Black History Month - February 2010

Bliss Pastel by Hertz Nazaire, Haitian artist

Download a print ready version of GMHC's Black History Month Calendar.

Sexual Empowerment & How to Spice Up Your Sex Life

Monday, February 1, 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Room 610/615
Free safer sex materials, workshops and goodie bags!  Workshops:  3:00 pm–Sexual Empowerment; and 6:00 pm–Play with Roles:  How to Spice Up Your Sex Life.  GMHC will also offer free, confidential rapid HIV testing with same-day results. Testing will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis and limited to capacity.  Some results may require further testing. Co-hosted by Poly Patao Productions (P3) and The Pleasure Chest NYC.

Free HIV testing—The Rumble Ball at Club Escuelita

Monday, February 1, 9:00 pm to 3:00 am,
309 West 39th Street (at 8th Avenue), Manhattan
GMHC will offer free, confidential rapid HIV testing with same-day results. Testing will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis and limited to capacity.  Some results may require further testing.  Co-hosted by Club Escuelita.

Remembering, Reflecting & Responding to Decades of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Through Dance and Spoken Word

Commemorating National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Thursday, February 4, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Room 405/410
Guest performers include Darrell “Baldwin” Diggins, (d) (v) brooks, Je’twhan King, Durrell Knights and Mark J. Tuggle.  This is an event for men of all ages.
Co-hosted by Myn on Stage Productions. 

Free HIV testing — National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness

Sunday, February 7, 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Day Chi Chiz Bar & Lounge, 135 Christopher Street (between Hudson and Greenwich Streets), Manhattan
GMHC will offer free, confidential rapid HIV testing with same-day results. Testing will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis and limited to capacity.  Some results may require further testing.  Co-hosted by Chi Chiz Bar & Lounge.

Couples Testing Event

Wednesday, February 10, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, Room 405/410
Bring your partner and get tested together!  Safer sex workshop, sex toys demonstration and lunch will be provided.  GMHC will also offer free, confidential rapid HIV testing with same-day results. Testing will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis and limited to capacity.  Some results may require further testing.  To RSVP by February 2, please call (212) 367-1325. 

I Have a Dream:  Mini Ball Deluxe

Friday, February 12,  5:00 pm to 11:00 pm
The Lab, 1428 Fulton Street (between Brooklyn and Kingston Avenues), Brooklyn
Categories for competition and prizes will be provided.  GMHC will also offer free, confidential rapid HIV testing with same-day results. Testing will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis and limited to capacity.  Some results may require further testing.  Incentives, food and beverages will be provided as well.  For more information on the categories, call (212) 367-1017 or write to lunao@gmhc.org.  Co-hosted by Gay Men of African Descent.

Stories:  Women of Color, HIV and Body Image

Tuesday, February 16,  2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
A discussion led by Roshi Enkyo O’Hara on affirming body shape changes, enhancing one’s appearances, how not to compare oneself to others and how to care for the body.  Refreshments and incentives will be provided.  This is a women-focused event.

The Black Community and Medical Research

Wednesday, February 17, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, (room to be determined)
A workshop with Sharon Washington of Project ACHIEVE about the history of abuses conducted against the black community in the name of research and medical experimentation.  The workshop will connect this history to current beliefs around HIV/AIDS, vaccine research and health in the black community. The rich legacy of black people will also be discussed as a motivational strength which community members can be inspired by to continue in the fight for health and wellbeing.  

I Ain’t Crazy

A Discussion on Stigma Connected to Mental Health in the Black Community Panelists include Eric Arnold, (mental health counseling intern, Columbia University Teachers College); Reverend Rose Hardy, MA, CSW, St.
Tuesday, February 23, 6:00 to 7:30 pm, 12th floor
Joseph’s Medical Center; Larry Woodland, LCSW, GMHC.  Moderated by Martha Sullivan, DSW, Fordham-Tremont Community Mental Health Center.  Co-hosted by the Citywide Mental Health Coalition for the Black Elderly and GMHC’s Consumer Advisory Board.

Faith in Latex:  A Discussion on Religion, Spirituality, Sexuality and Condom Use -- CANCELLED

Wednesday, February 24, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
The Museum of Sex, 233 Fifth Avenue (at 27th Street), Manhattan
Panelists include Nurah-Rosalie P. Jeter Amat'ullah, Muslim Women's Institute for Research and Development; Bishop Zachary Jones, Unity Fellowship of Christ Church; Rabbi Ellen Lippmann, Kolot Chayeinu; Roshi Enkyo O'Hara, Village Zendo; David Pais, GMHC; Reverend Brenda Starks-Ross, Trinity Pentecostal House of Prayer. Moderated by Joel Roselin, MTS, Ethics Education, Columbia University.   A reception will follow after the panel discussion.
Co-hosted by the AIDS Service Center of NYC and the Museum of Sex.

All events are free, open to the general public, and will be held at GMHC: The Tisch Building, 119 West 24th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues) in Manhattan unless otherwise specified. 

For more information, please call 212.367.1016, write to krishnas@gmhc.org.