Photo credit: Janet Rogers, Division of Strategic Marketing and Communications
UMKC Pride Breakfast raises record amount
More than 750 Kansas City and University of Missouri-Kansas City supporters gathered at the 7th annual Pride Diversity Breakfast to raise a record-breaking preliminary amount of $84,223 for LGBTQIA student scholarships. Additional donations continue to pour in.
Planning Committee Chair Raymond Cattaneo, M.D., M.Ph., opened the program by thanking everyone, including the Kansas City community, for supporting UMKC students.
“The impact of your presence is being felt immediately,” Cattaneo said. “Love wins. This breakfast proves it.”
A cast of UMKC alums and supporters expressed gratitude for making the 2015 Pride Breakfast a success. Sen. Jolie Justus, UMKC School of Law graduate, thanked sponsors and made the ask for financial support at the breakfast. “Every dollar helps our students,” Justus said.
The keynote speaker, Tony Kushner, contributed in large part to the record-breaking fundraiser. Kushner is an American playwright, author and screenwriter best known for his two-part epic play, “Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes.”
“His play saved lives,” said Eric Rosen, director of the Kansas City Repertory Theatre and nationally-recognized playwright, during his introduction. “Without Tony’s play, we wouldn’t be here raising money for our students.”
Instead of a lecture, Joan Israelite, a highly regarded Kansas City arts and civic leader and member of the National Council on the Arts, sat with Kushner on stage and asked questions. They talked about his childhood, influences on his work and plans for future productions.
Kushner was born in New York but moved to Louisiana as a young child. He said living in the south as a gay youth was not easy. Acceptance of other’s differences and uniqueness were not common. But living through the civil rights movement helped give him the courage to come out. He also credited his parents for their support. He told of the many times his mother said the problem wasn’t with him, it was with others.
Kushner’s parents were professional musicians, so the arts were always a part of his life and that of his siblings. As a result, it’s not surprising that he, his brother and his sister all pursued careers in the arts. At a young age, Kushner said he realized he wanted a career in theatre after seeing his mother act in “Death of a Salesman.”
An appreciation for the arts stayed with him into college, where he majored in medieval studies. One specific class captured his interest and his major was decided.
“I decided to become a medievalist.” Kushner said. “It seemed like a really cool thing to be.”
But he had to figure out a way to make medieval studies a career. As his love for the arts grew, he realized “art can bring light to the dark of society.” He learned how to use the arts to tackle difficult issues, such as politics, race and discrimination. Some of his work was influenced by family history, such as his position on unions and politics. Some of his work was based upon situations he experienced, like living through the early years of HIV and AIDS.
Israelite asked about the “shock value” of his work. He said he doesn’t write things to purposely shock people. However, Kushner said it would be a mistake for him or any artist to shy away from something just because it might shock someone.
“If you’re not scaring yourself as an artist, you’re not doing your job,” Kushner said. He said artists need to allow their work to take them places. “If you go there, your audience will go with you,” he said.
When asked why “Angels” has remained relevant, Kushner said that it still resonates with people. When the play first came out, “Angels” allowed actors and audiences to share their grief, because so many people had died. They were living in the moment.
“Now it’s a different experience,” Kushner said. Actors have to research that time period to get the feeling. The LGBTQIA community has also progressed, which has added to a different experience today, according to Kushner. “The play still works,” Kushner said. “The conflict remains.”
Kushner said he was most proud of “Caroline, or Change” and shared that one of his newest productions is a piece with Steven Spielberg, “The Kidnapping Of Edgardo Mortara.” It’s about kidnapping of a Jewish child by the Papal State of Italy in 1858 so he would be raised as a Catholic.
Kushner concluded the program with questions from the audience, a book signing and a meet-and-greet. But before he left the stage, he commended UMKC for being an advocate for students.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” he said. “It’s really an honor.”
Honorary chairs for the 2015 Pride Breakfast were Kay Barnes, Cathy Jambrosic, Mary Kay McPhee, Dan Nilsen, Dale Smith and Maurice Watson. For information about the sponsors of the event, visit UMKC Pride Breakfast website.
Since 2008, the UMKC Pride Breakfast has raised funds to support students at UMKC and served as a way to show the university’s support of, and commitment to, LGBTQIA students.
The Pride Breakfast is a collaborative initiative between the UMKC Division of Diversity and Inclusion, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and University Advancement. The breakfast benefits the LGBTQIA Leadership Scholarship and the Pride Empowerment Fund. Over the past six years, nearly $88,000 has been raised at the Pride Breakfast.
The LGBTQIA Leadership Scholarship recognizes students who have worked to advance the LGBTQIA community through leadership endeavors while at UMKC. Some students who come out or are “outed” to their families are rejected by their loved ones and faced with a sudden lack of financial support for college. The Pride Empowerment Fund provides critical support to these students by offering grants to help with expenses such as books, food, rent and utilities.