Creating Change 2014- Moni's Busy CC14 Schedule

Creating Change 2014 officially starts in a few hours with the day long Racial Justice Institute kicking off at 9 AM, and despite Houston Freeze Part 2, people are either here in H-town already or on their way here.  

Creating Change already started for me with the Volunteer Training Session that was held on Sunday.  I have a 5 PM meeting to attend to do some additional training related to my supervisory duties in the Racial Diversity Suite, but I'm looking forward to my first Creating Change since 1999 for a lot of reasons.

The Hilton Americas and the other overflow hotels for the next several days will be the epicenter for the TBLG movement, and it's going to be a wonderful thing to witness.

In addition to seeing all my old friends in the movement, meeting many people for the first time and people I'm aware of via their movement work but I'll meet for the first time ever during CC14, I'll be fulfilling another dream and getting to participate in Creating Change as a panelist. 

I'm part of the host committee, and I'm so looking forward to seeing old friends, meeting people I've connected with via The Net or admired for a long time in the TBLG community.

And the best part about it is Creating Change came to me this year.

Because Creating Change 2014 is happening in H-town, I got asked by a few peeps to be part of their various presentations and panels. I've feel blessed and honored that people sought me out to do so. 

On Thursday January 30 I'm one of the panelists in the first ever The Black Institute: From the Civil Rights Movement to the LGBT-Equality Movement sponsored and organized by the National Black Justice Coalition.  It runs from 9 AM-6 PM in Grand Ballroom H on Level 4 of the hotel.  

This institute will explore the challenges and successes while living at the intersection of racial justice and LGBT equality and here's a description of some of the topics we'll tackle during this day long conversation.

From Selma to Stonewall, there is uniqueness about telling the story of where Black folks fit in the conversation about LGBT equality, especially when you live openly as a Black LGBTQ person who is deeply-rooted in Black culture in America.

Are Black queer folks always to live in survival mode? Or do we have an opportunity to THRIVE in both movements? This conversation is long overdue to declare Black LGBTQ people as a distinct population with specific needs and challenges that must not be relegated in one movement versus another. The time is NOW to set the agenda for our future. The place is HERE where we will come together to achieve this goal.

I'm looking forward to Laverne's keynote speech Thursday night and hearing Mayor Annise Parker's remarks at the opening plenary session in the Ballroom of the Americas.

On Friday I join GLAAD Media Strategists Dani Heffernan and Tiq Milan in Grand Ballroom F on Level 4 for a 3-4:30 PM panel entitled "Growing Visibility: Transgender People in the Media,"   It will discuss transgender images in the media and features Reina Gossett of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project and our CC14 keynote speaker Laverne Cox.

I then head upstairs to the Racial Diversity Suite in Room 11029 to do a Texas Trans History presentation in the suite from 7-8:10 PM.

On Saturday February 1 from 12:15-1:30 PM I'll be in Room 333.attending a person of color only space discussion about the attacks against Trans and Gender non-conforming youth in California, that will also discuss AB1266 (the School Success and Opportunity Act) the attempt by the haters to take it to a ballot initiative, and the implications for and impacts on the continued national trend of attacks on trans and gender non conforming youth of color in schools 

On Sunday February 2, I join my Houston homegirl Stacey Langley in Room 335C for a discussion entitled  Building A Bridge Over The Rainbow: LGBTQ Women Creating Community.   That panel will be a 9:30-11:00 AM start before we move into the final plenary and the concert with Nona Hendryx to close it out and pass the Creating Change torch to Denver.     

And that's not even counting the other panels I'll attend, be chatting in, the networking I'll be doing and the the large numbers of people I'll be engaged with during this January 29-February 2 period.

Glad I got my beauty sleep last week.   Gonna need it.