The Coalition for Justice and Respect ( CJR ) and the Coalition for Justice and Respect Foundation ( CJRF ) have announced the scheduled speakers for the 2014 Bolder Than Out ( BTO ) Civil Rights and Social Justice Identity Conference of African-American Same Gender Loving ( SGL ) Black LGBTQ People and Allies. The conference will be April 4-6 at Northeastern Center for Inner City Studies, 700 E. Oakwood Ave.
The theme of this year's conference is "Breaking the Silence," taken from a speech from Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. This will be the second annual CJR Chicago-based international social-justice conference.
Scheduled speakers include former ambassador and U.S Sen. Carol Moseley Braun; Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.; Rocco Claps, director of Illinois Human Rights Department; A. Billy S. Jones, founder of the Coalition of Black Gays and Lesbians; Cleo Manago, founder and director of the National Black Men Xchange; and Dr. Alicia Mathews, who leads research from the National Institutes of Drug Abuse to evaluate a culturally targeted smoking cessation treatment program for LGBT smokers.
Other speakers are expected to include political consulant Delmarie Cobb; Rod McCulloma writer, television news producer, political columnist and frequent contributor to The Advocate, the award-winning LGBT news magazine; Earl Fowlkes, chair of the Democratic National Committee ( DNC ) LGBT Caucus and executive director and founder of the Center for Black Equity; and Perrie Shelton, director of curriculum for Orion's University Enthusiast Race and Gender Theory.
BTO will also have international speakers from Ghana, Uganda and Kenya who will offer insights on current challenges of LGBTQ people in their respective countries.
The conference will also initiate a national call for a network of LGBTQ African-American same-gender-loving Black civil-rights and social-justice organizations.
Contact CJR at cjr.chicago@gmail.com or see www.cjrchicago.org .