On Saturday, August 21, 2021, at 12:00pm ET, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) and AARP, will host a virtual celebration entitled the James Baldwin Legacy Awards in honor of the invaluable contributions of Black men within the Black LGBTQ+/same gender loving (SGL) movement and community. This year's awardees are considered elders with ample experience and history advancing both Civil and LGBTQ+/SGL rights.
The awardees we will honor this year include:
- Robert Battle, the artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, will accept the Alvin Ailey Glass Ceiling award on behalf of Alvin Ailey.
- Imam Daayiee Abdullah, America's first openly gay Imam, one of only eight openly gay Imams in the world, and founder of the Mecca Institute.
- Cornelius Baker, Chief policy advisor, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy, U.S. State Department
- Kylar Broadus, founder of the Trans People of Color Coalition, spoke in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in front of Congress, making him the first transgender person to testify in front of the U.S. Senate, and NBJC board member.
- Keith Boykin, co-founder of the National Black Justice Coalition, former White House aide to President Bill Clinton and CNN political commentator.
- Ernest Hopkins, co-founder of Washington DC Black Gay and Lesbian Pride Day in 1991, which has evolved into an international Black Pride Movement, and the Director of Legislative Affairs at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
- ABilly Jones-Hennin, launched the National Coalition of Black Gays (later renamed the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays), the first national advocacy organization for Black gay men and lesbians, and founding member of the National Association of Black & White Men Together.
- Mayor Kenneth Reeves, former mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts, the first openly gay African-American man to serve as mayor of any United States City.
- Reggie Van Lee, retired Executive Vice President of Booz Allen Hamilton and appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the Board of Trustees at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
- Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation and member of the Re-imagining New York Commission.
- Phill Wilson, founder and former CEO of the Black AIDS Institute.
REGISTER FOR THE JAMES BALDWIN LEGACY AWARDS here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHP9bQNpFJ7AdKzSK2c-DRgCka47E4T30J0tDuK7-mu8Dapw/viewform .
Throughout the month, NBJC is honoring the legacy of the Black LGBTQ+/SGL movement by creating space for intergenerational exchanges.
"The double marginalization of Black, LGBTQ+/SGL men cannot be understated. Our histories and contributions are often erased and taken for granted even when we live on the front lines of efforts to ensure that all of us can get free," said David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition. "It is in this spirit that NBJC is hosting an event to honor the Black LGBTQ+/SGL men who have paved the way for us all to live lives that are healthier, happier, and filled with more opportunities than were afforded to them. We hope this event pays homage to the invaluable contributions of James Baldwin and all of our brothers who have paved the way for LGBTQ+/SGL people to be happy, healthy, and whole."
The National Black Justice Coalition is working to advance policy that:
Protects Black LGBTQ+ seniors and their dignity as they age in families, elder care facilities, senior living communities and more
Works to decriminalize and remove the stigma associated with being Black and LGBTQ+ in legislation featured in its 2021 Policy Agenda.
The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is America's leading civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+, and same gender loving (LGBTQ+/SGL) people, including people living with HIV.
