On Saturday, October 12, over 200 youth participants and facilitators gathered at Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge to participate in Hispanic Black Gay Coalition (HGBC) 2013 LGBTQ Youth Empowerment Conference – a free conference that creates a safe and positive space for LGBTQ youth of color to be confident, empowered and advocates for social change. This was the third consecutive year for the conference and is the largest gathering of LGBTQ youth of color in New England.
HGBC is an organization committed to meeting the needs of the Black, Hispanic and Latin@ LGBTQ community. It was founded four years ago by Corey Yarbrough, Executive Director and BACH Steering Committee Member, and Quincy Roberts, Youth Program Director. The LGBTQ Youth Empowerment Conference gives youth the opportunity to exchange resources by connecting them with one another and gain valuable skills for navigating life. Yarbrough stated, “since HBGC was created out of feelings of isolation and exclusion, the call to create a similar space for the youngest minds in our community resonated with us.” The conference provides a safe space for young people to feel comfortable speaking up about their challenges and support each other in overcoming them. It also gives youth the opportunity to showcase their talents and raise the visibility of LGBTQ youth of color.
The day begun with a panel of local and national leaders, entitled: The Move Forward: The Next Generation of Emerging LGBT Leaders of Color Speak, which focused on ways to close the leadership gap between LGBTQ young people of color and the greater LGBT population. Youth had a selection of over 20 workshops, led by LGBTQ youth of color, ranging from providing life skills, such as safe sex or advice on coming out to parents, to sessions that focused on advocacy and organizing, like how to lobby and support existing campaigns in Boston.
The day concluded with remarks from keynote speaker, Mia McKenzie, writer, feminist from Philadelphia, and creator of Black Girl Dangerous. She spoke about the importance of owning one’s identity and using it to transform the world…. starting with ensuring one’s own emotional and mental wellness and holding those around us accountable. This was one of the most important messages of the day. For many people of color, their identity is more than just a checked box for race. It is important to understand the intersection of race with other identities, including gender and sexual orientation. This is one of the many reasons that BACH has indentified increasing resilience in communities facing trauma as one of its priority strategic issues. Growing up LGBTQ and a person of color in our society can bring about many traumatic experiences and we need to help these young people build their resilience skills.
Many youth mentioned that the conference was a unique space where they could bring all of their identities to the table in a welcoming and supportive environment without having to check their race, age, gender identity, religion, or sexual orientation at the door. Yarbrough summed up the day stating, “most youth left feeling empowered and knowing they are not alone, there are resources in the community to support them, and that they are all capable of achieving greatness and leaving their mark on the world.”
For more information about Hispanic Black Gay Coalition and the LGBTQ Youth Empowerment Conference, please visit the website at www.hbgc-boston.org or contact Corey Yarbrough, Executive Director, at cyarbrough@hbgc-boston.org.