After a local LGBT organization’s anti-Trump protest march last week, rumors swirled around several figures involved.
In a Facebook status following the Feb. 2 event, Ernest Owens, vice president of Equality Pennsylvania and editor of G Philly, accused Malcolm Kenyatta, co-chair of march organizer Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club, of “start[ing] rumors” that “the Black & Brown Workers Collective was going to protest” state Rep. Brian Sims at the event.
Owens alleged that Sims received several phone calls from people stating the social-justice group intended to target what they saw as unresponsiveness to Gayborhood racism. Owens wrote that Sims declined to speak “because he didn’t want to draw controversy to the event and disrupt a peaceful assembly.”
Sims did not respond to requests for comment from PGN. BBWC cofounders Shani Akilah and Abdul-Aliy Muhammad also did not respond to requests for comment.
“People thought I was going to use my [G Philly piece, “The Gayborhood’s Trump-Triggered Activism Is Hypocritical”] as fuel for my speech and in doing so, that was going to create an opportunity for the Black & Brown Workers Collective and other people to criticize,” Owens told PGN.
Sharron Cooks, a community activist, told PGN she was in communication with Sims prior to the march. She said she requested Sims speak about Gayborhood racism. He agreed to do so before hearing about potential protests. Cooks had another conversation with him after she says he declined to speak.
“Through our conversation, there was one recurring theme and Malcolm Kenyatta was the person that was the common thread in all of the phone calls that state Rep. Sims got regarding being protested by the Black & Brown Workers Collective,” Cooks said.
Asa Khalif, head of the Pennsylvania chapter of Black Lives Matter, said he heard rumors about a protest regarding Sims’s appearance from an undisclosed source. Khalif said he reported it to Kenyatta as a warning and noted that “BBWC was never mentioned” in these rumors.
“It panned out that it was just that — a rumor,” Khalif said.
Kenyatta told PGN he told Sims about what “could happen” and said he did not mention the names of Owens, Akilah or Muhammad. Additionally, he said he asked Sims to continue with his speech despite the alleged rumors.
“I invited BBWC to be a part of the march from the beginning because I wanted them to be a part of it,” Kenyatta said.
Kenyatta said he is willing to speak about the situation with the individuals involved, instead of “this conversation being played out on Facebook.”
“I will speak to Shani, I will speak to Abdul and I will speak to Brian and if the four of us have to sit down and talk, I welcome that opportunity for us to do that,” Kenyatta said. “Hopefully we do.”
While several commenters called for Kenyatta’s resignation, the Liberty City co-chair said he would not step down.
“What I’m going to continue to do is what I’m doing, and that is bring people together,” Kenyatta said. “Liberty City has been super-engaged in public policy. This is one of our first forays into direct political advocacy with this march and I’m proud of what we did in doing that.”
In response to the rumors, the BBWC posted an update on Facebook stating, “It’s interesting that Brian Sims who is a member of the LGBTQ [c]ommunity with political power and white privilege would rather buy-in [sic] to lies about our collective instead of trying to work to do what’s needed to disrupt white supremacy. [By the way] we aren’t thinking about you at all.”
Sims, who was tagged in the post, commented: “Any power I have is yours too and I won’t let anyone try to game me, or you, to change that. I think the best response to someone trying to create this animosity is more collaboration. Let’s get together formally and show some people what we can do together.”