Stories from the Los Angeles Black LGBT Community

October 20, 2024, 3:00-5:00 PM
Panel Conversation, All Ages
APLA Out Here Sexual Health Center, Baldwin Hills

3741 S. La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90016

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Stories from the Los Angeles Black LGBT Community is a project initiated by the UCLA Center for Oral Histories Research and created to document the lives and contributions of individuals in the Black LGBT Los Angeles community, with the knowledge that if these stories are not captured, it will be as if they never occurred. One of the major contributions of the interview project is the recording of various stories on how the Black LGBT Community in Los Angeles came together to address the AIDS pandemic. 

Join moderators Dr. Byron Johns and C. Jerome Woods as they introduce clips from fifteen interviewees, sharing their diverse perspectives on how the community was impacted by and how they participated in saving lives and comforting those dying of the disease. Some started organizations, others became international advocates informing policy, others worked in the healthcare industry, law enforcement, social services organizations and others were foot soldiers ensuring that those infected were cared for and not alone as they lived their last days. There are many other stories of triumph and struggle. Hearing and engaging in them is sure to change lives.

The panel conversation will take place at the APLA Out Here Sexual Health Center, Baldwins Hills on Sunday, October 20, 2024 from 3-5:00 p.m.

The interviewees featured in this project include AfraShe Asungi, J. Michael Cook, Mother Devine Gorgeous Gucci, Marco Aurelio Green, Dr. Carl Highshaw, Rt. Beatitude Zachary G. Jones, Alfreda “Freda” Lanoix, Paul Jonathan Scott, Robert Gerald Smith, Rev. Russell Thornhill, Al Von Altheimer, Yolanda Whittington, Jewel Thais-Williams, Phill Wilson, and C. Jerome Woods.

This program is suitable for all ages.

Panelists

Dr. Byron Johns (DBJ), a native Philadelphian, is the interviewer for the UCLA Center for Oral Histories Research for the Black LGBT Project. His realm of experience spans across a variety of communities in Africa and Europe to New York City schools, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, to various small businesses, start-up companies, community engagement and advocacy in South Los Angeles, and performing arts organizations. DBJ has a doctorate in Organizational Psychology, concentrating on Management and Consulting, and a master’s degree in Performing Arts Management. DBJ is the founder of A Place To Be, a non-profit offering contemporary, innovative programming connecting individuals and communities.  

C. Jerome Woods is the Founding Director of the Black LGBT Project, which documents the lives and contributions of Black LGBT individuals. He is also a consultant for UCLA’s Center for Oral History Research’s Black LGBT Project. Woods has exhibited his work and contributed to One Institute’s Pride Publics exhibition. A published poet and author, his works include Love Song & Heartbreaks and appearances in Jewel’s Catch One on Netflix. Retired from 25 years of teaching with LAUSD, he has served on various boards and received the Carter G. Woodson Memorial Award in 2009. He holds BA and MA degrees in Education.

This program is organized by A Place To Be and co-presented with the Los Angeles LGBT Center as part of the Circa: Queer Histories Festival 2024, presented by One Institute.

  • Incorporated in 2018, A Place To Be (APTB) is an international network that provides opportunities for individuals to plug into community. The underpinning tenants of the organization are to nurture, inspire, empower, and transform individuals by hosting various educational, social, and recreational activities