“One org’s attempt to change the narrative of Black Gay Men, HIV, and Higher Education”
What a difference one year can make is usually how the saying goes, but in this case, it has truly come into fruition. What started out as a simple award show to honor the living legends within the Black gay community in DC has now turned into a full fledged non-profit organization, targeting HIV, Higher Education, and what safe spaces look like for LGBTQ people on college campuses. For Black Gifted and Whole, the attempt to change the narrative surrounding Black gay men is more than just a labor of love, it is the realization of our truth and an effort to change the way we are viewed in community and amongst ourselves.
It was almost a year ago when we entered the School Without Walls in Washington DC, with the hope and optimism of making a dream become a reality. It was at that time that I and Guy Anthony would introduce ourselves to the Gay Straight Alliance with hopes of finding our first mentee for the soon-to-bebe non-profit. As luck would have it, we encountered a young man by the name of Jauan Durbin; vibrant, unapologetically out, and full of life. We didn’t know it at the time, but this young man would become the first step in turning a small dream into a huge reality. He was a cheerleader with dreams of becoming a “MoreHouse Man”, and we knew that we had the right tools to help him along his journey. He would become the first-ever recipient of our Black Gifted and Whole Scholarship Program, from our HBCU Scholarship Fund, and further instill in us the belief of what we knew we had to do in the future.
While working on the HBCU Scholarship Fund we were also in the planning stages of our first major event, an award show that would celebrate Black Gay Men in Washington DC for their work in various fields including HIV, Social Justice, Arts, Ballroom and Technology.. This event would serve as our stamp to the community that we were dedicated to making our contributions to society known and provide the platform for acknowledgment and appreciation for all the hard work people from our community put in. The show took place in November of 2015 with over 250 people in attendance. From this, the community response was powerful and gave us further confidence in what we needed to do going forward.
By January 2016, we received our determination letter in the mail making us an official 501C organization in Washington DC. Excited would be an understatement as the hard work was finally beginning to pay off. We would spend those next few months working with Jauan as we prepared to send him off to college. It would be March when a report from the CDC came out and changed the way that Black, Gifted & Whole would operate moving forward.. In that report it was announced that 50% of Black Gay men would contract HIV over their lifetime. Rather than look at this as a devastating blow to the community, we used it as the catalyst to launch our next major project.
SAFEHOUSE, as coined by Guy Anthony, would be our first-ever LGBTQ open house on an HBCU campus with the help of Chereen Leid,UDC Advisor. This past August, organizations from the local LGBTQ community including NBJC, Campaign 9:30, DENIM, The Mayor’s Office, and even David Johns of the White House tabled, and then convened on a panel to discuss what safety, health, and education should look like for LGBTQ students of color who attend HBCUs. The event was a huge success and an eye opener on what our next steps for the organization would be. Taking this type of conversation across the country to HBCUs in an effort to create substantive change in SafeSpaces needed on campuses in addition to adequate health clinics and resources for these students, would now be our future vision and expansion.
As we close out our year one, we are vigilant in our mission and dedicated to doing even more for High School students. With the relaunch of our brand and proof in our work, it is our hope that our community will pour into us and our dedication to helping Black gay men attend college through our scholarship foundation.
For the cost of a happy hour cocktail, you too can help send a young gay man to college. To donate please click the link. https://www.gofundme.com/blackgiftedwhole
Visit us on FaceBook @ https://www.facebook.com/blackgiftedwhole
For More Information on the org visit our Website: http://blackgiftedwhole.org/
