A New York-based initiative is seeking to provide Black gay men with the necessary tools to feel empowered.
On Oct. 7, the second installment of Mobilizing Our Brother’s MOBItalks will gather gay Black men in NYC for personal and professional development sessions at the Bronx Museum.
The initiative, coined by DaShawn Usher, will be led by a group of Black queer men. The Bronx edition of MOBItalks will feature a variety of popular Black queer male voices, including DBQ Magazine’s David Bridgeforth, RaceBaitR’s Hari Ziyad and writer Michael Arceneaux.
The Bronx edition of MOBItalks is the second of a three-part personal and professional development series taking place in the area.
“As a Black gay man, to be in a space where Black queer people are having conversations about what’s affecting us and how we can support each other—sign me up every single time,” Karamo Brown says about his involvement with the platform, according to a press release sent to EBONY. “I want to make people understand that who we are is our power.”
The initiative was created in response to a lack of spaces for Black gay men. MOBI seeks to provide a platform for the men to speak authentically about issues that affect them.
“Being able to connect Black gay men across many different social classes, different education levels, across different ages, is the biggest thing I know that I can offer to the community,” says Usher.
Attendees of the event will have the opportunity to participate in personal and professional development sessions, take professional headshots courtesy of Steven Duarte and Welthe images, and screen for a variety of services such as HIV/AIDS testing, PrEP/PEP, health insurance and primary care.
To learn more about MOBI, follow “MOBINYC” on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter: @MOBI_NYC, and visit mobitalksbronx.eventbrite.com.
