Today Is the Birthday of Essex Hemphill....

[Charles Stephens]

Essex Hemphill was born on this day in 1957. He was a celebrated poet and writer, and also a key part of the 1980s/90s black gay men's health movement (that I refer to as the 1986 Generation). His poetry and narratives offer not only insight, but blueprints. He was of a generation of black gay HIV activists that also critiqued mass incarceration, patriarchy, violence, capitalism, and of course racism. To this day his poems like "Now We Think," and "Vital Signs," brilliantly describe black gay male sexual subjectivity, our interior lives, our desires and fears. Despite the continued marginalization of black gay men from AIDS movement history, we know that activists like Essex Hemphill fought courageously and brilliantly on the front lines.  And in 2016, his words remain relevant. Join me in celebrating the amazing legacy of black gay writer and HIV activist Essex Hemphill. 20 years after his death, his voice remains necessary. 

via Tiona McClodden - Af·fixing Ceremony
​

[Rennie, Leo]

Thanks Charles for these post and reminders.

 

Leo

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