In conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a group of national LGBT activists has launched the National Strategy for Black Gay Youth in America.
The year-long project will result in a report to be sent to the White House as well as a "Bill of Rights" for Black gay youth to be made available to homeless shelters, schools businesses and youth centers.
"It is significant because it's the beginning of change," said De'Andre Roberts, national youth secretary for Youth Pride Services. "We're trying to improve the quality for black gay youth living in America."
The project kicked off Jan. 16 with a national survey.
The survey, aimed at painting "a national picture of what it is like to grow up black and gay in the United States," hopes to engage 2,500 black gay youth under the age of 25.
Groups involved in the effort include Youth Pride Services , Advocates for Youth, Coalition for Queer Youth, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and Campus Pride.
Survey results will be made available to partnering organizations in coming months to better services for LGBT Black youth.
According to Roberts, the strategy is almost entirely youth-led, with young people 25-years-old and younger handling nearly every aspect of the campaign.
Organizers hope the project will address systemic issues facing Black gay youth in the U.S., including cultural competency issues and access to resources.
The strategy includes organizations in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Minnesota, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, New York, Michigan, Louisiana and New Jersey.