Collections By Michelle Brown

Standing boldly in the crosshairs of his intersectionality as an African American, queer, Muslim, man Imam Daayiee Abdullah lectures nationally and internationally on progressive Muslim concepts, intra-faith and interfaith networking, and the development of inclusive and progressive revisions of Islamic theological thought and Islamic law.  He is one of the few openly gay imams in the world. His first act as an Imam was that he performed funeral rights for a gay Muslim who died because of AIDS. Imam Abdullah actively promotes understanding and awareness of issues of racial, gender and sexual equality as understood in the UN Declaration of Human Rights within and beyond Muslim communities. He is the Executive Director of MECCA Institute (Muslim Education Center for Creative Academics) a Muslim think tank and online Islamic theological school. It teaches an inclusive liberation theology and interpretation of Quran.  IMAM ABDULLAH was born in Detroit, MI. At the young age of 15, he came out to his parents. A

The founder of the Esteem Awards, Philip Esteem, gives a behind the scenes look at the Awards Program and talk about this year's awardees. The Esteem Awards give recognition to outstanding LGBTQ organizations and individual not only in Chicago but nationally each year. The 11th Annual Esteem Awards will take place on June 30th at Chicago’s Sidetrack Lounge located at 3349 N. Halsted from 1PM-4PM.  Seven organizations and twelve individuals are being honored at this year's Awards. Philip Esteem founded the Esteem Awards to give recognition to outstanding LGBTQ organizations and individuals. He started working in the community with Black Pride (Chicago in 2005), He began networking and was being introduced to people that were doing good things in the community and never really recognized as they should have been.  He is also the administrator of Pride on Film by PrideIndex.com which profiles Filmmakers, Producers, Directors, Writers, and Actors. This includes both independent and mainstream film, video and w

Maria Hadden has lived in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood for 10 years. It was her first neighborhood in Chicago. Hadden wants to find a new way to support her beloved neighborhood by running for Alderman in the 49th Ward. If elected, Hadden would become the first queer Black woman on the Chicago City Council.  She is the recipient of the Esteem Award for Outstanding Service, Female - Chicago award. She attended Ohio State University where her undergraduate study was in International Studies, specifically in peace and conflict studies. After finishing college, she signed up to work for the nonprofit organization AmeriCorps, which brought her to Chicago. Maria’s interests in community voice and the role of civil society were the focus of her graduate studies at DePaul University where she earned an M.S. in International Public Service Management. Maria is a founding board member of the Participatory Budgeting Project and from 2010 - 2018 led their technical assistance work in the Midwest and the Southern

 The 2oth Annual Allied Media Conference takes place in Detroit June 14-17, 2018 on the campus of Wayne State University. The Conference emerges out of 20 years of relationship-building across issues, identities, organizing practices and creative mediums. Since the first conference (then the Midwest Zine Conference) in 1999, people have been compelled by the concept of do-it-yourself media. The zine conference was rebranded as the “Underground Publishing Conference” for a couple years and then became the Allied Media Conference in 2002. The shift to Allied Media attracted more people who were interested in using participatory media as a strategy for social justice organizing. NADINE MARSHALL (pronouns They/Them) is a queer black poet from Detroit who has appeared at TED x U of M (2016), The Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam in Columbus, OH (2016), and The National Poetry Slam Competition in Oakland, CA (2015). They are the content coordinator for the Allied Media Conference. She joined the team in 2017 and speci

Born and raised in the South Bronx of New York City Roache decided to visit a friend who had just moved to Seattle. After seeing all the murals and the waterfront he decided to stay. Roache attended Alfred University, a small, comprehensive university in Western New York where besides art he also took up equestrian studies. His love of horses took him to Canada and Michigan where he honed his "Cowboy" skills and picked up the love of harmonica playing but art remained his first love. Roache has collaborated with artists in London and Australia in addition to teaching classes at some of Seattle's most elite visual art institutions including the Gage Academy of the Arts and Seattle Art Museum. His work has also been showcased in New York’s Robert C. Tanner Galery, The Factory in Seattle, Base Experimental Arts Space and has been published in the Stranger Magazine and City Arts. He believes public art is in the ideal art form because there is no elitism; its purpose is to bring communities together and encour

Dr. Remolia Simpson is a six-year Army veteran who served as a company supply sergeant from 1982 until 1988. Working in medical and military police units, she was stationed in such locales as South Korea and Germany. She is a passionate veterans’ advocate. In the spring of 2016, she founded “My Brothers House” a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide safe, supportive housing for LGBTQ veterans and their families. Nationwide in scope, My Brothers House seeks to vigorously address the problem of veteran homelessness through its services and facilities. These multibed residences will meet the shelter and short-term crisis counseling needs of returning, disabled and elderly veterans. In 2018 she was recognized as one of DBQ Magazines Loud 100 LGBTQ People of Color. The list recognizes outstanding individuals whose accomplishments have encouraged and inspired. Dr. Simpson firmly believes that those who kept us living without fear on the battlefields and oceans of the world should be free from fear wh

Originally from Birmingham, AL, Lawayne Orlando Childrey has also lived in Mississippi and now calls Nashville, TN home. Every day, millions of people lose sight of their dreams when life's curveballs knock them off their feet and out of the game Childrey endured some of the most horrific trauma imaginable, including childhood sexual abuse, depression, violent and tragic deaths, a crack cocaine addiction, and an HIV diagnosis but beat the odds returning to college at the age of 40 and becoming a respected news journalist. He won the national Edward R. Murrow award given by the Radio Television Digital News Association honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism.  .Author Lawayne Childrey's book “Peeling Back The Layers: A Story of Trauma, Grace and Triumph” was selected as one of the top six autobiographies of 2015 by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. It has also received critical acclaim from Hollywood to South Africa. A movie script is currently being developed. He is not onl

 Sisi Reid and Cozine Welch Jr. have worked together at the University of Michigan’s Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP). The Project encompasses both academic and volunteer-based programs at the University of Michigan. PCAP is a member of Humanize the Numbers, an ongoing project that utilizes collaborative art practices, public installations, and cross-disciplinary workshops to connect incarcerated men and women in Michigan prisons with hundreds of students, artists, researchers, and activists in Southeast Michigan. Sisi is a theatre artist, spoken word performer, youth worker, and activist fueled by connection and community.  As a storyteller, she uses theatre to activate awareness of social injustices, build community, and encourage myself and others to bring out their internal power. She’s originally from Maryland and she studied theater at the University of Maryland College Park. Although she has been residing in Ann Arbor, MI she will soon be returning to Maryland  Cozine was incarcerated at the age o

Dance artist, performer, choreographer and dance educator Dani Tirrell's work focuses on the queer, gender non-conforming and black experiences.  His latest work "Black Bois" premiered recently in Seattle for a limited engagement. Black Bois is a movement and theater piece, created with original music by Benjamin Hunter and written word by J Mase III, is a ceremony to the ancestors, and a thanksgiving to the past, present, and future. It explores how black men/bois grieve, show rage, express joy, and cry. Originally from Detroit, dance artist, performer, choreographer and dance educator, Tirrell danced with Jazz and Spirit Dance Theater of Detroit, Monroe Ballet Company, Detroit-Windsor Dance Company and Full Circle Dance Company. He was the Founder/Artistic Director of Natural Locz Dance Company based in Detroit MI. He is also a part-time lecturer in the dance department at the University of Washington. He has performed at Seattle International Festival of Dance, Gay City Arts, Bumpershoot: Velocity Dance

Poet, and scholar Alexis Pauline Gumbs Ph.D. is a queer black troublemaker, a black feminist love evangelist, and a prayer poet priestess. She has a Ph.D. in English, African and African-American Studies, and Women and Gender Studies from Duke University. She is a widely published public intellectual and essayist whose work has appeared in publications like Make/Shift, Left Turn, The Crisis, Ms. Magazine, The Feminist Wire, and Obsidian. We'll be celebrating poetry and talking about her books "Spill: Scenes of Black Feminist Fugitivity" and "M Archive After the End of the World." She was the first scholar to research the Audre Lorde Papers at Spelman College, the June Jordan Papers at Harvard University, and the Lucille Clifton Papers at Emory University during her dissertation research. At the age of nineteen, she founded Broken Beautiful Press, a grassroots publishing initiative inspired by Kitchen Table Press and Redbone Press. She is a widely published public intellectual and essayist. Her work appears

Together Carter Brown, founder of Black Transmen Inc., the first national nonprofit organization that is providing resources, support and social advocacy to transgendered people throughout their transition, and Carmarion Anderson, minister at Living Faith Covenant Church, the south regional minister for the national group TransSaints of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries and Co-founder of Black Transwomen Inc., will co-convene BTAC2018 in Dallas, TX April 23-29. The conference was Initially a program of Black TransMen Inc. The group facilitated the launch the women’s portion of the organization at the second Black Trans Advocacy Conference in 2013 following conversations about expanding the group’s reach. This year’s National Black Trans Advocacy Conference will have featured events including TransManifest Live!; Mr & Miss Black Trans International Pageant; Black Trans Advocacy Awards Gala and Black Trans Family Reunion Day. The theme of this year's conference is "BTAC 2018: Journeying Together: Liv

On Sunday, April 22, 2018, at 5:00 pm, there will be a special worship service inviting the community to join in prayer and praise for the direction and grace of God as Full Truth Fellowship of Christ Church moves forward.  The church is located at  4459 Joy Rd in Detroit. Everyone is welcome. A must hear conversation in preparation for this special worship service is this conversation with The Rev. Dr. Renee McCoy. She shares her personal story and reflects on the history, power and presence of Full Truth Fellowship of Christ Church in Detroit’s African American LGBTQ community. As Rev. McCoy relates the church is currently in need of immediate assistance for repairs and community support. She is also seeking artifacts including photos of not only the church’s history but of Detroit’s African American LGBTQ community. 

Tim’m West is a poet & Hip Hop Artist, a youth advocate and an educator & scholar. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, West has traveled the nation speaking about issues at the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, and social justice. A graduate of Duke University with a Bachelors of Arts, an MA from The New School for Social Research, and Stanford University, he is also the author of several books, Hip-Hop projects, and appears in several anthologies. He started the Front Porch: a performance art series that has mobilized hundreds of artists for more than a decade and has also appeared in multiple documentaries at the intersection of Hip Hop and black masculinity, His 4th book in 2015, "pre|dispositions: a poetic memoir"  contains, in part, a Chapter about his experiences as an educator. In 2016, he released his 6th solo Hip-Hop/Soul project, ICONography. Tim’m West is currently the leader of Teach For America’s national LGBTQ Community Initiative, advancing safer and braver classrooms for LGBTQ stud

JP Howard curates and nurtures Women Writers in Bloom Poetry Salon, a forum offering all writers, but especially women, at all levels, a monthly venue to come together in a positive supportive space. The Salon celebrates its 7th Anniversary on April 14, 2018. She is a Cave Canem graduate fellow and is the author of “SAY/MIRROR,” a debut poetry collection published by The Operating System. “SAY/MIRROR” was a 2016 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in the Lesbian Poetry category. Howard is a 2018 featured author in Lambda Literary’s LGBTQ Writers in Schools program, a Push Cart Prize nominee and was a finalist for Split This Rock’s 2017 Freedom Plow Award for Petry & Activism. With Amber Atiya, she edited Volume 107 of Sinister Wisdom – “Black Lesbians-We Are the Revolution.” Sinister Wisdom is a multicultural Lesbian literary and art journal. Howard grew up in Sugar Hill, Harlem the daughter of the groundbreaking African American model of the 1940s and 50s, Ruth King. Poetry has played an important role in

He went from making it on his own at age 15 to become an icon in the ballroom culture for the House Infiniti. Along the way, he graduated with highest honors as the Valedictorian and a Presidential Scholar from Olive Harvey College and graduated in the top 1% of the Honors and Arts and Sciences Colleges as Summa Cum Laude from Chicago State University. His many Ballroom recognitions include being inducted into the Midwest Awards Ball Hall of Fame, receiving the Eric Christian Bazaar Breakthrough award (2002), being deemed a Legend for Bizarre Bazaar (2004), and deemed an Icon for Community Outreach as the Blueprint (2016). He was recently inducted into the Ballroom Scene Radio Hall Of Fame. He does not take his ballroom status lightly, recognizing that with the status comes great responsibility and he's used it to advocate for the LGBTQ community and has been recognized for his efforts to advance social justice and equality. Solomon founded In Demand Entertainment  (IDE) in 2002. IDE's mission is to bridge

Emily Stevenson offers inclusive care for all families and individuals, including fertility, conception, prenatal, homebirth, postpartum, lactation and doula services. Emily offers her services not just as a Certified Professional Midwife but as a Queer Certified Professional Midwife. She recently worked with Haitian midwives at the MamaBaby Haiti Birth Center. Prior to becoming a midwife, Emily spent several years as a doula and trained in emergency medical services.  Pregnant persons have a right to be treated with respect and dignity during labor and child birth.  This is especially important to LGBTQ families that also exist outside cisgender and heteronormative worldviews. LGBTQ families might have a hard time within the healthcare system because of seemingly simple things like the language we use when taking a history, lack of social support, and discrimination from providers and other healthcare staff.  Midwives often meet people at their most vulnerable. A young woman may be coming in for her first

A native Detroiter, Nicole Denson is a mother, artist, and social justice activist. She has volunteered within the community in many capacities. She is currently the Associate Director of Advocacy Services for the Wayne County Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner's Advocacy Program (WC SAFE). WC SAFE’s mission is to provide comprehensive and compassionate medical-forensic care to Wayne County survivors of sexual assault in a timely manner with immediate crisis advocacy, follow-up care & counseling, and provision of expert witness testimony. She was awarded Advocate of the year in 2015 and 2016 by the WC SAFE Program. In 2017 she spearheaded a support group, one of the only groups of its kind in the metro-Detroit area, for LGBTQ people who have experienced sexual support. Using her 15 years of experience working with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, she sheds light on the #MeToo and #MuteRKelly movement and actions following the Women's March. She has advocated in creating systems for chang

International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of labor movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe. The United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day during the International Women's Year in 1975. Ashley Scales is one of the co-organizers of the International Women's Day celebration in metro-Detroit which includes women from all walks of life including labor and community activists. She is a wife, mother, an expectant parent, a member of Lambda Pi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and proud member of the UAW Local 160. She is currently District 1 Alternate Representative for Skilled trades and Non-trades members in the pre-production body shop, machining and stamping areas.  This year to her already very full plate, she has taken on co-organizing the International Women's Day celebration in metro-Detroit. The theme for this year's celebration in the metro-Detroit area is Creating Victory Through Values, Voices, Vision! They will be rec

Dr. Imani Woody the founding director and CEO of Mary's House for Older Adults. She's been an advocate for women, people of color and LGBTQ/SGL issues for more than 20 years.  Mary’s House for Older Adults, Inc. has a mission is to create safe and affordable nonprofit housing project in Washington, DC that will honor the whole person as they age. At the 2018 Creating Change Conference in Washington, DC, SAGE, the nation’s largest & oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT elders, presented Dr. Woody the SAGE Advocacy Award for Excellence on Aging Issues in recognition for her passion and leadership. Dr. Woody has a Ph.D. in Human Services, specializing in non-profit management. She holds a Master of Human Services degree from Lincoln University and is a graduate of Georgetown University. She also works as a diversity and inclusion consultant in the field of health, aging, and issues affecting the LGBTQ/SGL and people color communities. She has presented on LGBT aging issues at the W

Amazing, incredible, inspiring are but a few words that could be used to describe Dr.Wilhelmina Perry.  She grew up in Harlem with her parents, grandmother, and eight siblings. Her father was a deacon and union leader who sometimes held two jobs to support the family, and her mother also worked outside the home. Dr. Perry was raised in the Pentecostal church in a household filled with a strong sense of community activism and Black pride.  She earned a BA in social welfare and a master’s degree in social work. Perry later earned a doctorate in human behavior and leadership.  She met her life partner, civil rights activist Antonia Pantoja while teaching at San Diego State University in California.  Over the course of their three-decade relationship, they founded the Graduate School for Community Development in San Diego and were mainly involved with social work in low-income communities in both the United States and Pantoja’s native Puerto Rico, to where the pair relocated in the mid-1980s returning to New Y