Community Groups Commemorate National Black AIDS Day

Local Community Groups Commemorate National Black AIDS Day!

The MOCHA Center, the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley and Action for a Better Community are coming together to increase awareness of and support around HIV/AIDS through an initiative to develop an HIV vaccine to stop the spread of the HIV pandemic.

The event will include a mixture of entertainment and information highlighting the work that the MOCHA Center and Rochester Victory Alliance (formerly known as the University of Rochester Medical Center HIV Vaccine Trials Unit) are doing to increase the education, enrollment and support of HIV vaccine trials among people of color locally. The event is slated to take place on the eve of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day from 4p.m. to 6p.m. Saturday, February 6th at the Apollo Hall, located in the Rochester Auditorium Theatre building, 875 E. Main St. The event is free and open to the public.

“The work of building community must also involve addressing the disparities that exist within the community.” said Demetrius Jones, president of the MOCHA Center’s Board of Directors.

The agenda for the event will include entertainment by Miss Sweet Potato Pie, the MOCHA All-Stars, and FuturPointe Dance Studio; along with music by DJ Papito and food provided through a partial donation by Union Hill Grill located in Webster, NY.

The event will also include information about AIDS, the toll it is taking on the Rochester community and the world, how to prevent spread of the disease, and the importance of vaccine research.

“HIV prevention is a complex matter and it is important to utilize every available opportunity to increase education and continue to build the wellness infrastructure of communities of color.” said Damon Humes, executive director of the MOCHA Center.

More than 20 million people have died from AIDS worldwide, and according to the United Nations, 7,500 more people become infected every single day. Last month, scientists announced the preliminary results of a large study in Thailand that indicate that an experimental vaccine reduced the risk of infection by 31 percent. The results were the most promising yet in work toward an HIV vaccine.

For more information about the event, call Michael Booth of MOCHA at (585) 420-1400, extension 19 or mbooth@mochacenter.org.

GA Speaks Stephaun Clipper of the MOCHA Center

Every Wednesday night, from 8 to 9 pm EST, your host James Hipps brings you the latest in LGBT new and issues on Blog Talk Radio.

This week’s special guest was Stephaun C. Clipper, Prevention Programs Manager at The MOCHA Center (Formerly Men of Color Health Awareness Project, Inc.) in Rochester, NY. Stephaun is also the owner/write for the blog – Confessions of a Black Gay Man.

Missed the show?  No worries, you can use the player below to listen as James and Stephaun discuss how and why people of color are disproportionately affected by HIV and other diseases.

Be part of the show next week by calling in! Click here to listen live and feel free to call in @ 646-9292-0506 with any questions or comments and/or join us live in the chat room.

What’s your agenda? Find out ours on gayagenda.com’s Blog Talk Radio show!

MOCHA’s Youth Forum Report

The link below will take you to MOCHA’s Youth Forum Report.  The purpose of this technical assistance document is to highlight the unique health-related and psycho-social trends within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth of color communities, with a focus on young men who have sex with men and transgender persons.   MOCHA would like to ensure that organizations and providers of youth services have access to, and use of, information and data that is most recent, culturally relevant and age specific.   Furthermore, this document is designed to allow individuals and organizations to understand how to design, develop and implement programs and services that speak to the unique needs of LGBT youth.

For more information on this project, please feel free to contact:

Stephaun Clipper, Mpowerment Coordinator, at (585) 420-1400.

lgbtq-youth-health-forum-newsletter

Conversing with Damon Humes on BlogTalkRadio

Make sure you tune into Gay Agenda on BlogTalkRadio, every Wednesday night from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST, where your host James Hipps takes an in-depth look into the world of LGBT news and issues.  You can always comment and/or ask questions through the live chat during the show or better yet, ask your questions live by calling in to 646-929-0506! Make sure you check it out at BlogTalkRadio!

This weeks special guest was Damon L. Humes of the MOCHA project and House of Blahnik.

We also had the privilege of having Jerris Madison of The Jay Mad Show and Obvious magazine join us on the show!

If you missed the show, no worries, you can listen to it here!

Jerris Madison

House of Manolo Blahnik Needs Your Help

Dear Friend:

By now, you have heard of the economic crisis in the United States and globally. The implications of the crisis have far reaching effects that have unfortunately and exponentially, impacted small indigenous groups who work tirelessly to improve the lives of our youth, our communities and our nation.

With a record $9 trillion US budget deficit, health, wellness and civic programs for youth as well as critical access to education are in jeopardy. As the US’s fiscal problem heighten, the needs of disenfranchised and impoverished communities continue to grow. Because people are living in desperate times, are under stress or in pain and lack the money to care for themselves and/or their families; violence and/or violent crimes increase in our homes and community, education is under prioritized and rates of HIV, STDs and other health-related problems implode.

The House of Blahnik (HOB) has, and continues to respond to these issues and many more since its inception in 2000. HOB is a premiere national health and human service provider, specifically addressing education, leadership development, advocacy, HIV/AIDS and provides ongoing mentorship to at-risk lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. The HOB has membership in fourteen states; including: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North & South Carolina. The HOB’s mission is, “…to positively affect the overall development, health and wellness of its members, the larger lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities of color and their allies; while providing nurturing safe spaces for self-expression and continued growth.”

The HOB is one of the few places left for LGBT youth who participate in, or are affiliated with, the house/ball community. It is the only indigenous house who works with local not-for-profit organizations (in several states) to conduct research, health education and intervention to its peers. Lastly, the HOB has the unique distinction of providing the only national scholarship opportunity for persons in house/ball community. Last year, its first scholarship recipient graduated from Morehouse, a historically black college in Atlanta, GA; while another scholar is presently attending North Carolina Central University.

We are asking that you consider giving what you can. You contribution, of any size, will make a huge difference in the lives of over 5,000 people who are positively affected directly by our efforts. A $50 donation could provide two hours of intensive sexual health education or counseling to a young person who may be struggling with their sexual orientation that could decrease the likelihood of becoming HIV and/or STD infected. A $200 donation could ensure that one LGBT youth gets to our annual leadership development retreat; while $1,000 could help to ensure access to college; which keeps our youth and young adults off the street- giving them access to a computer lab, counselors, homework assistance and ongoing support.

We do all of this and more because of you. Your support is what allows us to make a difference in the lives of so many youth. Please consider making an end of the year tax deductible contribution. With your help, the HOB can continue to provide access to education, mobilize community, and support health & human services throughout the country during national budgetary cutbacks.

The HOB is under the fiscal management of the Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA) Project, Inc., a New York State non profit organization. Please send your tax deductible contributions to:

MOCHA Project, Inc.
c/o HOB Scholarship Fund
531 Virginia Street
Buffalo, New York 14202

If you would like to learn more about our programs and services, please do not hesitate to contact me at (216) 798-8467 or visit our web site at www.houseofblahnik.org. We thank you in advance for your support.
Again, thank you,

Damon L. Humes, MHS
Founder