Photo courtesy Paul Masterson
Lula Reams and Sarah Ford
Lula Reams (right) and Sarah Ford
Born in rural Tennessee, at age 10 Lula Reams moved with her sharecropper family to Racine, Wis., to the anticipated “land of milk and honey,” as she described it. The move did not quite live up to expectations. It was the 1950s and while Reams had grown up in the difficult, overtly racist and segregated world of the South, she experienced a similar, yet subtler, racism in the North. However, despite all, Reams was able to pursue her education and, as importantly, to write a chapter of Milwaukee’s LGBTQ history.
Her realization of a feeling of difference, of something missing, came at a later date, after she married. When she decided to embrace her difference, she had been married for 19 years. In her 2007 oral history interview for the Milwaukee LGBT History Project (available on the UW-Milwaukee Libraries website) she said, “When I came out one of the things my husband said to me was ‘You’re not a lesbian. There are only white women who are lesbians.’”
Reams volunteered at the Counseling Center of Milwaukee and that lead to “more learning,” as she would phrase it, adding “My exposure to lesbianism there was through support groups for women who were married and seeking a lesbian lifestyle.” The impact was a positive one.
Lesbians of Color
Continuing the story, Reams explains, “Some of us decided to get divorced others stayed married. We met for six to eight weeks to determine what direction to go. I was the only Black woman in the group. Another woman suggested we might do something for Black lesbians.” It was then she would conceive her brainchild, an organization known as “Lesbians of Color” (LOC). With co-founder Sarah Ford, Reams’ innovative idea would mark a historic moment for both her and the Milwaukee community she had embraced. “The timing was great for me because I had ended a 19-year marriage. There were no ‘strictly women’ bars but there was a beer garden that had a ladies night. No other bars did,” Reams said.
At first, gatherings were held at Reams’ home. “People came, six to eight people. That whet my appetite to formulate something to meet on a regular basis,” Reams relates. Those first meetings were potlucks followed by music and dancing. There was the Annual Martin Luther King Potluck, held before MLK Jr. Day was an official holiday. LOC quickly outgrew Reams’ home, and a suggestion was made to hold events at the Lake Park Pavilion. According to Reams, an entrance fee covered the cost of the venue’s rental and a DJ, so, as she adds, “we could control the music, Black music that women felt comfortable dancing to.” LOC events were planned among the leadership and announced by word of mouth, and everybody came.
Initially, the organization was conceived to be attractive to lesbians of color. But, Reams found, white people were supportive as well. Some women did not want to limit the group to lesbian members only and wanted to open to all Lesbians and women of color. Activities now included a book club that met at a member’s home to discuss works of interest to women, “There was also a baseball team, Word got out and we had enough women to play in the city league one season,” Reams tells … and they did.
Significant Role
Over the next decade, LOC continued to play a significant role in Milwaukee’s LGBTQ community and, especially in the struggle for women’s equality. It provided a social bridge for lesbians of color and the greater lesbian community. Reams would leave the group to focus on her studies to become a psychologist. She remained active in the community; however, serving for a time on during the 1980’s on Cream City Foundation’s board of directors.
Reflecting on LOC’s role at the time, Reams said, “The organization filled a need. But times changed and it faded away. I think it made a significant impact on both white and Black communities. Word went out and white friends attended. We did activities together. Some ladies had white partners. There were interracial friendships, a few were long term.”
Reams does regret not having incorporated LOC and become a 501C3 organization, if only to have official files to document its decade of history. Still, she reflects how greatly the LOC era influenced her life and Milwaukee’s greater lesbian community, saying, “It was one of the most enjoyable pleasant experiences. I was living life, coming out and meeting fantastic people. Everywhere I sought help, people were kind in giving me direction. It was an opportunity to come out and celebrate out in the open. The dances especially allowed us the awesome experience to be out and express affection with others. For many of us we never had that before.”
