promoters do that. We hold a film fest, spoken word slam, panels, a health fair, writers series and a host of other small events that lead up to the Black Pride Festival and we have got to get the word out more about those events. I also want to get more transgender inclusion in our weekend of events. To be inclusive we have to truly include everyone. What I also want the organization to do is take a stab at in some ways bridging the gap here locally between different generations of leaders in the community. We all worked together a little more great things could happen. Why settle for good when we could be great?

Talk about the pride event in May. Fun? Exciting? Exasperating? What were your ups, downs, joys and pains in mounting such a complicated event?
When Black Pride weekend was over all I could do was crawl in my bed and sleep for hours and hours and hours. I always think that Black Pride weekend is fun, exciting and full of funny moments but it is the months and particularly the final few weeks leading up to it that are at times extremely challenging and will have you spinning. This was certainly the case for me this year in my role as president and I know that if it weren't for God and the vice president of DC Black Pride, James Hawkins I wouldn't have been able to pull through.

This year the signature event, the Black Pride Festival was held outdoors again for the first time in five years and the hoops we had to jump through and hurdles we had to jump over to get everything in place to have the event drained me. In the process I learned a lot about the organization and what we need to do better ourselves and make sure that all of our I's are dotted and t's are crossed and it also taught me a lot about me. There were times that I wanted to give up: at least twice I just wanted to say forget about this whole thing but in those moments when my back was against the wall something inside me would remind me that its okay to have your back against the wall--because the only place you can go at that point is forward: and each time I did.

Talk to me about black men and the pursuit of love and romance.

I could talk about black men all day. I love us. As far as love and romance goes however I wouldn't have much to say. I always tell the story of my only piece of "jewelry" that I own. It is a leather bracelet I bought at an amusement park my senior year of high school. It has my name on it with little stars. I said that I would give it to my first boyfriend/partner. Well, I graduated high school in 1997 and I still have my own bracelet. I hope that one day soon I will find someone to give it to that actually wants it.

A relationship is something I have wanted for a long time but that want has yet to manifest itself into anything more than that. The past few years I have come closer and closer (so I think) to finding myself in a serious committed relationship with someone but just as soon as I think I'm right there and that this guy is him, my first and perhaps my last, it doesn't seem to work out. Love flirts with me but seems to be afraid to ask me out.

When I was single, people would ask me why wasn't I seeing anyone, that I was a "catch." I found this odd. It really wasn't a compliment. One, it assumed I was looking and two, that if I was looking then all the men I ever wanted suddenly would fall to their knees at my feet and wait to be picked. No black homo has ever had, or will ever have that experience. I know that you are currently single (and quite a catch, hahaha) and we've had conversations about living in DC and the difficulty in finding a mate. Tell me about your experience.

Well thank you for the compliment : ) I would like to think of myself as a catch too. My best friend told me recently that DC is full of black gay men and that if I haven't found one in all my years here that I should move to another city. Of course she was joking but sometimes I do wonder about what it is. I guess, the first thing I can say about dating in DC is that although there is a large pool of men, they aren't all great. Quality and quantity are two totally different things. The other thing about DC experience is that I often hear the same thing that you used to hear. Someone told me again today that they couldn't believe I wasn't all booed up with someone. There is a perception by some that I because I know lots of people or that I am friendly that I have a line of men that want to date me. That is far from true, unless they are afraid to ask (which I think could be the case for one or two (but closed mouths don't get fed). There are also a good number of people who think I am already in a relationship--which is strange to me. I don't know what about my actions/character says HEY IM IN A RELATIONSHIP ALREADY. Let me know if you do. I am open for suggestions.

What are you looking for in a mate? What can someone expect from you in a relationship?
I am pretty clear on my wants in a mate. I am a young same gender loving man who is honest, caring, energetic and embraces the journey we call life and I want the same thing in a mate. I will give what I am expecting to get from him. Trust. Energy. Understanding. Love. Growth.

What are your plans for the rest of this year?
It is hard to believe it is already July. A lot has happened since January and I am sure much more is to come. At the start of the year I created three personal goals. One of them I have already achieved. The other two I will focus on in the months to come. I also would like to travel a bit more before the year is out. Between work and the rigors of life in general I sometimes forget to just stop and breath for a moment.

Of course, I will also spend some time before the year is out working with the board to start planning and fundraising for DC Black Pride 2007.

Name 8 people your admire and describe then with one word.
My mother: constant
Oprah: worker
Cornell West: thinker
Condoleezza Rice: force
Vanessa L. Williams: endurance
Tiki Barber: beauty
Pierre: father
Black Homo: dynamic

Seven ideas that have helped you get over.
The Story Hat (4th grade)
Heeding the advice of a high school English teacher - "It is nice to be important but more important to be nice."
I can write: I should!
I am not afraid to speak: I should!
Using my "feminine" charm for my own benefit
Applying for a gay scholarship
Change

Six places to meet guys in DC.
On the Metro
Theater performances
Chocolate Sunday @ Gazuza
The house party circuit
Any lgbt forum, discussion or film festival
DC Black Pride

Five ways to make a relationship work.
Have a common goal.
Be honest.
Understand whenever you take that someone else is giving.
Don't be afraid to grow with each other.
When you need more, ask for more.

Four life-sustaining beliefs.
There is a power far greater than me or any other man. I must have faith in that power.
I must always strive to live life by my own definitions.
Endure!
Be prepared.

Three things you want to accomplish as president of DC Black Pride.
Be more proactive in promoting our core events and thus changing the perception we are just a big party.
Bring more lesbians and transgender to our board.
Prepare someone to transition into my role who will then make the organization even better.

Two favorite foods.
Cheesecake
Macaroni and cheese

One way to beat the summer heat.
Sipping a smoothie on my sofa while reading the latest issue of O magazine.

Thursday, July 27, 2006 @ 12:56 PM