The Liberty City Democratic Club, a local LGBT political organization, recently chose two new leaders in an election that saw an important first for the group.
The club voted in Gregory Walker and Adah Bush as its new co-chairs at a Nov. 4 meeting, marking the first time people of color are leading the organization.
Ray Murphy, who co-chaired the agency since the summer of 2007, alongside Casey Cook, who has been at the helm since May 2008, hailed the pair as an asset to the club.
“They’re both really smart, ambitious and excited, and I think they can help take us to the next level,” Murphy said.
Walker, 46, is a Connecticut native who spent years working in the nonprofit sector in New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., devoting much of his efforts to the HIV/AIDS field. His posts have included clinic director of the AIDS program at Bellevue Hospital in New York, as well as involvement in the National Task Force for AIDS Prevention.
He arrived in Philadelphia about four years ago and has been working as a nonprofit consultant, lending his skills to local organizations the Black Gay Men’s Leadership Council and Tenant Union Representative Network, a housing-advocacy agency where Walker focused on discrimination and homelessness facing the LGBT population.
Last year, Walker founded The Brothers Network, which he described as “a cultural organization that brings together gay and straight men around art, music, theater and culture.”
Walker serves as a Democratic executive committeeperson in the 5th Ward, 9th Division, an area that encompasses the Gayborhood and a position he said encouraged him to become a member of Liberty City in 2007.
“We ensure that the get-out-the-vote [effort] is heavy and that voters actually know the issues. So I’ve spent a fair amount of time talking and listening to candidates up for public office every election cycle and then rolling out an endorsement letter about the candidates who know the issues and who are really interested in our constituencies here,” he said. “I came in as a member of Liberty City because I was interested in the overlap between my constituency and the LGBT community. Liberty City generally meets at the William Way Center, which is right in my division, so I wanted to have my finger on the pulse of the issues affecting our community.”
Walker said that, as co-chair, he’s initially looking to heighten membership and involvement from the LGBT community, with a special focus on the Mt. Airy section of the city.
He noted that the increased legislative focus on LGBT issues at all levels of government will allow Liberty City to take an even more active role in the political community.
“This is a really interesting and amazing time to be involved with this. There’s so much legislation and so many positions being addressed nationally, regionally and locally around the rights of LGBT people. It’s a really important, critical time to be involved in this leadership role.”
Walker noted that being one-half of the first people-of-color leadership team of the organization is a daunting, but welcome, title.
“It means that there’s lots of pressure, but I’m prepared for that. My nearly 20-year history of activism, political involvement and my relationship with the LGBT community has really given me an in-depth understanding of the issues, and I’m excited to bring the combination of experience and talent to this role.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].