Stevie Martin-Chester prides himself on setting a good example.
Starting next month, Martin-Chester will get the chance to do that on a national level, as he begins his two-year term on the board of the National Association of Black and White Men Together, a gay, multi-racial organization committed to breaking down racial and cultural barriers.
“They have been asking me for years,” Martin-Chester, membership chair of the Philadelphia chapter of Men of All Colors Together, said of joining the board.
Martin-Chester has been involved in the agency for 30 years and said he was first asked to join the board in 1983.
Because of other obligations, however, he had to turn down the offer.
But the time was right at this past summer’s NABWMT conference, in San Diego, Calif.
During a meeting at the event, guests were asked to stand up if they were interested in running for the position. Much to the crowd’s surprise, Martin-Chester stood up.
“I love the group. I love the idea of justice, equal rights and I love the idea of gay rights,” he said.
MACT is an affiliated chapter of NABWMT and has been in existence for nearly 32 years. Martin-Chester said the group will continue to operate until “there is no need to talk about racism, and it doesn’t exist anymore. When we can have another black president, Puerto Rican president and even a gay president, then we won’t need a group like Men of All Colors.”
Martin-Chester founded the Connecticut chapter of MACT in 1982 and, in that capacity, worked to end discrimination against blacks and women in bars and restaurants.
He and his fellow members documented cases of discrimination, and Martin-Chester reached out to local newspapers and TV stations to get the story out.
“If they didn’t change, then we were going to do something about it,” Martin-Chester said.
As a result, he said, several local bars hired new bouncers.
Although Martin-Chester led the Connecticut chapter, he also credited other members for their successes.
“You can’t do stuff like that by yourself. It’s impossible,” he said.
Martin-Chester hopes to use his leadership on the national board to unify NABWMT members around the country. He said the agency used to operate regional chapters that oversaw local-level agencies — the Philly area had eight local chapters — and he would be interested in revisiting that structure.
“We were better connected back then and now we are not as connected as we used to be,” Martin-Chester said. “We would have parties and workshops to learn about what was happening in the community, to learn how to run the chapters better.”
He said he is also hoping to unify the local LGBT community around the issues NABWMT deals with.
The local MACT once participated in a protest outside William Way LGBT Community Center when Fred Phelps, antigay head of the Westboro Baptist Church, was planning to visit.
“Around 300 people showed up to do a counter protest,” he said. “We should be like that all the time — coming together as a community.”
Martin-Chester said he is eager for his involvement in the national board to raise the profile of the local chapter.
“I want to make the chapter a better chapter. I want us to be aware of the problems in the community,” Martin-Chester said. “I want us to be a good example. I want to diminish classism. I want to bring that realization that we are all in this together.”
Martin-Chester said he strives to embrace the ideals of NABWMT in his personal life as well. He and his partner of 20 years frequently participate in protests, he said, and remain committed to being an out, visible couple.
His work has shown him that patience is an invaluable virtue.
“You will do wonderful things in your life if you learn about patience,” Martin-Chester said. “I will wait for anything. I don’t care how long it takes because I know there is a reason why I am waiting.”
While his wait for the board position was a lengthy one, Martin-Chester said it will be worth it.
“I love life,” he said. “I am so happy to be here.”