OUT On The Hill-Saturday Sessions

OUT on the Hill continues to its conclusion as we gathered to discuss the Black LGBT Revolution that would not be televised.

The first part of the morning was devoted to plotting and planning the next steps in that Black LGBT Agenda that NBJC ED and CEO Sharon Lettman Hicks along with the National Black Justice Coalition BOD has been ably leading.   Ms Lettman-Hicks will approach her second anniversary as the head of the NBJC on October 1, and as I heard from many people before I arrived here in DC and have witnessed firsthand, she is definitely a positive force to be reckoned with.

After a few moments of Lettman-Hicks laying out a strategic vision that needs to stay covert for the time being, we sprang into the Youth Emerging Leaders conversation in which a panel discussion co-moderated by Kamora Herrington and Maurice Jamal tapped four young TBLG leaders to come up with a FUBU organizing strategy.that would capture the imagination, creativity and energy of our 18-35 GLBT youth.

Some of the ideas they came up with will be discussed in the NBJC Advisory Board meeting tomorrow and the four people on that panel will continue to have those conversations

When that concluded we broke for lunch and prepared to listen to a keynote luncheon speech from the Black AIDS Institute's Phill Wilson  entitled ''30 years of AIDS Is Enough'.


Wilson not only pointed out the sobering statistics and reality of the fact that AIDS has become a Black disease, he challenged us in the NBJC to step up to the plate and do something about it.

One of the things he also mention at the conclusion of his speech is what he called the Four Gets:

1. Get Informed
2  Get Tested
3. Get Treated
4. Get Involved!

After Wilson's inspiring speech, and some panel and audience questions and commentary, the retiring Dr. Sylvia Rhue was presented with an award from NBJC for her six years of service to the organization to a standing ovation

We then moved on to two breakout sessions in which one of them was conducted by Cory Allen Johnson and Roy Potts of the IGLHRC concerning LGBT rights across the African Diaspora.   That's a discussion I would have loved to have been in the room for.

The other breakout session was focused on TPOC, the Transgender Persons of Color Initiative facilitated by Kylar in which we discussed the issues that are germane to transpeople of color, its progress and the TPOC plans for addressing those issues.

And yeah, some of that is part of the Black trans revolution I warned y'all about that won't be televised.

While we were in those sessions, the NBJC board and ED/CEO Lettman-Hicks were in a session of their own in listening mode. 

5 PM came much too fast to end this day.   Some of my fellow NBJCers are headed to the Convention Center for the CBCF-ALC dinner tonight.

As for the TransGriot....well, somebody had to write about what was going on during this OUT on the Hill session day.

Well, at least the parts I can tell y'all about.