FemmeNoir
A Web Portal For Lesbians Of Color

Jasmyne Cannick Goes To Cleveland

According to Jasmyne, Cleveland's Black gay pride celebration was a huge success and they have a wonderful close knit community there.  She says she will definitely be back!.  Jasmyne was there as a speaker for their symposium "The State of Black Gay America."

"I was really psyched because my favorite television show, Drew Carey is based on the city. I ended up staying next door to the fictitious Lauder Building where Drew works and where they shot the title sequence."

Cleveland was ground zero for this historic conference focusing on LGBT African Americans on August 7. The State of Black Gay America Symposium was held at Cleveland State University, in the University Center auditorium.  It was part of Cleveland's annual Black Unity Celebration Weekend which ran from August 5 - 8.

The State of Black Gay America Symposium was a moderated town hall meeting featuring panelists representing organizations throughout the United States. Participants include Jasmyne Cannick, media director of the National Black Justice Coalition and board member of Zuna Institute and L.A. Black Pride; Ramon Gardenhire, deputy director, office of GLBT outreach for the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C.; Dr. Kofi Adoma, board co-chair of the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit; Jason Cooper, senior field organizer for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in New York, NY; Herndon Davis, Atlanta-based author of "Black, Gay & Christian;" Hattie Alexander-Robinson, associate minister, New Covenant Ministries in Detroit; and Derek Barnett, co-founder of BlackOut Unlimited in Cleveland.

"The purpose of the symposium is to openly and directly address issues of importance to the African American same-gender-loving community," says Jon Everett, interim executive director of BlackOut Unlimited, Ohio's largest African American gay and lesbian organization. "With so many life-altering political, social, religious, human rights and health issues affecting the black gay community, we decided to create a vehicle for the community to come together to dialogue and strategize."

The State of Black Gay America Symposium featured an open forum and breakout sessions wherein attendees participated in the discussion. The event was free and open to the public. The Black Unity Celebration kicked off Aug. 5 in Cleveland. For more information about the event contact BlackOut Unlimited at 216-937-2268 or visit www.blackoutunlimited.org.

Jasmyne Cannick at Symposium

Jasmyne Cannick, Dr. Kofi Adoma and others at conference

Jasmyne Cannick and Herndon Davis author of Black Gay and Christian