Black Gay Research Summit

Hey there!

Today was the first day of the Black Gay Research Summit. The Black Gay Research Group (BGRG) is a network of Black gay men whose mission is to create and promote a research agenda for the self-actualization of gay men of African descent. The Planning Committee includes: Planning Committee: Gary English, Executive Director, People of Color In Crisis; Sheldon Fields, Ph.D.; Robert L. Miller, Jr; leon a. james, People of Color in Crisis; Kenneth T. Jones, M.S.W.; Wayne Jazz Mitchell, Ph.D., Community Coalition Project of Central Brooklyn, The Miracle Makers, Inc.; Colin Robinson, Executive Director, New York State Black Gay Network; Michael Roberson, People of Color in Crisis; Leo Wilton, Ph.D., Associate Research Scientist, New York University; Barry Walston, New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute; Darrell P. Wheeler, Ph.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor of Social Work, Hunter College; Evelyn G. Williams, Greene Williams Consulting, and yours truly!

On June 5, 2001, Gary English, executive director of POCC, wrote me a letter urging me to attend a meeting which would focus on finding research strategies that would bring about changes for our community in New York City. The CDC had recently released in YMS study that painted a grim picture for young black men in New York City. I was curious about what could be done. I went. Two years later, we have the Summit. For more information about the conference schedule, follow this link: Black Gay Research Summit.

After the opening plenary session, Cathy Cohen, author of The Boundaries of Blackness gave an excellent keynote where she stressed coaltion building between the research and social services communities, and emphasized that research be thought of as a "political resource." And that both groups, researchers and social services organizations make a political commitment to black communities of all kinds.

I am always enthused when I hear people push for unity among ALL black people. Too often I am buffeted, no, smashed in the face with anti-black sentiment, too often from people who claim to be "conscious." This comment among many was one of the highlights of her engaging and provocative speech. I encourage you to read her book.

I facilitated a panel called "Black Men Think Again," which was a public announcement for the forthcoming volume, THINK AGAIN, a collection of creative and critical essays and narratives that reimagine the ways in which HIV risk and prevention is conducted in communities where black men have sex with black men. THINK AGAIN is the brainchild of Colin Robinson, executive director of the New York State Black Gay Network (NYSBGN). Colin invited me to serve as co-editor in April 2003. THINK AGAIN will be jointly published by the NYSBGN and AIDS Project Los Angeles APLA). Four contributors to the project were in attendance to read their essays: Herukhuti, Khary Polk, Charles Stephens and Vincent Woodard. All of them gave knockout readings. I was very pleased with the response from those in attendance, representatives from social service organizations such as POCC, Us Helping Us, writers, academicians and researchers. The book will be published September 2003. Stay tuned for details!

Tomorrow (Friday August 1, 2003) I will present a workshop about the Black Gay & Lesbian Archive (BGLA), and I am looking forward to it. I will be discussing the genesis of the project, its current status, as well as provide a small sampling of what I have collected to date. There will also be commentary by Kevin McGruder, former executive director of Gay Men of African Descent who is currently a PhD student in history a CUNY, and Charles Tarver, webmaster of the Blackstripe. Both will talk about doing black gay research and the challenges it presents. I may also have a third panelist, poet and activist, Vincent Woodard. He's scheduled to do another workshop at the same time but I hope he can pop over and say a few words! Vincent has been doing research about black gay men and spirituality, and has used the papers of writers Assotto Saint and Melvin Dixon, which are housed at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. All three panelists have made contributions the Black Gay and Lesbian Archive. This panel should be a blast!

All of that, and Black Pride NYC and Pride in the City! Yes, a tale of two Prides in the Big Apple! Lots of stuff to do this weekend.

Time to take my happy ass to bed.

Good night!

Thursday, July 31, 2003 @ 11:12 PM