Donna Payne Interview 2021

Title: Donna Payne Interview 2021
Description: Donna Payne is a Black lesbian feminist activist and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist who lives in Washington DC. She is interviewed by Sharon Doetsch-Kidder and Soph Zelizer.
Abstract: Donna Payne (she/her) describes how her relationship with her family has evolved, meeting her wife, and their wedding. She discusses working with Reverends Dyson and Sharpton to advocate for marriage equality, and tension between religious leaders at a key meeting. She then talks about meeting Minister Louis Farrakhan, and assisting with LGBT+ inclusivity within the Nation of Islam. She describes her work life, leaving the Human Rights Campaign, working with the National Black Justice Coalition, and her current DEI work at the Federal Reserve Board, as well as the impact of Black and LGBT+ leadership. She then outlines her life during the COVID-19 pandemic and her experiences during the Obama and Trump administrations, including working with the Obamas and being invited to the White House. She then highlights the importance of intersectionality, and her most significant accomplishments.
Subject: Black, lesbian, Nashville, Memphis, Washington DC, political activism, Human Rights Campaign, National Black Justice Coalition, Federal Reserve Board, Nation of Islam, Obama
Date: December 6, 2021
Language: English