John E. Bush papers

Activist and educator John E. Bush is a co-founder of Men of All Colors Together (MACT) Boston, founded 1980, and a 1988 co-chair of the National Association of Black and White Men Together (NABWMT).In addition to serving as a national co-chair for the organization, John E. Bush was the editor of the National Newspaper for Black and White Men Together, the National Association of Black and White Men Together Journal and the Men of All Colors Together Boston Newsletter, and served for five years on the editorial board of the National Association of Black and White Men Together. Articles and essays he authored have been published in these and a number of other publications. Reflections, a collection of meditative essays by members of the organization, was edited by Bush, is located in Box 2 of the Men of All Colors Together Boston Records (M68).

The "Boston Bar Study," initiated by MACT Boston and compiled and edited by Bush, is a frequently-cited examination of Boston's gay and lesbian bars in the early 1980s. It assessed race-based discriminatory attitudes and practices within Boston's lesbian and gay community establishments. A copy of the study is included in the Box 1 of the Men of All Colors Together Boston records (M68).

Bush earned his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh and throughout his career has been actively involved in pursuits that mirror the core values of NABWMT and MACT, publishing works on subjects including multiculturalism, homophobia and AIDS awareness. As a professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, he has served as the Cultural Diversity Committee's chair, assisted in developing the Paul Cuffe Institute for promoting the retention of students and faculty in a diverse campus setting, and acted as the advisor for United Brothers and Sisters, a multicultural campus organization. Bush has also published a book of poetry, Changing Circumstances, and a collection of essays, My Father's Faith.

Men of All Colors Together Boston is the second-oldest chapter of the National Association of Black and White Men Together, which has chapters in over 30 cities nationwide. It is a "gay, multiracial, multicultural organization committed to fostering supportive environments wherein racial and cultural barriers can be overcome and the goal of human equality realized. To these ends we engage in educational, political, cultural and social activities as a means of dealing with racism, sexism, homophobia, HIV/AIDS discrimination and other inequities in our communities and in our lives."