Achebe Betty Powell was an extraordinary leader and activist in the LGBTQ+ community, a trailblazer and pioneer for LGBTQ+ rights, particularly for Black women and women of color. Born in 1940 in North Carolina, she faced many challenges growing up during a time of intense racial segregation and discrimination in the United States. Despite these obstacles, she became one of the most inspiring LGBTQ+ leaders of her generation.
In the 1970s, when LGBTQ+ rights were not yet recognized, Powell started her activism journey. She was among the first Black women to hold a leadership position in the lesbian and gay liberation movement. Powell co-founded the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, which aimed to bring resources to movements led by lesbians and women of color. She also served on the board of directors of the National Gay Task Force, making her the first Black lesbian in a leadership position.
Powell’s impact was not only limited to the United States but also extended internationally. She participated in events organized around UN World Conferences on Women and provided diversity and social justice training for several international feminist groups. She was a pioneer in linking US work on racial justice and intersectionality with transnational discussions of gender, race, and culture.
Throughout her life, Powell remained dedicated to fighting for justice and equality for marginalized communities. She challenged us to find the joy that exists in our difficult yet rewarding work of bringing disparate communities together.
Powell’s legacy as a pioneering LGBTQ+ activist and intersectional feminist will continue to inspire and guide future generations of activists. As Susana Fried, Co-Chair of Astraea Foundation’s Board, stated, “I commit to bringing Achebe’s spirit into our work. As a friend of Achebe’s, I am honored and humbled to be part of the amazing Astraea journey that daily manifests Achebe’s principles and values.”
Kierra Johnson, Executive Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, expressed her sadness at Powell’s passing, stating, “We are so saddened at the loss of Achebe Betty Powell. She was a pioneer, a visionary, an inspiration, and trailblazer, in a movement that was in its early organizing days.”
Achebe Betty Powell passed away on February 21, 2023, at 82. Her contributions to the LGBTQ+ movement were immeasurable, and her passing is a tremendous loss. However, her legacy will continue to live on in the countless lives she touched and inspired. As Powell once said, “This notion of freedom is such a powerful, tender, all-encompassing way of being in the world, who you came to this place to be. And that shows by the pigmentation in my skin, the texture of my hair the shape of my nose and they call that race….and the shape of my body and my body parts and they call that gender, and then the shape of my mind and where it wants to go and where and who I want to be and they call that lesbian, and that is a beautiful thing.”
Sources:
• www.eriegaynews.com
• www.them.us
• https://www.middlechurch.org/
Photo Credit:
• YouTube / LGBTCenterNYC