FERNDALE – Newly appointed Affirmations Executive Director Darrious Hilmon sat down with Between The Lines recently for a little "getting to know you" session and shared a bit about the philosophies he's gleaned over the past two decades while working in strategy driven fund development, event management and marketing.
Born in Detroit and raised on the city's east side, Hilmon was one of three children. His mother was a strong woman and determined that her boys should stay out of trouble. To that end, she decided a move was in order and relocated the family to the East Village area of town just before Hillmon started high school. He went to Kettering and graduated – after only three years – in 1985.
From there, Hilmon moved on to the University of Michigan where he majored in communication.
"I was going to be a fantastic news anchor," Hilmon recalled. "Then I got a job in non-profit, and I fell in love with it. I fell in love with actually feeling like I'd made a difference."
Over the years, Hilmon has worked for the Mosaic Youth Theatre, the United Negro College Fund, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, Youth Guidance and, most recently, as vice president and chief development officer for the Chicago Urban League.
"Non-profit work, working for a mission, is so hard," Hilmon said. "It really behooves you to take on missions that you believe in and that play a key piece in your inner being, because the work is hard and the money is not always great. So I love every job I've ever had, with rare exception."
Now, Hilmon is eager to bring his experience to Affirmations and is anxious to hit the ground running.
"I have no interest in being a figurehead," said Hilmon. "I work. I'm here because I believe in this organization. I'm here because I'm proud that this organization said, 'You know, we can be better. We're going to be transparent about the things we know we need to work on and improve. We're going to put our money where our mouth is. We're going to walk the talk.' That's whats happening, and I think because of that, this is an organization that I want to be a part of. It's an organization with integrity."
In his excitement, Hilmon speaks as if he's already been a part of the Affirmations team for some time.
"What we do here at Affirmations is incredible work," he said. "What we're going to be doing is make sure that it's much less anecdotal and much more measurable, so that when we look you in the eye and go, 'We're doing transformational work for an important community and our allies,' we can mean that. We can say that with pride. Not that we believe it or we feel it intuitively, but that we can look at it and go, 'This is how we're impacting lives in all areas.' We can measure the impact we're making."
The Convener
Hilmon's passion is evident as he speaks about his vision for the center.
"Issues that impact our community: this is the place where I want those conversations happening," he said. "I want our partners to be able to come here. I want folks to say, 'This just happened today, so you know there's going to be a meeting or a conversation or a forum at Affirmations. Let's be a part of that.' We don't have to lead it. Our job, our place in all of this – as ACLU is doing their important work, as Equality Michigan is doing their important work, AIDS Partnership, Ruth Ellis – our role is to be the convener because we have the house. It's the community center.
"So that's where I think ultimately we are. But in addition to that, while those groups are doing the advocacy and public policy and the lobbying – and we're rallying there, we're bringing our troops in to support their work because they're the leaders there – where we're going to be the leader is creating programs, supports and services. A community that embraces, protects, supports the LGBT community and its allies. I think it's going to be a hybrid of supports and programs, but then programs that are more formalized based on evidence based models. That's what we're going to be."
Affirmations is also going to be, perhaps more than ever before, absolutely inclusive.
"I'm very clear as executive director that this is going to be an inclusive environment," said Hilmon. "And it's not going to be because it should be. It's going to be because it is. From top to bottom, from side to side, it is part of the DNA of this organization. This organization is going to continue to meet its promise to the community, and that's every member of the LGBT community and our allies… That is my commitment to the organization, and I would imagine that for those of us who have been a part of this history for a while, the mere fact that I'm sitting here an African-American gay man leading this incredible organization, well, if that doesn't tell you about the commitment of this organization to truly be inclusive and serve the needs of this community, I don't know what will."
Teamwork, said Hilmon, is key to the center's success.
"We have an incredible team," he said. "The passion here… when I walked into this building for my first set of interviews, it's palpable. And I always believe, if you find a group of people who are passionate, that's half the battle right there. We can do the structure, we can do the planning, the strategy. But if you find people who are passionate, people who at their core – the very root of their being – believe in what they're doing and the importance of it, we can get it done. We can get it done together."
Hilmon promises to do his part.
"My love for this community, my belief that together we are more powerful than we are apart, is real and solid," he said. "I'm here to stay… and as long as I'm the executive director and this incredible team is here, this is home, and I want people to feel like they're at home here. And if that's not something they're feeling, then we're going to do something about that to make sure that they're comfortable."
