Conference welcomes lesbians of Black/African-descent and will address the theme:
“The Evolution of Our Community”
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 Inter-generational 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”
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.
