Black

Kayla Quimbley Joins Presidential Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS

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Kayla Quimbley

On August 4, 2021, Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Rachel Levine, swore in eight new members to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA), one of the newest members being Kayla Quimbley, a Georgia Equality Youth HIV Policy Advisor and youth HIV advocate.

Quimbley, as a Youth HIV Policy Advisor, is trained on policy and advocacy while being equipped with the resources needed to educate state, city, and county-level policymakers around the creation of meaningful HIV- related laws and strategy.

According to www.hiv.gov, “The PACHA provides advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding programs, policies, and research to promote effective prevention, treatment, and cure of HIV disease and AIDS. This includes recommendations to the Secretary regarding the development and implementation of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative and the HIV National Strategic Plan.”

As a member of Advocates’ Engaging Communities around HIV Organizing (ECHO) council and as a National Youth HIV AIDS Awareness Day Ambassador, Quimbley is utilizing her skills, and lived experience, to eradicate HIV stigma, reduce the number of new HIV transmissions, and directly influence policy change.

Quimbley has dedicated herself to raising awareness of how HIV disproportionately impacts youth of color and continuously works to ensure that youth have access to medically accurate information.

Georgia Equality celebrates Kayla Quimbley for her dedication and is a true inspiration. We know she will be an assest to the PACHA.

Todrick Hall: Pushing for Black ‘Femuline’ Acceptance

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Todrick Hall

Todrick Hall talks reinvention, industry bias and what drives his advocacy
By Eve Kucharski

Todrick Hall is serving bitch but making it, as he says on his latest record, fashòn. The album’s title, “Femuline,” is exactly as it seems: the blending of feminine and masculine attributes to create a greater, queerer whole. That theme serves as the perfect narrative for an artist who has made a music career out of reimagining classic stories like “The Wizard of Oz” and “Cinderella” through his own creative lens. The difference this time, he says, was that there was no “pre-existing blueprint.”

“It may exist, but I’ve never heard a song talking about how you can be both: you can be a prince, you can be a princess; you can be the bride, you can be the groom. And that was very interesting for me to explore,” Hall says. “But it was uncharted territory as far as I know.”

Full of club-ready bangers that seem tailor-made for Pride season, “Femuline” is Hall’s “open love letter to the LGBTQ community,” he says. An already queer experience is made queerer thanks to both LGBTQ+ and allied icons like Brandy, Tyra Banks, TS Madison, Chaka Khan, and, of course, Hall’s signature Broadway vocals.

So far in his career, Hall has been part of multiple Broadway smash hits, secured a spot as a recurring guest judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and amassed a whopping 44 million views on YouTube with his 2019 “Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels” breakthrough single. Considering Hall only made the move to Los Angeles a decade ago, it’s all the more impressive that his hard-won successes have been so consistent and plentiful. Not even the vision board that he created upon his permanent move out West could’ve prepared the Plainview, Texas, native for everything he has accomplished at this point in his career.
“It wouldn’t have included any of these things because I wouldn’t have had the courage and the wisdom and the diversity and the acceptance and the permission from society to be able to put things on there,” Hall says. “As a dreamer, I still even limited my dreams at that time.”

He says that shortly after breaking into the industry he realized that, because of societal stigma and bias, his identity as a Black gay man would only make achieving his goals more difficult than he imagined. Hall recalls a distinct moment on the Broadway stage when another Black performer in “The Color Purple” pulled him aside and told him that he was never going to get away with mediocrity.

“And in every Broadway show that I’ve ever been in, I had to tumble,” he says. “I had to be doing backflips and leaping across the stage, and riffing and singing high, and understudying 8 billion roles while I saw my counterparts that were a different race come in and give, in some cases not even a mediocre performance, but the skill set that was required for them [to succeed] was lower,” Hall says.

In some ways, Hall says he views the high standards society places on him as a compliment, as an expectation to only bring the best quality to his work. Yet he recognizes their deeply problematic nature, racist origins and the consequences those standards have on both himself and fellow Black performers.

“You expect Black women to get up and out-sing everyone on the stage. If she doesn’t sing ‘And I Am Telling You’ or ‘I Will Always Love You,’ then why is she there?” he says. “To me, I think a Black woman should be able to get up and sing ‘Part of Your World’ from ‘The Little Mermaid.’ The reality is that there are a lot of people who are musical-theater performers that, if they can’t deliver a gospel Jennifer Holliday-, Jennifer Hudson-, Beyoncé-esque performance, their opportunities to perform and exist in entertainment are almost nonexistent.”

To Hall, one of the keys to dispelling the stigma that still persists around identity, whether conscious or not, is to push for representation whenever possible – not only of Black entertainers but those who are LGBTQ+ as well.

“Some days I wake up and I’m like, ‘You should be grateful for the things that you have.’ But then there are other days where I’m like, ‘You can count on one hand, without using most of your fingers, the amount of gay men who have come out and been gay when they were popular on the radio,’” he says, lamenting that he’s never heard a man sing a love song to another man on mainstream radio.

He adds that Hollywood’s acceptance of Black queer artists in 2021 isn’t enough: “We’re accepting breadcrumbs when we should get a slice of bread at this point.”
Hall believes that it should be a requirement and not an exception for radio stations to play same-sex love songs as a means of normalizing ideas of LGBTQ+ acceptance. Really, though, he’s out of patience for people who use a handful of examples of Black representation in popular culture as an excuse to say that visibility is equitable.
“People can make the decision to be like, ‘Yeah, there wasn’t a lot.’ Or they can bring up the fact that Oprah existed and be like, ‘That’s enough,’ when that wasn’t enough,” Hall says.

That extends to LGBTQ+ artists, too. He points to Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” as an example of audacious content created by a talented Black gay artist who’s seeking to break free from societal expectations of what Black queerness should look like.

“He probably knows singing a song that’s just a format that the Jonas Brothers, that Shawn Mendes, that James Arthur, that Ed Sheeran, that Sam Smith have been able to do would not be enough,” he says.

His passion about this topic and advocating for representation in his work comes from a personal place. A place, he says, that was born of being told “no” because of his Black, queer identity. It’s those roots that inspired him to take on advocacy projects outside of music like being the face of Morphe’s “Live With Love” palette whose full proceeds will go to benefit The Trevor Project. But as vocal as he is about causes he cares about, Hall doesn’t feel every artist needs to be required to use their platform for advocacy — it’s just the “cherry on top” if they do.

Looking ahead, it won’t be until 2022 that fans will get to see Hall perform “Femuline” live, seeing as how COVID-19 has thrown things off-kilter for nearly every touring artist’s schedule. But until then, there’s no question about what he needs to do next: “knock down walls and barriers so that the people that come after me are able to just strut without having to stress out [about] the things that I had to worry about that made me believe that I could never accomplish my dreams.”

Leyna Bloom: In Full Bloom

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Leyna Bloom

In Full Bloom
This Trans Actress and Sports Illustrated Model Is Changing the Game for Trans Women of Color
By Chris Azzopardi

Leyna Bloom made a splash this year for being the first Black and Asian openly trans woman to be featured in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, out in July. But even before reaching that historical milestone, the 27-year-old Chicago native was changing the game both on the runway and on the screen.

In 2019, Bloom was the only transgender woman of color to walk Paris Fashion Week in 2019 at the Tommy Hilfiger x Zendaya fashion show as part of an all-Black female runway. Then there’s her drama “Port Authority,” which features Bloom making her major movie debut in a prominent role, positioning the model, actress and activist as the first trans woman of color to lead a feature film at the Cannes Film Festival in the festival’s 72-year history. After first premiering at Cannes in 2019, “Port Authority” will expand to VOD on June 1.

In writer-director Danielle Lessovitz’s romantic drama, which was executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Bloom plays Wye, a trans woman of color and “femme queen” who encounters Paul (Fionn Whitehead) after he’s kicked out of his home in central Pennsylvania. Set against the backdrop of New York’s vogue houses and kiki ballrooms is their blossoming love. Bloom’s next film, “Asking For It,” a film focused on sexism that stars Kiersey Clemons, Ezra Miller, Vanessa Hudgens and Gabourey Sidibe, will premiere this summer at the Tribeca Film Festival. The actress can also be seen as ballroom figure Pretentia Khan in the third and (allegedly) final season of Ryan Murphy’s “Pose.”

During our recent conversation, the rising trans vanguard got emotional reflecting on making Cannes Film Festival history with “Port Authority.” Bloom also talked about drawing on legendary house mother Carmen Xtravaganza for her role on “Pose,” her dashed dreams of being in the Navy like her father, and being celebrated for her groundbreaking Sports Illustrated shoot.

When were you first interested in acting and modeling?

My great-grandmother was a model. My grandmother and my auntie, her daughters were both models. And my auntie was a dancer; she danced for Sammy Davis Jr. So dance and performing have always been in my blood. I come from two backgrounds, Nigerian and Filipino, which has a very rich background full of dance. So my ancestry and my creativity is all inside my body asking to be released constantly.

Acting has kind of always been kind of part of the plan, just like, “When am I gonna get there, and what script and what project will be the best project for that opportunity?” When “Port Authority” arrived, it was right on time because it was just a dream opportunity to play that character because it is literally the voice and the story of so many trans bodies. So, I’m glad that that was the first opportunity given to me to show the world the future.

“Port Authority” is the first film in Cannes Film Festival’s 72-year history to feature a trans woman of color in a lead role. How do you feel knowing that?

To be able to do something like this, which is my ancestors’ wildest dreams, is truly monumental. Why has it taken so long? And what can we do with this moment to make sure that it doesn’t take that long for the next person? That’s where my mind is always going to be wrapped up in. Because I may be the first, but I will not be the last. I think it’s just powerful because just 72 years ago, Black and brown bodies and queer bodies were nonexistent in this space. I think it’s just… I don’t know. I’m getting so emotional thinking about this.

Who are some of the people who paved the way for you to feel comfortable to be who you are?

A lot of beautiful women. Carmen Xtravaganza. Halle Berry. Tyra Banks. Tracey “Africa” (Norman). You know, Tyra Banks was the first woman of color to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated, so I’m standing on her shoulders. It’s very powerful and I’m so happy that (“Port Authority,” a story about) love was the first reason why we made history. It wasn’t about war, it wasn’t about pain. It was about love. It was a love story that made history about two people, (featuring a) trans woman, that has been missing in society. That is why it is so important, and that is why we need to continue having more moments like this.

How much of your own ballroom experience is the experience of your character, Wye, in “Port Authority”?

My experience is very similar. Wye’s character comes from a ballroom family where she is getting ready for balls and she is helping her family get ready for balls. Paul’s character is actually helping her get ready for balls, so that is very familiar to my lifestyle over the years. I’ve been (doing) ballroom since I was 15 years old, so I’ve gotten ready for many balls and prepared myself for many different competitions through the circuit. It’s very real, it’s very raw, and I love that Danielle wanted to just bring that authenticity to the film.

I chuckled at the line, “I mean, you could be a model or something,” which Paul says to Wye after she tells him that she was in the Navy. Was that based on your own real-life experience?

My dad was actually in the military. He was a Marine. I was raised in that environment, I was raised around my dad and us living on base, and us traveling to many different bases around the world, and officially being a Marine brat. That was something that we wanted to add to the character. I also wanted to be in the Navy at one point in my life, but because I am trans and because the system is not set up for me to serve my country, I could not do that. So I thought that was a beautiful little piece of nuance.

How did ballroom culture shape who you are today?

Ballroom just allowed me to see myself in my rawest state and understand that if I wanted to change, it’s up to me; it’s not up to anyone else. Ballroom is a place where you can find harmony in yourself, in your community. Where you can feel the vibrations of the people that are feeling the pain that you’re feeling and can heal together because of that. So ballroom holds lots of raw energy and power that the world has been exploring at a very small rate. But now ballroom is going to homes around the world, and people are redefining the ideas about themselves and what’s around them.

As for “Pose,” were you a fan of the series before you starred in it?

I actually auditioned for “Pose,” and a lot of my friends on the show auditioned and got the part. I was a huge fan of any project that was about Black and brown trans women being the centerpiece of the glory of television. So, I’m a huge fan of that show, and I’m so happy I got a chance to be a part of (this) last season.

How would you describe your character, Pretentia, and what was it like embodying her?

I have so many ideas about her character. Pretentia is kind of like Carmen Xtravaganza, this amazing ballroom icon woman that is Spanish and Black African, and she just inspired me growing up. I wanted to just really bring Carmen back to life through Pretentia. She’s just a combination of a lot of different strong women that I just grew up loving. She reminds me a lot of Sharon Stone. She had a lot of really strong alpha characters, and I wanted to bring that to Pretentia.

Tyra Banks has been such a huge supporter of yours. How important is it to have prominent cis people, like Tyra Banks, lift up the trans community? And what does it mean for you to have people like Tyra in your corner?

Honestly, it’s full circle for me. I was that kid that was watching “America’s Next Top Model” first season, jotting notes to use in my everyday life. Tyra was this woman that was giving us access to free information about her lived experience. And, to one day be aligned in some way, shape or form — aligned to what she has created — is truly powerful. And for her to acknowledge that is even more powerful.

I grew up reading Sports Illustrated, and knowing that Tyra was on the cover many times was truly powerful for me as a young trans woman. Seeing a beautiful Black woman that was full bust — big smile, beautiful personality, in tune with her femininity — was really powerful for me to see. When I did Sports Illustrated and it was announced, I immediately hit her up to acknowledge her as like, “I would not be here if it wasn’t for you,” like I did when I did “Pose.” I hit up those women that I told you (about): Carmen, Tracey “Africa.” I hit up these women to acknowledge that, “I’m doing this because you allowed me to see something that changed my life, that now I can be a part of, and I would not be able to do it if it wasn’t for you.” And (Tyra) acknowledged me. We’re texting here and there, and she’s sending me words of affirmation, and I’m moving to Paris soon. She’s like, “Oh, that’s where I was at; my career started in Paris.” So she’s a huge inspiration of mine, but she’s also a mentor, and you know, like a mommy also. I’m one of her babies. (Laughs.)

Who else reached out to you acknowledging how big of a deal your Sports Illustrated shoot was?

So many people hit me up. People from all different walks of life. A lot of white men reached out to me, and not fetishizing or sexualizing me but acknowledging the fact that the world is changing and the decisions that Sports Illustrated is making allow me to not only just be a part of Sports Illustrated but to tell my story through them. (It) was truly monumental for them. They acknowledge that the world needs to change, and why has it taken so long? A huge, prominent person in sports, (NBA star Dwyane) Wade, who is also from Chicago, reached out to me and congratulated me, sent me some bottles of wine — shout out to D-Wade! He’s raising a young trans daughter, and it was just truly powerful to know that the world is really changing in this moment.

What do you think it will feel like when you get your hands on a physical copy of the magazine?

I just… I honestly, oh my… even seeing a billboard of me anywhere just gives me chills. Because that was part of my vision board, you know? I would go to these places and see these billboards and just dream that one day that could be me. So the idea that there’s a magazine that’s on the level of Sports Illustrated that is acknowledging my life and what I do in this world with my life, wants me to be something, or sees something inside of me, that’s just truly powerful to me. This new generation of people, you ask them the names, you tell them the stories, and it doesn’t really click with them. But for me, who comes from that era of understanding before social media how powerful these spaces are, it’s just out of this world. I just pinch myself every time.

When it comes to trans women of color leveling the playing field both in and out of Hollywood, what’s next? What do you want to see leveled up next for trans women of color?

I want to see education level up. I think it’s important for me to pass on information just like information was passed onto me. Since we are in a time when education is always going to be a powerful tool, I definitely want to see how I can work in that environment, whether it’s me opening my own school or building a curriculum in a school to develop some type of information and data so people like me can have resources that I didn’t have when I was growing up.

What’s next for you?

One of my mentors, Carmen Xtravaganza, I’m writing her story. That was one thing she wants to leave on this Earth: just information and ideas and wisdom, and I want to put it in a book. After I write her book, I’m going to be writing my own book.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Chris Azzopardi is the Editorial Director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ wire service. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

Follow Friday: Inspiring Black Trans Women

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Black Trans Women

This Follow Friday is an opportunity to celebrate some amazing black trans women.   Black trans women face significant challenges in our society.   The US Trans Survey reports that trans women of color are more than twice as likely to be living in poverty and four times more likely to be unemployed.   The HIV rate among black trans women was an astounding 19%.   Black trans women, however, cannot simply be reduced to a collection of risk factors.  The amazing women below are each succeeding in their respective fields and fighting back against racism, transphobia, and misogyny along the way.

Alexandra Grey

Alexandra Gray
Alexandra Gray

twitter.com/1alexandragrey

Actress Alexandra Grey had a standout cameo performance on season three of the Amazon series Transparent, portraying a trans teenager in foster care (a story line that mirrors her own life).  You may also remember Alexandra from her portrayal of trans activist Marsha P. Johnson in an amazing Stonewall themed episode of Drunk History.

Thankfully, we will be seeing much more of Alexandra in the future.   She has a recurring role on the miniseries When We Rise.  This highly anticipated series, written and produced by Academy Award Winner Dustin Lance Black, tells the history of the LGBT rights movement in the United States beginning with the Stonewall riots.

Monica Roberts

Monica Roberts
Monica Roberts

twitter.com/transgriot

Monica Roberts, AKA the TransGriot (Gree-oh) is a native Houstonian, GLAAD award nominated blogger, writer, and award winning trans human rights advocate.

She’s the founding editor of TransGriot, and her writing has appeared at the Bilerico Project, Ebony.com, The Huffington Post and the Advocate.

Monica is a 2015 recipient of the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award.  Monica was a GLAAD Media Award Outstanding Blog Nominee in 2014.

Angelica Ross

Angelica Ross
Angelica Ross

twitter.com/angelicaross
Like Dane, Angelica Ross wears multiple has.  She is perhaps known best one of the stars of the web series Her Story, a role that has garnered her widespread acclaim exploring dating and relationship issues for trans and queer women.

She is also the founding CEO of TransTech Social Enterprises. TransTech is an incubator for LGBTQ Talent with a focus on economically empowering the T, transgender people, in our community.  TransTech provides services including online community and trainings, helping individuals get the tech credentials they need to pursue or grow their careers.

Fallon Fox

Fallon Fox
Fallon Fox

twitter.com/fallonfox

Fallon Fox is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). She is the first openly African American transgender athlete in MMA history.

Prior to her career in MMA, Fox had served in the Navy as a operations specialist 2nd class for the U.S.S. Enterprise.  Fallon was ‘outed’ as transgender and endured transphobia coming from some in in the UFC, but was undeterred.  Fallon has become a powerful advocate and role model appearing on ESPN, in the Advocate Magazine, and working as a partner in the Nike #BeTrue campaign.

Dane Figueroa Edidi

Dane Figueroa Edidi
Dane Figueroa Edidi

twitter.com/theladydane

Dane Edidi does it all. She is an actress, author, singer, playwright, poet, and priestess.   A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Dane’s poetry collection Baltimore, a Love Letter was written during and after the Baltimore 2015 Riots. The poem that gives this collection its name is both a beautiful reflection on the city as well as a call to action (it is my personal favorite of all of Dane’s poems).

Dane is the author of several novels and novellas including Brew, the fictional story of a trans teenager, which also draws inspiration from Baltimore where the story is set.

Find out more and buy Dane’s work at: www.ladydanefe.com

Elle Hearns

Elle Hearns
Elle Hearns

twitter.com/soulfreedreams

Elle hearns is a powerful activist, speaker, and community organizer.  Elle began her work organizing black trans women in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio in response to the murders of trans women including  Cemia Dove, Brittney Nicole Kidd-Stergis,Tiffany Edwards, and Betty Skinner.

Her activism brought her to Washington DC where she worked for Get Equal as a regional coordinator.   Elle is known for her leadership on grassroots initiatives including Trans Liberation Tuesday, as well as digital campaigns More Than Marriage, and Raise the Debate.

Elle Hearns has been involved in Black Lives Matter since the very beginning of the movement and currently serves as an organizing coordinator.

Lourdes Ashley Hunter

Lourdes Ashley Hunter
Lourdes Ashley Hunter

twitter.com/hunterlourdes

Healer, orator and academic, Lourdes Ashley Hunter has served as a transformative thought leader and change agent for grass-roots initiatives that impact the economic growth and leadership development of communities disproportionately impacted by state sanctioned violence for over 20 years. Lourdes’ research, curriculum development, global organizing and activism centers healing restoration in social justice change. co-founder and National Director of Trans Women of Color Collective (TWOCC)

Kat Blaque

Kat Blaque
Kat Blaque

twitter.com/kat_blaque

Fans tune in weekly to watch Kat Blaque on youtube, and especially the ongoing True Tea advice series.   With over 100,000 subscribers, Kat has become a powerful voice speaking candidly about feminism, racial justice, and gender identity & expression.

Kat can also be found contributing at Everyday Feminism and Huffington Post Black Voices.

This list is just a beginning.  Which black trans women inspire you and why?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Follow Friday: Black Trans Voices
Follow Friday: Black Trans Voices

 

 

NCAVP Mourns the Death of Ashanti Carmon

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Ashanti Carmon

NCAVP mourns the death of Ashanti Carmon, a 27-year-old black trans woman in Washington D.C. According to media reports, Ashanti was died of gun shot wounds last Saturday on the eve of Transgender Day of Visibility. Carmon’s fiancé, Phillip Williams, told NBC News that they had been on a movie date the day before she was found dead.

“Until I leave this Earth, I’m going to continue on loving her in my heart, body, and soul,” Williams said. “She did not deserve to leave this Earth so early, especially in the way that she went out. She did not deserve that.”

NCAVP’s latest report, issued earlier this year, Hate Violence and Intimate Partner Violence in LGBTQ and HIV-affected Communities highlights the disproportionate risk for severe and fatal violence faced by trans women of color, like Ashanti. Local community held a vigil on April 2 to honor Ashanti’s memory

It can be hard to read these reports of violence against our communities. If you need support in these difficult times, you can always reach out to your local NCAVP member. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, you can reach our free bilingual national hotline at 212-714-1141 or report onlinefor support.

NCAVP works to prevent, respond to, and end all forms of violence against and within lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and HIV-affected communities. NCAVP is a national coalition of local member programs and affiliate organizations who create systemic and social change. NCAVP is a program of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.

Southerners on New Ground Job Openings

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Song Job

Southerners on new ground (SONG) is hiring to help support their ever growing work and our membership across the South. SONG is looking for looking for a Communications Fellow, Development Fellow, Operations Support and Facilities Support to join the team!

Southerners On New Ground (SONG) is a regional Queer Liberation organization made up of Black people, people of color, immigrants, undocumented people, people with disabilities, working class and rural and small town, LGBTQ people in the South.

You can find job descriptions and more information about how to apply in links below:

Development Fellow
Communications Fellow
Operations Support
Facilities Support

David J. Johns Named Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition

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David J. Johns Named Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition

Washington, DC—The leadership of the National Black Justice Coalition announced today that David J. Johns has assumed the role of Executive Director as of September 1, 2017. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is a civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS. NBJC’s mission is to end racism, homophobia, and LGBTQ bias and stigma.

“Growing up as a little Black boy in Inglewood, California, I did not meet or see people who showed up in the world like me—strong Black men who are equally proud about their Blackness as they are about being same gender loving (SGL),” stated David J. Johns. “I want people to see me, to know that I exist—that we, as a community, refuse to hide or check parts of who we are at the door, shrink or otherwise fail to show up in our fullness—knowing who we are and whose we are. I assume this responsibility, in part, because it’s important for me to show up for younger people the way I wish adults had shown up for me—fully, honestly and without apology.”

In 2013, Johns was appointed as the first executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans by President Barack H. Obama and served until the last day of the Obama Administration in January, 2017. The Initiative worked across federal agencies, and with partners and communities nationwide, to produce a more effective continuum of education and workforce development programs for African American students of all ages.

Prior to his White House appointment, Johns was a senior education and workforce development policy advisor to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) under the leadership of U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Before working for the Senate HELP Committee, under the leadership of Tom Harkin, Johns served under the leadership of the late U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). In addition, Johns has been a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellow in the office of Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY). Johns has worked on issues affecting low-income and minority students, neglected youth, early childhood and k-12 education, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) among others. His research as an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow served as a catalyst to identify, disrupt and supplant negative perceptions of black males—both within academia and society.

Johns has been featured as an influential politico and advocate by several publications and outlets, including TheRoot.com, CNN, NBC, BET, EBONY and The Washington Post.

“During my tenure, I plan to focus deeply on the empowerment of the Black family, which includes the families we are born into as well as those we create—while honoring the opportunity to remain a central repository for advocating for and responding to the needs of Black LGBTQ/SGL individuals and communities. Critical to this work is engaging all Black people in transformative dialogues that honor the diversity of Black families and the roles that Black LGBTQ/SGL people continue to play—in both family and community—and advancing policies that ensure civil rights for Black LGBTQ/SGL people,” Johns continued.

Johns succeeds Sharon J. Lettman-Hicks, who led NBJC for eight years. Lettman-Hicks will continue her role as the Chief Executive Officer of NBJC and focus on board development, infrastructure and long-term sustainability.

“I had the pleasure of working directly with David Johns when I was appointed to serve on the Commission of the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for African Americans, where David served as the Executive Director,” Lettman-Hicks said. “David’s mere presence fills a room. His intellectual prowess, compassionate heart, and deeply-rooted knowledge of public policy and the plight of underserved and marginalized communities—especially the African American experience—gives me more than hope for our work and future leadership in Black America. He defines excellence and leaves no challenge unanswered. Johns is exactly the right person to articulate our needs and understand our connectedness to our families.”

Johns added, “As the Executive Director of NBJC, I will lead aggressive campaigns that disrupt and supplant deleterious stereotypes about Black LGBTQ and same gender loving people.  These campaigns and related activations will, among other things, highlight more of the diversity that exists within and makes our community strong.

 

David J. Johns Named Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition
David J. Johns Named Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition

National Mentoring Campaign for Black Male Students

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In an effort to strengthen a community and build up a new generation of achievers; the Black, Gifted and Whole Foundation aims to inspire social change with the launch of their HBCU Scholarship Ambassador Program, where selected students will receive financial support and mentoring throughout their college matriculation.

The goal of this program is to create a structure equipped with strategies that assist with the elimination of systematic barriers for the Black gay/ queer men in their pursuit of obtaining life skills before entering the workforce. Thus creating ambassadors who will, in turn, pay it forward and uplift their fellow brethren, completing the vision of what it means to be Black, Gifted & Whole.

“I wish that I had a mentor that was like me so that I didn’t have to struggle through that journey alone,” says Johnson. Similarly, Anthony tells NewsOne, “The reason we started BGW was to celebrate Black Gay and Queer men by affirming their whole selves. Not often do we see ourselves as whole people in media, in relationships, at work, or in family life. Black, Gifted & Whole is the organization I wish was around when I was learning how to love myself as a young man.”

The foundation will award $10K to 5 students (Ramon Johnson, Derrell Richardson, Torres Savage, Michael Moore, Denzel Cammon) across the United States, who have been accepted to a Historically Black College or University, with their Presidential Scholarship. This payment will be made directly to the university/institution to help offset the tuition cost, money for books, and a yearly stipend for food. The 2017-2018 scholarship recipients will be announced at the 2nd Annual Scholarship Gala to be held this summer.

“This generation of students regardless of sexual orientation deserves the same opportunities, a chance to learn, to explore, and to know what’s at their reach. In the end, the passions and skills they develop through higher education will only serve us all for years to come.”

Interested in learning more about the Scholarship Ambassador Program and how to get involved please visit BlackGiftedWhole.Org.

Black, Gifted and WHole
Black, Gifted, and Whole

LGBTQ Organizations Open Letter: From Ferguson to True Freedom

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LGBT Community Response to Ferguson and NYC

Words cannot begin to describe the depth of feeling we all share about the unfolding tragedies in Ferguson and New York City. Words cannot relieve the suffering of Michael Brown and Eric Garner’s loved ones nor can words alone salve the pain nor quell the anger of millions. It’s action we need and we need it now.

As LGBTQ national organizations, we proudly stand in solidarity with the civil rights organizations and local activists — including the actions of an amazing, fierce, brilliant cadre of youth leaders, many of whom are queer identified — in demanding fundamental systemic change that tackles the root causes of racial and economic injustices once and for all. From political accountability for the deaths of Michael and Eric to the immediate passage of federal legislation that completely bans racial profiling across this land to ensuring that local police departments are representative and fair arbiters of safety and protection for everyone and who — through their actions — are continually working to earn the trust, confidence and respect of the entire community.

We too must speak louder than words and take more action — to change more hearts and minds and fight even harder for the policies and practices that make statements such as this one obsolete.

We urge you to:

  • Join the March Against Police Violence in Washington, called by the National Action Network, on Saturday December 13th, 10:30am;
  • Organize and participate in peaceful protests in cities across the nation;
  • Attend public meetings in your city or town to show your support or share your experience with elected officials; and
  • Create your own actions for change in person and online — at home, at school, at work, in the corridors of power, and in places of worship.

Everyone, everywhere in our nation can do more to end racism and racial injustice. Everyone, from the Department of Justice that must do more to deliver justice for the Brown and Garner families to the high school principal who could do more to engage and educate students about racism and the need for justice.

Even those of us who have devoted our lives to this cause need to redouble our efforts to reach out to more people — including those people who are on the wrong side of this issue.

If we as a nation are to end racism and racial injustice once and for all, everyone must be part of an ongoing and sustainable process of change — a process that builds on all the progress we’ve made, a process that aims to recruit everyone, and a process with the specific mission of delivering lived equality, justice, and freedom for all.

American Civil Liberties Union
Believe Out Loud
Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT
The BiCast
BiNet USA
Bisexual Organizing Project
Bisexual Leadership Roundtable
Bisexual Resource Center
Campus Pride
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Center For Black Equity
COLAGE
Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals
Equality Federation
Family Equality Council
The Fellowship Global (Pastor Joseph Tolton)
The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries (Bishop Yvette Flunder)
Freedom to Marry
Gay Men’s Health Crisis
GLAAD
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network
Harvey Milk Foundation
Higher Education T* Circle Advisory Board
Human Rights Campaign
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
Lambda Legal
MAP
Marriage Equality USA
More Light Presbyterians
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
National LGBTQ Task Force
National Minority AIDS Council
The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA)
Nehirim
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
PFLAG National
Pride at Work, AFL-CIO
The Pride Network
Reconciling Ministries Network
SAGE (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders)
Trans People of Color Coalition
The Trevor Project

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

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National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

HIV affects all people, but some communities have been particularly hard hit. Of the more than 1.1 million Americans living with HIV today, half are Black. Black Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV relative to their share of the U.S. population, accounting for 44% of all new infections in the U.S. while representing just 12% of the population. The epidemic has touched many lives. According to a national survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, three in five Black Americans now know someone living with HIV or who has died of AIDS.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is an HIV testing and treatment community mobilization initiative for Blacks in the United States and across the Diaspora.

There are four specific focal points: Get Educated, Get Tested, Get Involved, and Get Treated. Find out more at: www.nationalblackaidsday.org.