HBGC's 6th Annual Gala & Soiree: Rooted In Resistance
Description
ONLINE/ADVANCE TICKET SALES ARE NOW CLOSED.
PLEASE JOIN US TONIGHT TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKET FOR TONIGHT'S EVENT AT THE DOOR.
Join HBGC as we celebrate another year and reflect on how our founding and existence is Rooted in Resistance! This year’s gala pulls inspiration from past and current actions dedicated to the liberation of LGBTQ/People of Color. We will gather in historic Hibernian Hall to honor legendary and fresh voices in the LGBTQ community, celebrate our past and present s/heroes, and commit to sustaining Boston's leading organization for Hispanic, Latin@, and Black LGBTQ individuals. We hope to see you there!
Pre-Gala Reception (7:30p - 8:00p)
With purchase of a sustainer ticket, attend a pre-gala reception featuring hors d'oeuvres and a special meet and greet with our honorees, co-founders, and board of directors. Sustainer level tickets also come with open bar access from 7:30-9:30pm.
Gala Program (8:00p - 9:30p)
*Doors open at 7:30p*
Awards Presentation – Join us in honoring two leaders resisting on behalf of LGBTQ people of color and a local organization (selected by public vote -- see below) working to empower LGBTQ communities of color. Details on our honorees and community award nominees are below.
Silent Auction – Bid on vacation packages, gift certificates, jewelry, and sports memorabilia, among other items.
2015 Reflections & 2016 Aspirations – Hear testimonials from HBGC supporters and program participants on why the organization is so important to the Boston community and the difference HBGC makes in existing and resisting.
Networking & Reconnecting – Meet likeminded LGBTQ advocates and allies, make new friends, catch up with old friends, and build community.
Soiree (9:30p - 12:00a)
Stick around until midnight for our after-party! Dance to some of your favorite songs spun by DJ BEGBICK.
Denise Simmons, a lifelong resident of Cambridge, is currently serving her seventh term on the Cambridge City Council during the 2014-2015 term. Denise has spent the past three decades working to better her community – first as the Executive Director of the Cambridge Civic Unity Committee in the 1980s, then as a member of the Cambridge School Committee in the 1990s, and since 2002, as a member of the Cambridge City Council. During the 2008 – 2009 Council term, Denise was proud to serve as Mayor of Cambridge.
Councillor Simmons drew national attention when she became the nation’s first Black, openly lesbian mayor in 2008 (and the first Black female mayor in Massachusetts).
HBGC's James Earl Hardy Legend's Award honors an individual involved in LGBTQ equality and/or racial justice work for at least ten years. Recipients have displayed trailblazing leadership and groundbreaking mechanisms for uplifting and empowering LGBTQ people of color, particularly Black, Hispanic, and/or Latin@ communities.
Darnell L. Moore is a Senior Editor at MicNews and Co-Managing/Editor at The Feminist Wire. Along with NFL player Wade Davis II, he co-founded YOU Belong, a social good company focused on the development of diversity initiatives.
Darnell’s advocacy centers on marginal identity, youth development and other social justice issues in the U.S. and abroad. He has led and participated in several critical dialogues including the 58th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women; the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington National Panel on Race, Discrimination and Poverty; the 2012 Seminar on Debates on Religion and Sexuality at Harvard Divinity School; and as a member of the first U.S. delegation of LGBTQ leaders to Palestine in 2012.
HBGC's Audre Lorde Founder's Award was created to honor an up and coming leader of color who embodies the mission of HBGC by taking initiative to create lasting change for LGBTQ communities of color.
2015 Sylvia Rivera Community Award
Nominees:
Black Lives Matter Boston - Black Lives Matter Boston remains committed to being active in the movement against racist policing and police violence both locally and nationally.
City Life/Vida Urbana - City Life/Vida Urbana is a grassroots community organization committed to fighting for racial, social and economic justice and gender equality by building working class power. They promote individual empowerment, develop community leaders and build collective power to effect systemic change and transform society.
FAMILIA: Trans Queer Liberation Movement - FAMILIA: TQLM is the leading national LGBTQ Latinx organization in the United States. FAMILIA: TQLM is committed the collective liberation of all LGBTQ Latinxs through radical empowerment and revolution. They are here to revision a new world founded on the principles of self-realization and self-determination.
Haley House - Haley House is dedicated to helping those made vulnerable by the harshest effects of inequality move toward wholeness and economic independence. They offer collaborative living and working environments that build communities and connections across boundaries; model creative alternatives that confirm the intrinsic dignity and worth of each person and; challenge the attitudes and structures that perpetuate suffering.
Massachusetts Area South Asian Lambda Association- MASALA is a social group based in Boston, that provides a safe and supportive environment to New England based Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trans, and Questioning South Asians (people from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet; and from the global South Asian Diaspora).
voting will close on October 31, 2015
