(CBS DETROIT) – “So people like me, we live in the intersection of what is to be a Black and brown-skinned person and a person who is attracted to the same gender,” said A. Nzere Kwabena, executive director of LGBT Detroit.
LGBT Detroit was born out of necessity. The group is more than just the space to be free. As one of the longest-running Black organizations of its kind, it’s also about advocacy.
“It was heavily inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, pretty much the modern, mid-century movement. Soon after that, gays wanted space, like any group of people want space just to be free.” Kwabena said.
“There was a need for activism around the HIV epidemic. And a number of people were forming any kind of [institutional] support group, any kind of service to provide housing, food, health care, met health care all around people that were diagnosed HIV positive, and unfortunately, die. This company is rooted from any activism.”