Category Archives: Co-Workers

Co-Workers, Communities, Families, Friends

One Spark Creator Project No. 20207

April 8, 2014 We Are Straight Allies Leave a comment

We Are Straight Allies is excited to be a Creator in this year’s One Spark Crowdfunding Festival. It’s estimated that over 150,000 people will flood the streets of downtown April 9-13. Volunteers will staff our Creator Booth to help us engage with visitors and advocate for equality!

Each day of the festival, we will have live performers, equality pledge forms, opportunities for visitors to email City Council and be photographed in front of an “I’m Coming Out as a Straight Ally” backdrop as well as learn more about our collective efforts towards equality.

Read our recent OneSpark press in the Florida Times-Union

Visit Our OneSpark Creator page

Check out our schedule of performances each day of One Spark!

WEDNESDAY

4p-6p ‘On A Journey’ with DJ T.M. Underwood Kicking off our 5-days of peace, love and music, DJ T.M. Underwood will be taking us on a journey through some of the iconic Dance Music that we can all shake our booties too! http://www.facebook.com/TMUnderwood

THURSDAY

5:30p-6:30p Mondo Mike & The Po Boys To see 62-year-old Mike Bernos on stage in the persona of Mondo Mike jumping up and down with his guitar like he was about to crowd surf, is to witness a man born again into the holy spirit of music. Bernos is aided by his five band members, the Po Boys and Spice, who are 20 to 30 years his junior but, by his own admission, light years ahead of him musically. Each in their own way has provided the channel for his metamorphosis – expression to his music and his phoenix. But none more so than Brittany Wescott, a.k.a Spice, the winsome and disarmingly charming 27-year-old African-American lead singer of Mondo Mike and the Po Boys. http://www.mondomikeandthepoboys.com

7p-9p Spark This! with Al Letson [Poet, Playwright, Actor]
Enter the world of multi-disciplinary artist, Al Letson. An accomplished playwright, performance poet, actor and public radio host, Letson’s distinctive voice, insightful prose and unique vision have garnered national acclaim and inspired a growing number of fans and followers. Soul-stirring, interdisciplinary work has garnered Al Letson national recognition, critical acclaim and devoted fans. Early in his career, Letson established himself as a heavyweight in the Poetry Slam Movement, which reaped artistic credibility and renown. He has performed on a number of national, regional and local stages, including such venues as HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, and CBS’s 2004 Final Four PreGame. http://www.alletson.com/contact.php

FRIDAY

4p-6p Cafe Groove with Jay A. Terry (and special guest Christopher Page) An entertainer since childhood competing in various talent shows, Jay honed his performance skills through formal voice, acting, and dance training. At 17 years of age he moved to New York City to pursue a career in professional acting. It was during that time that he began writing music while collaborating with other musicians & bands. Jay is a previous One Spark Creator. His musical influences include Jason Mraz, Matt Nathanson, Ray Lamontagne, Patrick Park, and Joshua Redman http://www.reverbnation.com/jayanthonyterry

7p-9p Love Reigns | The Evolution of a Poet Born and raised in Miami, FL Taryn ”LoveReigns” Wharwood has been writing poetry since the tender age of 5 years old and has been performing for as many years. She began performing professionally in 2006 in her current home town Jacksonville, FL. LoveReigns is an avid volunteer, community supporter and mentor. She is a creative writing teacher at a Duval county public school and spends her free time speaking to youth in and out of school among other things. Her first CD is entitled ”The Evolution of a Poet”. She also has a mixtape entitled ”Collard Greens and Collabos”. She is working on a chap book called ”IamLoveReigns” and book of poetry/semi autobiography to be released later this year called ”When the Reign Comes”. She was recently the first spoken word artist signed to

ParriScope Entertainment Records, an international force that will continue to help LoveReigns become a household name. http://www.facebook.com/iamlovereigns

SATURDAY

12p-2p Rob Walker the Vibalist
Rob Walker the Vibalist is a Keyboardist, Vocalist, Songwriter and Entertainer. Rob’s styles range from Jazz, RnB, Pop, Rock, Neo soul, Country, & Gospel. Performing as a solo act or with full band, Rob brings strong energy behind any soloist or band and has worked with some amazing artists from all over. Locally, you can usually catch him performing with Mama Blue. www.rwthevibalist.com

4p-6p Orchestra Equality: An ensemble of professional and student musicians from the Jacksonville area, equally lovers of music and pioneers for the rights of all!

Join us for a very special performance by musicians from the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, students from UNF and Jacksonville University Music Programs, as well as Douglas Anderson School for the Performing Arts, gathering in one space to support the rights of our LGBT community. We will be treated to solo pieces, a string quartet, a bassoon quartet, clarinet and bassoon duets, trios and more!

8p-10p “Music is Freedom” with Catharsis, aka Scott Petersen, is a producer, DJ, remixer, enthusiast, VW freak and just a man among many… Since 1999, he has worked with gifted engineer, Phil Green, providing the production force and extreme talent. Phil and Catharsis have been signed to numerous electronic music labels worldwide including OM Records and have appeared on CD compilations alongside Depeche Mode, Moby, Faithless, Dubtribe Sound System, Swayzak, and many more. They have over 50 vinyl releases, 3 full-length albums entitled “Keepin On” and “Deep Down” & “Canvas of Sound”, and appeared on 40 CD compilations on labels around the world. PC Synergy and Catharsis have performed all over the US alongside some of the most innovative electronic artists “in sound”. http://about.me/dj.catharsis

We Are Straight Allies T-Shirts are now available! You may purchase yours for $25. Shipping costs will be waived if you pick your shirt up during the 5-day event, just use the promo code ONEFREE! To order, please use one of the following links:

Men: http://goo.gl/XO1hXw
Women: http://goo.gl/u7u6yh
Unisex: http://goo.gl/rfMJ5C

TO SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER:
1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/mP5Rih
2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots – VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

**Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact us and we can sign you up manually.

Co-Workers, Communities, Friends

Ally Profile: Hope McMath

Image January 30, 2014 We Are Straight Allies Leave a comment

Hope McMath

I am Hope McMath. I am an arts administrator, an artist, a wife, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a friend, and someone who is passionate about my community.

I am a Jacksonville native and had the great fortune of growing up in an Arlington neighborhood where my schools and “my block” were diverse in every way. It was a world of connections rather than divisions. There was also the strong influence of my mother who has always been a nurse. so care, compassion, humility and hard work have always been the expectation.

I have been involved in the arts since I can remember. From being the kid always designing the classroom bulletin boards to being a student of art and art history in college I knew that I would work, live and breath art. I have been fortunate to have worked in the arts for over 20 years as an educator, connector, creator, and community builder. To make sure my immersion was complete, I fell in love and married the most amazing artist, art educator and human being. I live a fulfilling, love-filled, artful life.

Why does all of this matter to me in my role as a straight ally? My childhood and my path through the arts has taught me that an inclusive, compassionate community is the only way to go. There is no room for hate, intolerance, or discrimination. No room for closed doors.

The arts are an example to learn from. The fields of music, visual art making, theater, and literature have historically embraced diversity and individuality. Even in times of incredible injustice those individuals sharing their personal expressions through the arts could find acceptance. More importantly art has always provided a platform to share the world through new and varying lenses. I think about James and Rosamond Johnson writing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” or the great jazz musicians playing on stages in the segregated south or the painters of the Harlem Renaissance creating a new way of seeing…all find acceptance within the artistic community and changing the world through their art.

I also think of LGBTQ artists who haved shared their life experiences with all of us and made our world more beautiful, more interesting. Painters like Cy Twombly, Frida Kahlo, and Keith Haring…photographers like Adi Nes, Gilbert & George, and Annie Leibovitz…mixed media masters like Hannah Hoch and Robert Rauschenberg…ALL have been accepted and celebrated. As an artist it is hard for me to imagine a world without the presence of their creative bodies of work.

Throughout my life, I have been surrounded by, been loved by and have loved LGBTQ inidividuals. Best friends, colleagues, fellow artists…I can’t imagine my life without. Many now live too far away as the moved to places that would embrace them as full citizens… a personal loss and a loss for my city. I have an incredible desire for everyone to have all of the same rights, privledges and recognitions that I have in the eyes of the law and in the heart of our city. Again, there is no room for hate, intolerance, or discrimination…not in my life or the life of my city. It is essential to follow the road to love and acceptance that the arts have paved and pass a fully-inclusive Human Rights Ordinance, opening the doors for all of our citizens. When we do our city will be more like the environments of my mother’s living room, my elementary classroom, artists’ studios, theater stages, and the galleries of our great museums…caring, dynamic, compassionate, beautiful, creative, hard working, loving, and moving forward.

Co-Workers, Communities

Ally Profile: Darnell Smith

Image January 1, 2014 We Are Straight Allies 1 Comment

Darnell Smith_Final

Darnell Smith is Florida Blue’s market president for the North Florida Region. In his role, Smith is responsible for Florida Blue’s business market growth, as well as customer and community engagement across 36 North Florida counties, stretching from Palm Coast through Pensacola.

Prior to his current role, Smith was group vice president, Service Organization and Business Process Management Organization (BPMO) where he was responsible for leading a team of approximately 2,000 people who provide service to more than 3 million customers each year. Within BPMO, he oversaw the company’s business process management strategy and deployment of Continuous Improvement and Six Sigma methodologies. Prior to that role, Smith was vice president of Virtual Office where he helped transform operations by streamlining services for providers and members. In 2003, virtual office and private business operations combined to form what is now known as the service organization. Smith assumed leadership as group vice president and helped the Company achieve a market leadership position in customer satisfaction.

Throughout his career, Smith has been very active in the community serving on the board of directors for the PACE Center for Girls in Jacksonville, the Otis Smith Foundation, Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum, Communities in Schools-Florida (CISFL), and the Cathedral Arts Project. Smith also serves on the board of directors for Incepture, OptaComp, YMCA and the Florida Blue Foundation, Florida Blue’s philanthropic affiliate. Darnell states it quite simply:

“I am an ally because every human being is a child of our God and, therefore, deserves the same basic human dignities and rights afforded the rest of us.”

Smith holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Florida State University. He is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, the Advanced HR Executive Program at University of Michigan and Leadership Jacksonville.

Co-Workers, Communities

Ally Profile: Steve Halverson

Image December 9, 2013 We Are Straight Allies Leave a comment

Steve Halverson is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Haskell Company, one of the nation’s largest integrated design-build organizations, with operations throughout the United States and Latin America and headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida. During his 12-year tenure as CEO, Haskell has expanded its operations internationally in Latin America and more recently into Asia.

Steve received his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John’s University, his Juris Doctorate degree from American University in Washington, D.C. and has completed executive business education at Dartmouth University and Wharton. He is co-author of two books, as well as numerous articles in professional publications. He is admitted to the bar in Minnesota and Virginia (inactive status).

Steve is active in both professional and civic organizations. He serves as Chairman of the Construction Industry Roundtable and was past Chairman of the Design Build Institute of America and the National Center for Construction Education and Research. He is also a corporate director of CSX Corporation (NYSE:CSX) and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (Florida Blue).

In terms of civic activities, Steve is Chairman of the Jacksonville Civic Council, Immediate Past Chairman of the Florida Council of 100, and Past Chairman of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. He is also Chairman of the Teach for America Jacksonville Advisory Board, past chairman of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, past Vice-Chairman of Regis University and the University of North Florida, and a life trustee of the Council for Educational Change in Miami. He is a member of the Jacksonville University Public Affairs Institute Advisory Board and was 2002 campaign chair for the United Way of Northeast Florida. Steve is a 2007 recipient of the Prime Osborn Distinguished Business Leader Award and in 2008 was elected by the Florida Council on Economic Education to the First Coast Business Hall of Fame. He is a recipient of the UNF Presidential Medallion (2011) the Governor’s Business Leader of the Year Award (2012) and the OneJax Humanitarian Award (2013).

Steve believes that employees want to work for a company that is both fun and exciting, but also safe and fair. Work should be a “place that they feel comfortable” and a “place that is tolerant”. Steve says, “if Jacksonville is not that, it won’t attract the best talent….We’ve lost people who wanted to come to Jacksonville…because they didn’t feel it was a safe, tolerant place to live.” For these reasons, Steve supports the passage of a comprehensive Human Rights Ordinance in the city of Jacksonville and is a Straight Ally.

Steve lives with his wife Diane in Jacksonville. They have two children, John and Anne.

Co-Workers, Communities, Families, Friends

Ally Profile: Rabbi Jesse Olitzky

Image November 27, 2013 We Are Straight Allies 2 Comments

Rabbi Jesse Olitzky

Rabbi Olitzky formerly served as Rabbi and was part of the clergy team at the Jacksonville Jewish Center in Jacksonville, FL., He received rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary. In addition to ordination, he received an MA in Jewish Education from JTS’ William Davidson School of Education. Prior to relocating in Jacksonville, Rabbi Olitzky served communities in Kingston, New York and Parkchester, New York. His mission as a rabbi is lower barrier of access to Jewish ethics and values, promoting social justice in order to fulfill the Divine vision of peace, equality, and harmony. He is married to Andrea and is the proud father to Cayla and Noah. Follow his writings on his own personal blog at rabbiolitzky.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter at @JMOlitzky.

Rabbi Olitzky affirms his role as an ally because Judaism maintains the belief that “Kulanu B’Nei Elohim”, meaning “we are all God’s children.”

“As a rabbi, I believe that God created each individual in God’s Divine image. I believe that each individual is holy; each individual is sacred. I cringe when I hear preachers and people of faith spew hate in God’s name or try to make conclusions of discrimination or inequality based on scripture. My responsibility as a rabbi, member of the clergy, and person of faith, is to promote inclusion, promote love, and promote the holiness of every individual, regardless of background, faith, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity. That is why I am coming out as a straight ally. We need to stand up for the rights of all of God’s creations and celebrate the sanctity of all.”