Moni's Leaving On A Jet Plane: Destination DC

The Air Marshal is taking flight again for Washington DC for the third time in 2015.

The purpose of this latest DC trip is to attend the national Black Justice Coalition's 6th annual OUT on the Hill which is cranking up today with some invite only meetings and discussions.

Because I had to handle some business in Houston, couldn't free up my schedule enough to get here on Tuesday for the pre-conference networking event they had last night at the St. Gregory Hotel..

Well, stuff happens.   Something else that is happening is I'm getting up at 4 AM CDT so I can catch the 7;25 AM nonstop out of Hobby to DCA.  

What I hope will happen is that my flight to DCA will be on time so I can be at that 3:30 PM EDT round table meeting I'm scheduled for on time as well.   It's an invitation only roundtable discussion that I'm honored to be repping the 'T' for  that will feature a conversation on Black TBLGQ/SGL Women's Health and Wellness issues,

I,also have as part of my OUT on the Hill agenda besides being in reporter mode,  a Friday 12:30 PM EDT plenary session discussing the plight of trans women of color in the US.

There's also some good news-bad news I'm dealing with concerning my technology.  This will be the first trip in which I've gotten to test out the smartphone and the tablet I received as a late birthday present back in June.  Still trying to learn how to take photos and video on it, and will get plenty of opportunities to get proficient at doing so during this event.

The bad news is that the Asus laptop I received as a late Christmas present in 2013 that has served me well since #CC14 and through more than a few conferences, blogging and road trips has finally died on me, so I won't have a laptop to carry on this trip. 

I hate that because it had a 17 inch screen that was perfect for watching video and movies full screen and I liked the feel and the setup of the keyboard layout on it  once I got used to it.

I was planning on getting a new or gently used one anyway, but after having to move twice in the span of six weeks, it will have to wait until after I get  back from this conference..

But first, Moni's gotta get some beauty sleep for the long and busy day I'm going to have that gets cranked up in a few hours.

6th Annual NBJC OUT On The Hill Starts Wednesday

The 6th annual OUT on the Hill National Black LGBT Leadership Conference starts on Wednesday and runs through September 19, and I'm pleased to announce I will be in the OOTH house starting on Wednesday for the first time since 2012.

I get excited about this event because OUT on the Hill features Black trans, bisexual, lesbian, gay, queer, same gender loving activists, thought leaders, elected officials, educators, elders and young professionals gathering in our nation's capital for a unique, informative and important convening.

OUT on the Hill brings together more than 100 Black LGBTQ/SGL stakeholders and partner organization that include the Human Rights Campaign, the Trans Persons Of Color Coalition, the National LGBTQ Task Force, AIDS United, National Coalition for LGBTQ Health, amfAR, and Planned Parenthood Foundation of America.

The National Black Justice Coalition with the support of the Elton John AIDS Foundation launched in 2014 its Black LGBT Health and Wellness Initiative to address the current health crisis, HIV and the disparity in culturally competent  health and wellness programs that target the Black LGBT population.   It also seeks to shift the conversation about African-American holistic health by including the Black LGBTQ/SGL community in those broader Black community health conversations.

NBJC through this initiative is seeking to strategically and innovatively bring voice and visibility to the health and wellness concerns of the Black SGL and TBLGQ community, raise awareness, decrease stigma and provide culturally competent and accessible resources and services.

The theme for this year's OUT on the Hill Conference is We Are Family: Building Stronger Roots Together. with a call to action addressing health care issues rooted in four summit tracks: health care, social justice, economics and spirituality.  

OUT on the Hill 2015 gets underway with a pre conference networking reception tomorrow at the St Gregory Hotel entitled At the Table: Black Voices In Policy & Advocacy that gives attendees the opportunity to hear updates about the 2020 National HIV/AIDS Strategy for members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.

Over the next few days there will be conversations that discuss policy issues impacting our community, briefings about the recently introduced in Congress LGBT Equality Act, several plenary session covering various topics including the bisexual and transgender sectors of our community, and the third annual State of the Black LGBTQ/SGL Community on Saturday  

If you'e seeking more information about Out on the Hill, press credentials or are just interested in attending the event, you can contact Isaiah Wilson at iwilson@nbjc.org or click on this link to peruse the #OOTH2015 schedule.

Hope to see y'all in DC.

NBJC's OUT On The Hill 2015 Early Bird Registration Expiring Soon

One of the valid questions I have been getting from my younger trans sisters lately in the wake of a unprecedented deadly week of anti-trans murders is where are the Black organizations that as one sister stated to me in a private conversation  'allegedly support us'?

I can tell you for a fact that one unapologetically Black social justice organization that has had our back for years and ain't 'scurred' to say the word 'transgender' is the National Black Justice Coalition.   

I have had the pleasure of attending two of the OUT on the Hill Conferences in 2011 and 2012, and was part of an all trans feminine panel in the 2012 one moderated by none other than Laverne Cox.   I was also part of a blogger's panel during that 2012 event that included the wonderful Danielle Moodie-Mills and LZ Granderson.   I have also been parts of two NBJC The Black Institutes at Creating Change events in Houston and Denver in 2014-2015

 And yeah, still dreaming about those crab cakes I devoured during one OOTH2012 luncheon.

The 6th annual edition of the OUT on the Hill LGBT Black leadership Summit will be taking place in Washington DC September 16-20, and in addition to getting to attend OOTH2015 and all the events, panel discussion, workshops, plenary sessions and networking opportunities that come with attending OOTH, you get the opportunity to also attend the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference events for an additional $50 on your OOTH registration.

This year's OOTH2015 theme is We Are Family: Building Stronger Roots Together, calls to action the Black family construct in addressing health and wellness issues through four key summit tracks: health care (e.g., physical, mental, emotional, behavioral); economics (e.g., financial health, economic justice, employment security, housing, livable wage, entrepreneurship); spirituality (e.g., faith, religion, wholeness, purpose); and social justice (e.g., criminal justice, education, racial profiling, voting rights).

And that's what OOTH is to me. It's not only a big family reunion, it's one of those unique conventions in which Black LGBT activists, thought leaders, elected officials, emerging leaders, young adults, elders, faith leaders, and allies get together for one inspiring week of learning, organizing, and strategic planning

I've also met some amazing Black LGBT people at this event like Aisha Moodie-Mills, Maya Rupert, Phill Wilson, Je-Shawna Wholley, Samantha Master, Rev. Carmarion Anderson, Dr. Ayana Elliott, filmmakers Maurice Jamal and Yoruba Richen, Imam Daayiee Abdullah, ELIXHER Founding Editor Kimberley McLeod and amazing allies like Chevara Orrin and Kamora Herrington.

And yes, much love to the fab NBJC Executive Director and CEO Sharon Lettman-Hicks and staffers Isaiah Wilson and Venton Jones.  She has made it clear that the T is not silent in or a small letter 't' in this unapologetically Black LGBT org, and the soon to be 12 year old NBJC is one worthy of your support and investing your T-bills in..

If you're thinking about going,  the $100 Early Bird registration rate is closing out August 21, and elders 62 and up register any time for a $100 flat rate.  Emerging leaders get a 50% discount.

I'm trying to make it to DC for OOTH2015 since I haven't attended it since 2012.  Complications have kept me from going back.  I know that after I attended the 2011 and 2012 OOTH events I came back to Texas feeling empowered, refreshed and ready to do some more work on behalf of the Black LGBT community.

Hopefully Moni will be in the OOTH2015 house to report and live tweet what's going on at this year's event.

NBJC Endorses Equality Act

The National Black Justice Coalition upon today's introduction in Congress of the Equality Act, has endorsed this sweeping and unprecedented piece of federal legislation.

If enacted, the Equality Act would expand basic human rights protections for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender) and gender nonconforming Americans based on their actual or perceived gender identity or sexual orientation. 

The Equality Act adds key LGBT rights protections to existing civil rights laws including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 to ensure like other protected classes (race, religion, national origin) LGBT people cannot be legally discriminated against in the United States. 

The Equality Act also provides federal protections on the basis of sex and sex-based stereotypes in both public accommodations and federally funded programs..

"Without a federal non-discrimination measure like the Equality Act in law, the current framework of LGBT civil protections--or lack thereof-- within states and local jurisdictions provides a majority of LGBT Americans with no clear legal defense from discrimination," said Sharon Lettman-Hicks, NBJC Executive Director & CEO in a statement.. "When a person is both Black and LGBT, discrimination--and the evils of blatant and systemic racism--is too common place  and faced on a number of levels that are fundamentally unacceptable in a democracy.   As such, NBJC supports the Equality Act, which would provide vital legal protections to so many in the Black LGBT community who are particularly vulnerable to discrimination in our nation."

According to a UCLA Williams Institute study, 3.7% of all adult African-Americans identify as LGBT people, representing more than 1 millions Black LGBT Americans. Significant populations of Black LGBT people like in southern states that in many cases have no local or statewide non-discrimination protections that cover LGBT people.  The Equality Act's passage would ensure that the most vulnerable LGBT citizens--which includes Black LGBT ones, would have recourse when they are treated unfairly because of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

'The heightened attention we have seen in recent years, months, and days about the mistreatment of black people in regards to policing, racial profiling and senseless violence demonstrates that the fight for true equality continues.  Even with key civil rights laws on the books meant to prohibit discriminatory treatment, we continue to live in a nation grappling with the plight of racial justice,"  added Lettman-Hicks.

"The movement for equal justice under the law calls for us to continue to place pressure on those in power to make and enforce laws that protect us all--no matter our background.   That is why NBJC will continue to fight to see an end to all forms of racism in our nation and world, while simultaneously working to see the day when measures like the Equality Act are signed into law."

NBJC 100 Leaders To Watch

Y'all know I have much love for National Black Justice Coalition to the point that I have collaborated with them on panel discussions, was invited to one of their retreats, Have been a panelist and participant in both of their NBJC The Black Institutes at Creating Change Houston and Denver, and like to keep up with and post news about upcoming NBJC events. 

One of the news items I missed while I was in the process of moving and trying to get my internet access back on track was the December 10, 2014 unveiling of NBJC's Black LGBTQ/SGL Leaders to Watch.

December 10 happened to be NBJC's 11th birthday, and it was that date they chose to launch this new initiative.

Two of those leaders to watch on this inaugural list, Brandon Mack and Michael C Webb, Jr come from H-town.   There are also young trans leaders on this list like L'lerret, Toni-Michelle and Cherno.

Gabriel Acevero	Malcolm "MJ" Harris	Adrian Ogle
L'lerrét Jazelle Ailith	Jonathan Paul Higgins	Casey Payton
Kye Allums	Justin L. Hill	Angela Peoples
Brandon Anderson	Keith Howard-Streicher	Jeff Perkins
Guy Anthony	Patrick Ingram	Jessica Pierce
Dr. Van Bailey	Sheila E. Isong	Ace Portis
Annanda Barclay	Romeo Jackson	Anna DeShawn Rainey
Katie Barnes	Jai...with the funny name	Faith A. Rogers
Devin Barrington-Ward	Latishia AV James	Gwen Rogers
Ms. Cherno Biko	Bakari Jones	Matthew Rose
Michael J. Brewer	Venton C. Jones Jr.	Blake A. Rowley
Kelsi Brooks King	Victoria Diane Kirby	Gabrielle Royal
Sixto Cancel	Rev. Joseph Lynn Kitchen Jr.	Brittney R. Sims
Charlene A. Carruthers	Terrance Laney	Funmilayo Solar
Bryce J. Celotto	Cedric Lawson	Lawrence A. Stallworth II
Imara Rhiannon Chester	Marcus Lee	Danielle Stevens
Kevin Claybren	Riann Lippe	Desiree Elise Stevens
Theara I. Coleman	Jonathan Lykes	Karess Taylor-Hughes
Jasmine Cornell	Brandon Mack	Marvell Terry, II
Natasha Amanda Cox	Gabriel Maldonado	Joshua Maximillian Turner
Ashlee J. Davis	Samantha Master	DaShawn Usher
Gregory K. Davis, JD	Calandra "CeCe" McGee	Shaan Michael Wade
Wazi Maret Davis	Kimberley McLeod	Jason L. Walker
Rev. E. Taylor Doctor	Trinice McNally	Sean A. Watkins
Monique Dorsainvil	Preston D. Mitchum	Michael C. Webb, Jr.
Daniel D. Driffin	Jonathan Jacob Moore	Francisco Luis White
Timothy DuWhite	Leo Moore, MD	Meico Whitlock
Branden D. Elmore	Monica Motley	Je-Shawna Wholley
Nathaniel Faulk	P.J. Moton	Toni-Michelle Williams
Michael Blair Franklin, Jr.	Rev. Whittney Murphy	Isaiah Wilson
Pamgrace Gachenge	Joshua T. Nelson	Tabias Wilson
Noël Gordon	David A. Nelson, Jr.	Lakesha K. Winley
Samantha A. Grant	Vanessa Newman	Corey Yarbrough
Dr. Kai M. Green	Rodney K. Nickens, Jr.

And  as y'all probably guessed I know and have worked with more than a few peeps on the list at different times on different projects and events.

Speaking of events, if you are in the Washington DC area or have some time to get there for it, Emerging Leaders Day at the White House is happening on February 23.

Start saving the date for OUT on the Hill.  The Black LGBTQ Leadership summit is one of my favorite events and the 2015 edition of it will take place September 16-19.

Congratulations to everyone who was named to the NBJC 100 Leaders To Watch List, and it will be interesting to see who makes the 2015 list.

5th Annual NBJC OUT On the Hill Starts Today

Personal issues are going to prevent me from attending this year's event (and I'm pissed about it), but the 5th Annual OUT on the Hill Black  LGBT Leadership Summit will kick off today and run through the 27th.

Y'all know I have much love for NBJC and this event and I'm upset I'll be missing it for the second year in a row, but have to sort out some things on the home front so I can be there in full effect next year.

For those of you who do head to, are enroute or are in Washington DC for it, you are in for a wonderful and memorable experience courtesy of our NBJC family.   It's chock full of stimulating panel discussions and seminars, a White House briefing, lobbying, and charting the course of our Black LGBT movement.

And there's nothing better than being around your fellow Black LGBT peeps for a few days and discussing a wide variety of issues and topics.

You can also follow the happenings online at #OOTH 2014 or #NBJContheMove

Hope you have another megasuccessful event, may everyone in attendance leave it better informed and energized to help advance the human rights of our community, and y'all have fun while doing so.

NBJC's 5th Annual OUT on the Hill Rapidly Appoaching

The September 24-27 dates for the 5th Annual OUT on the Hill Black LGBT leadership summit are rapidly approaching, and there's still time for you to get registered and head to Washington DC for an amazing four days of seminars, panel discussions, policy briefings, movement agenda setting, and conversation about where we are as a community.

Black LGBT leaders and allies from around the country will be there to take part in what has become a highly anticipated event, and the National Black Justice Coalition would love to have you there.

The added bonus for attending OUT on the Hill in addition to interacting with some amazing community leaders is that you are in town and have an opportunity to also participate in the Congressional Black Caucus weekend and own your power at hat event as well..

I've had the pleasure of attending the 2011 and 2012 events, and if you are wishing to make connections with other Black LGBT leaders, this is the conference for you

If you need further information concerning OUT on the hill you can contact NBJC Operations Manager Venton C, Jones, Jr for further assistance..

For further assistance, please contact:

Venton C. Jones Jr.

Events and Operations Manager

National Black Justice Coalition

events@nbjc.org

202-319-1552, ext 101

NBJC Calls Out Transphobic Michigan Womyn's Music Festival

The Michigan Transphobic Womyn's Music Festival started on August 5 and is in its final day in Hart,. MI. 

While I prefer my concerts indoors and have no desire to swat mosquitoes in Michigan's summer heat, I know people that love going to 'The Land' every year.  Some of those women who like going are my transsisters.

But what I don't love about MichFest  is its transphobic 'womyn born womyn' policy that hypocritically excludes transwomen from attending it, but lets transmen in..

MichFest has been getting increased pushback and pressure from artists to end the policy   This year they  released a long bull feces laden statement trying to to spin their way out of the fact it is transphobic in the wake of calls by boycotting artists, trans allies, Equality Michigan and HRC to end the policy.  

Equality Michigan also initiated an online petition calling for the end of the policy.

While I was enroute to San Marcos for the just concluded TTNS,  the National Black Justice Coalition  (NBJC) joined the call of Equality Michigan to end their nearly quarter century old anti-trans women exclusionary policy.  

Here's NBJC's statement.

Washington, DC -- The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) joins the call for the organizers of the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival (MWMF) to end their informal policy of not welcoming transgender women to participate in the international, all women music festival.

Birthed out of the feminist movement of the late twentieth century, MWMF has provided an exclusive space built by and for women since 1976. This weeklong music and community festival, located in a small wooded area of Hart, Michigan, has maintained a policy that only women who were assigned female at birth should attend. This policy, known as the 'Womyn Born Womyn' intention, was first enforced during the 1991 MWMF when a transgender woman was asked to leave the festival because of her trans identity. It has been maintained by MWMF organizers every year since this initial incident.


“Our transgender sisters are simply women and deserve to be treated as such. It is baffling that at MWMF -- an event organized by and built exclusively for women -- imposes such blatant discrimination against one of the most marginalized groups of women in our society,” said Sharon Lettman-Hicks, NBJC Executive Director and CEO. “NBJC joins with Equality Michigan and the host of other advocacy organizations calling on the organizers of MWMF to immediately end their policy of not welcoming transgender women. This unjust policy only perpetuates hate and stigma, and has no place in a space meant to empower women.”

As Michigan’s only statewide anti-violence and advocacy organization working primarily for Michigan’s LGBT communities, Equality Michigan led the effort against the MWMF’s discriminatory policy by launching an online petition against it last week. “[W]e reject the premise that transgender women are lesser than, we reject that this belief is a tenet of feminism, and we will no longer respect the 'intention' or that 'leaving the onus on each individual to choose whether or how to respect it' equates to inclusion,” Equality Michigan wrote.

“NBJC urges its entire constituency and all supporters to sign the Equality Michigan petition and show the organizers of MWMF that no form of discrimination against our transgender sisters is acceptable in 2014,” added Lettman-Hicks.

To sign the Equality Michigan online petition to end the transgender exclusion at MWMF click HERE.

NBJC Statement Concerning The TBLG Executive Order

As you TransGriot readers are aware of, yesterday morning President Barack Obama signed executive orders banning federal contractors from discriminating in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity.   The executive order also expanded a 1998 Clinton executive order that banned discrimination in federal employment based on gender identity.

The National Black Justice Coalition was pleased with yesterday's event and had this to say about it.  While this is wonderful news, NBJC cautions us that the fight is far from over when it comes to expanding equality and opportunity for all.

***

“President Obama’s decision to protect LGBT workers contracting with the federal government is a powerful sign that our nation continues to make progress on expanding equality and opportunity to all. But the fight on this issue is far from over,” said Sharon Lettman-Hicks, NBJC Executive Director and CEO. “It’s beyond troubling that more states permit marriage equality than prohibit LGBT discrimination in the workplace. What sense does it make to be able to marry, but have to live in fear of losing your job simply because of who you are or who you love? This injustice must be made right by Congress passing nondiscrimination protections for all of our nation’s workers, no matter their backgrounds."

For forty years, Congress has debated several pieces of legislation meant to address LGBT workplace equality with no success achieved. This lack of advancement has had a devastating impact on LGBT workers of color. NBJC’s co-authored report, A Broken Bargain For LGBT Workers of Color, illustrates how LGBT workers who live at the intersections of race and both gender identity and sexual orientation face tremendous odds when trying to secure and maintain employment. For example, national surveys of Black LGBT people put rates of employment discrimination near 50 percent.

“Black LGBT people are significantly disadvantaged when they lack nondiscrimination protections in the workplace. NBJC will not rest until all qualified American workers, including our Black LGBT brothers and sisters, have the ability to secure a good, quality job to take care of themselves and their families,” added Lettman-Hicks.

With the signing of today’s Executive Order, President Obama builds upon his Administration’s stellar record of improving the lives of LGBT people. The Obama Administration’s LGBT victories include: signing a federal hate crimes law; repealing the military’s discriminatory policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell;” the Department of Justice’s move to stop defending the “Defense of Marriage Act;” and the expansion of health care coverage to the LGBT community, with an emphasis on addressing LGBT health care disparities.

NBJC Emancipation Campaign

You know that I have been down with the mission of the National Black Justice Coalition throughout the life of this blog and have much love for the organization.. 

I have met and talked with Executive Director Sharon Lettman-Hicks on different occasions, met with many of the NBJC board members past and present, had the pleasure of attending, chronicling   and taking part in the 2011 and 2012 OUT on the Hill events and was honored to be a participant in their all day NBJC Black Institute at this year's Creating Change Conference in my hometown. 

And I'm hoping I can make it back to DC for this year's 5th annual edition of OUT on the Hill September 24-27

Now that NBJC is moving into its second decade of service to our community since its 2003 founding, it is seeking to become more self sufficient and rely more on the people they serve to fund it instead of foundations.

The NBJC Emancipation Campaign is seeking to raise $500,000 in order to do precisely that.

While they will continue to seek out grants, NBJC believes that in order to truly own our power and emancipate ourselves, the organization needs to be funded predominately by the African-American LGBT people and allies it serves, with the grants acting as supplements to the money they raise from the community and supporters.. 

NBJC in the last ten plus years has been on Capitol Hill and in movement leadership circles serving our Black LGBTQ/SGL community. 

They are unapologetically pointing out because of the way the forces of bias based on race, sexual orientation, and gender identity intersect in our community, it makes Black LGBTQ/SGL people and their families one of the most marginalized groups in America.

NBJC has been grooming our emerging LGBT leaders, pushing economic empowerment issues and laser focused on issues from our perspective such as HIV/AIDS, employment non-discrimination, safe and inclusive schools, transgender equality, Don't Ask Don't Tell, HBCU's and marriage equality

And NBJC has not hesitated to call out injustice aimed at our Black TBLGQ/SGL community

As far as the transgender equality portion of their mission goes, NBJC has been one of the few inside the beltway organizations to capitalize the 'T and seek our input on the issues and problems that plague our community.

The NBJC is worth the investment, and I hope you believe in their work as much as I do to invest in it as I will happily do once again because I want and would like for this Emancipation Campaign to be successful. 

Je-Shawna's Last NBJC Day

When I attended the 2011 OUT on the Hill, one of the many awesome people I got to meet besides half of my fave DC power couple in Aisha Moodie-Mills, was an impressive Spelman College senior by the name of Je-Shawna Wholley.  

I wasn't surprised to discover later she'd been hired by the National Black Justice Coalition as a Senior Fellow, then moved on up to become a Programs Associate, and subsequently into her current position as the Programs Manager for the Emerging Leaders Institute.

We also got to spend some quality time together doing GLAAD POC Media Institute training in New York during the summer of 2012 and on some other NBJC projects.

Well, after two and a half years as part of the NBJC family, she's moving on to graduate school in Minnesota to pursue her masters degree in gender and women's studies, and her last day with NBJC is today.  . 

Congratulations Je-Shawna!  While I'm sorry to see you leave NBJC and will miss your smiling face the next time I'm blessed to take part in an NBJC event (and I'm aiming for this year's OUT on the Hill September 24-27), it was a sincere pleasure getting to meet you back in 2011 and see you grow and own your power as a leader in that organization.  

I wish you nothing but megasuccess in your future educational and other endeavors and will be an interested observer in what happens next for you.

OUT On The Hill 2014 Dates Set

I've had the opportunity to go and participate as a panelist during the 2011 and 2012 editions of the National Black Justice Coalition's OUT on the Hill conference, and we're now less than four months away from the 2014 edition of it.

OUT on the Hill is NBJC's annual leadership conference.  It gives us a chance in the Black LGBT community to come to Washington DC for several days of networking, lobbying, meetings and learning best how to Own Our Power

This year's 5th annual event is set for September 24-27, and if you're interested in attending you can e-mail OOTH2014@nbjc.org

2014 NBJC Emerging Leaders To Watch Campaign

Needed to post this NBJC news for those of you who are interested in applying for it or you know some young Black TBLG leaders in the 18-30 range that you believe need to be recognized for their work.

Over the ten years that the National Black Justice Coalition has been in operation, one of the things they have been laser focused on besides being unapologetically Black advocates for our BTLG community and the issues that affect us from our perspective is youth leadership development.

The NBJC Emerging Leaders Campaign seeks to identify rising Black LGBT leaders ages 18-30 n the Black LGBT movement.   NBJC also seeks to provide a platform and space for these standout leaders to use their voice, build networks, and take action in their communities.

It is important because not only is the youth perspective a necessary and critical one in shaping policies in our community, it is critical they become actively involved in order to hone their leadership skills, gain experience working with our season leaders and community elders.  It's also important for us as a Black LGBT community to have them in the leadership pipeline so that our LGBT movement can continue to grow, prosper, remain vibrant and relevant into the foreseeable future.

Nominations are now open for NBJC's 100 Black Emerging Leaders to Watch Campaign that is part of NBJC's commitment to developing our future LGBT leaders.

The compiled NBJC emerging Leaders to Watch List represents a consortium of standout leaders that are ripe with potential and who deserve a greater exposure.

You can nominate someone for consideration to be included on this list that will be revealed at the 2014 OUT on the Hill conference September 24-27 
   
All applicants must submit the following:
1. Completed Online Application (below)
2. Current Resume (send by e-mail or mail)
3. (1) Letter of Recommendation (send by e-mail or mail)

Applicants should e-mail submission materials to 100toWatch@nbjc.org. Please make sure to include your name in the subject line. Your letter of recommendation MUST BE signed. A scanned copy of the signed letter is permitted. If e-mail is not possible, applicants may send submission materials to:

National Black Justice Coalition
ATTN: 100toWatch
Post Office Box 71395
Washington, DC 20024

Applications are due May 30, 2014. Applications and materials submitted after the deadline will not be processed. If mailing submission components, please be sure that materials arrive to the address on or before the deadline. Packages postmarked on May 30, but received after the due date, will not be processed.

We encourage anyone interested in applying to become familiar with the National Black Justice Coalition and the Emerging Leaders Initiative. For further questions, comments or concerns, please contact Je-Shawna Wholley, NBJC's Program Manager for the Emerging Leaders Initiative and Special Projects, via email at jwholley@nbjc.org or (202) 319-1552 ext. 102.