FERNDALE –
Dr. Marjorie Hill, executive director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York City, will keynote a multi-media event Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. featuring about a dozen LGBT young leaders of color in greater Detroit. The reception, exhibit and speaking program capstones an 18 month media partnership with Between The Lines and Model D that highlighted young, LGBT leaders of color in the greater Detroit area.
"By partnering with Model D, this Young Leaders of Color Visibility Project has been able to reach beyond the LGBT community into the mainstream media, and it has underscored just how important the LGBT community is to the entire social fabric in southeast Michigan," said Jan Stevenson, co-publisher of Between The Lines.
Extensive print and video interviews were created on each of 14 young leaders. These interviews were then featured in Between The Lines, Model D and on PrideSource.com. The project was supported by the Racial Equity Initiative of The HOPE Fund, an LGBT fund of the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan.
This unique event will include large displays of each of the interviews, showcased in the Pittman-Puckett Art Gallery at Affirmations. Guests are invited to enjoy refreshments, provided by Bona Sera Cafe, as they stroll through the exhibit and watch the video interviews of the young activists on large screens in the gallery.
In celebration of LGBT History Month in October, the speaker program and panel discussion will create an intergenerational bridge between the young interviewees and the extensive experience of Dr. Hill as an activist, scholar, leader and policy maker for over 30 years in both the LGBT movement and the HIV/AIDS service community.
Dr. Hill will speak about her experiences when she was a young leader of color in the LGBT movement in New York. Prior to her tenure at GMHC, Dr. Hill was the Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of HIV/AIDS at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Dr. Hill formerly served as a Commissioner for the New York State Workers' Compensation Board and as Director of the NYC Mayor's Office for the Lesbian and Gay Community in the Dinkins' Administration. During her tenure in these positions, Dr. Hill implemented successful initiatives in public safety, citywide EEO and NYC Domestic Partnership policy. A licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Hill has consulted and lectured on issues of cultural diversity, HIV/AIDS in communities of color, conflict resolution, organizational development and homophobia. Prior faculty appointments include Yeshiva University, New York Medical College, Pace University and the College of New Rochelle.
After her remarks, Dr. Hill will join a panel that will include several of the young people profiled in the project to discuss what can be learned from the past, expected in the future and how best to prepare and support our young leaders as they take the reigns of the LGBT movement here in Michigan.
The program will start with welcoming remarks by Mariam Noland, president of the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, and Allan Gilmour, co-chair of the HOPE Fund. The event is free and open to the public, but due to limited space, reservations are requested. Call 734-293-7200 ext. 15 or email [email protected] to reserve your spot.
