Lipton Strategies was proud to partner with Native Son on their successful Black Gay Leadership Forum, sponsored by AARP. Native Son harnesses the collective power of Black Gay Men with the goal of ensuring that our voices, visibility and lived experiences are elevated in all of the communities in which we exist and never again disregarded.
Through the Black Gay Leadership Forum, Native Son brought together over 150 community leaders including Business Executives, Activists, Entrepreneurs, Media, and Academics. Focused on the impacts of COVID-19, this virtual empowerment experience created a space for leaders to address some of the most pressing issues facing the Black Gay community including health, social justice, the economy, labor, and trauma. According to Native Son's Founder, Emil Wilbekin:
“In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial protests of 2020, it is imperative to gather Black gay leaders globally to create change in the world and to ensure that Black gay men are empowered and encouraged to reimagine the world while sustaining and supporting our community in the area of health, social justice, economics, labor, data and the 2020 election." - Emil Wilbekin, Founder of Native Son
REPRESENTATION MATTERS PANEL
Presented in partnership with AARP, the key themes were Empowerment, Education, and Enlightenment. The day-long Forum created dialogue to advocate for the community, assisted Black Gay leaders to provide support in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and fostered thought leadership to harness collective power.
A few notable participants and speakers included former Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett, CNN Host Don Lemon, Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist Jonathan Capehart, ESPN Commentator LZ Granderson, Color of Change President Rashad Robinson, and Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David among many others.