New York, New York — February 18, 2016 — Beyond Bold And Brave is proud to present the "The Evolution of Our Community" Black Lesbian Conference 2016 ( BLC 2016 ). This inaugural event will take place on March 25th and 26th in Harlem. BLC 2016 aims to unite transgender and cisgender lesbians of Black/African-descent and their allies of various ages, socio-economic, educational and life work histories. The goal of the conference is to responsibly and honestly discuss and address important issues and concerns in a respectful, welcoming and authentic environment. This is the first black lesbian conference ever to be held in Harlem and the first event of its type in New York City in over thirty years.
The Conference is hosted by the Barnard Center for Research on Women ( BCRW ), and will open on Friday, March 25th at the Barnard's Diana Center. The featured keynote address will be given by Dr. Marjorie J. Hill, CEO of the Joseph Addabbo Health Center in New York. Dr. Hill's decades of pioneering LGBTQ public health work includes her appointment by Mayor David Dinkins as the first Director of the Mayor's Office for the Lesbian and Gay Community, Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of HIV/AIDS at the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene; and CEO of Gay Men's Health Crisis ( GMHC ). The Conference will continue on Saturday, March 26th with panels and workshops on a variety of topics including:
"The State of our Black Lesbian Community: An Intergenerational Perspective"
"Black Lesbian Poets: Bringing the Political to The Page and Stage"
"Whole Health & Wellness For LGBTQ Transgender & Cisgender Women
" What Does It Mean to Draw A Line?: Black Lesbian Separation as Respite From Oppression"
"Black Lesbian Community Activism: From the 70's to Now"
"Black Lesbian Youth and Their Experiences With Homelessness and Gender Roles"
A limited number of Black Lesbian Conference 2016 Scholarships are available for those who may need financial assistance for the registration cost. The deadline is February 22nd and scholarship recipients will be notified by February 29th. Use this link below to apply for scholarships:
BLACK LESBIAN CONFERENCE 2016 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION— APPLY HERE docs.google.com/forms/d/1-emSrg0GyjaAPwddFCWSd_as1m0Paezok-EL3J9_tP0/viewform .
Beyond Bold And Brave and the Black Lesbian Conference 2016 are proud to have the support of the following sponsors and partners:
Premier Sponsors: Barnard Center for Research on Women - New York Women's Foundation. Major Sponsors: St. Mary's Adult Day Health Center - Union Theological Seminary The Center on African American Religion Sexual Politics and Social Justice of Columbia University. Supporting Sponsors: Ford Foundation - Lambda Legal - Gay Men's Health Crisis - LG2J. Community Sponsors: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center - William F. Ryan Community Health Network - National LGBTQ Task Force — Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice - Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights AIDS International Training and Research Program.
Community Outreach Partners: - Ali Forney Center - Billie's Black - bklyn boihood - Circle of Voices, Inc. - Dollhouse Meetup — ELIXHER - Global Network of Black Pride — Gay and Lesbians of Zimbabwe - GO! Magazine - Griot Circle - Harlem Pride - HUGS Movement Campaign - In Our Own Voices - Kitchen Table Giving Circle - Lesbian Herstory Archives - LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent - NYC College of Technology's LGTBQ InitiativeNYC Commission on Human Rights - NYC Community Board 10 LGBTQ Task Force - Newark LGTBQ Community Center - NYC Black Pride - PM-AM Productions, LLC. - Rainbow Dee's Updates - Seattle Black Feminists — S.I.S.T.A.H. - SWERV Magazine - ZAMI NOBLA.
ABOUT BEYOND BOLD AND BRAVE
Beyond Bold And Brave works to increase the visibility of *Black/African Descent Lesbians in our communities by supporting and producing programs, projects and events that responsibly and truthfully affirm and represent Black /African Descent Lesbian life, work and identity. We define *Black/African Descent Lesbians as a diverse community of women who are: part of the African diaspora including Black, African, African-American, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Indigenous, Afro-Latina, Afro-Asian, Afro-European; identify as transgender, cisgender, gender non-conforming, queer, same-gender loving as well as additional identities; and are attracted to and/or have relationships with women. Beyond Bold And Brave is founded by New York City based LGBTQ community activists alyce emory and Kim L. Ford.
