The Official Nashville Black Pride Guide is available NOW! Available for free at the following newsstands; Nashville CARES, OUTLOUD Department Store-Nashville, Metro News Adult Books Store-Nashville, Club Allusions-Memphis, TN.
Nashville Black Pride # 3: "Liberation!" October 28th - 30th, 2005
For more details, or to get an official guide call (800) 845-4266 x 269, e-mail brosunited@aol.com, or visit www.brothersunited.com/
blackpride.htm
PLEASE NOTE: We are NOT hosting any type of pageant, performance or other activities at local clubs this year. The official listing of events can be found in the Oct/Nov/Dec issue of the BU SOURCE 2005, the official Nashville Black Pride Guide, or on our website. Don't be fooled by the misleading announcements that are allegedly being made at a local club in Nashville. Direct all inquires to Dwayne at the phone or e-mail address listed above.
Please feel free to share this e-mail with anyone that you think will be interested in attending. Our site is being updated and will have this and other information. We look forward to seeing you at the end of the month!
Schedule of Events
Friday, October 28th, 2005
Opening Reception: Free, 6 PM - 8 PM at the Quality Inn & Suites, 2401 Brick Church Pike. Featuring annual recognition of area couples, and live vocal performance honoring our relationships by Vocalists Debreca Smith.
"Black to our Roots" SIMBE Social #16, $10 before midnight and $15 afterwards at The Roots Center: 2311 Murfreesboro Road. Sponsored by the Brothers United & Y-BU programs at Nashville CARES. Join us for the official kick off jam with music by DJ TY. If you take an HIV OraSure Test (Oral swab test; no blood or needles) your cost is just $5. Testing opportunities end at 1 AM. You will also get a chance to check out our vendors, and other special surprises. Featuring live & raw performance by the King of Gay Underground Grooves, musical artist/rapper TAB. Adults 21 and older may BYOB.
Saturday, October 29th, 2005
Work & Playshops: Free, 10 AM - 2 PM at Nashville CARES: 501 Brick Church Park Drive. For the Sisters; Nicole from Cole Solutions, Inc will tap into healthy relationships and stress relief. For the Fellas', Terrance Dean will host "DL Brothers In the Entertainment Industry; How to get in and stay in". There will also be a Youth/HBCU Forum hosted by Brandon Braud from HRC with FISK & TSU LGBT Student Groups, and our first Towne Hall Meeting sponsored by National Black Justice Coalition. This in-depth discussion will cover internalized homophobia, marriage equality, coming out, and the role of gays and lesbians in the traditional Black Church. The discussion will be moderated by Ray Daniels, from NBJC, and the invited panelist includes local and national guest speakers. We will also have a host of local & out of state vendors sharing information and selling merchandise.
"Coming Home: A Retrospective" by Carlton Wilkinson: Adults $4, Youth and Seniors $2.50. 3 PM Parthenon East Gallery in Centennial Park. OUR very own nationally acclaimed Nashville photographer exhibits a compilation of series created over the past 25 years. Join members of the NBP Planning Team as we take a guided tour of his work in this historic venue. The first 10 people that arrive will have their entrance fee paid for by Nashville Black Pride.
The Literary Lounge: Free, 4 PM -5 PM at OUTLOUD Department Store, 1703 Church Street. Come express your thoughts through Poetry and Spoken Word. Each Artist is allowed 4 minutes to share an original piece.
Black Book Xplosion: Free, 5 PM - 7 PM at OUTLOUD Department Store. For the first time in Nashville history, a collection of African American LGBT Authors will all be under the same roof. Each will read an excerpt, and be available to sign purchased books on site. Authors include Phil Michal Thomas; PANELS, Mont' Richard; SWALLOW THE MOON, Terrance Dean; RECLAIM YOUR POWER!, Dayne Avery; I WROTE THIS SONG, Fiona Zedde; BLISS, Ken Jackson; RECONCILABLE SACRIFICES, Laurinda D. Brown; WALK LIKE A MAN, and Walter Wright; ONE NIGHT STAND.
The Official Benefit Party, "Rhapsody in Red Party": $15 before Midnight and $20 afterwards, 9 PM- 2:30 AM at the Gibson Showcase Theatre, 161 Opry Mills Drive at Opry Mills Mall. Come twirl to the sounds of DJ Robbie Rob from Philadelphia, and check out the different vendors we've assembled in our mini market area. We want you to wear your finest RED outfit or article of clothing. Our entertainment for the evening includes live vocals by Jazzmyn, the newly crowned Drag King; Mr. Esquire, and featuring a special late night performance by the Legend, Rita Ross. Sorry only 18 and older allowed with proper ID. Drink specials include $2 Yazzo drafts, and a special "Rhapsody" $5 cocktail all night!
Sunday, October 30th, 2005
An Afternoon at the Belcourt Theater: $8-ALL DAY PASS. 1 PM - 9 PM at the Historic Belcourt Theatre- 2102 Belcourt Avenue, Nashville 37217 (off 21st Avenue going towards Green Hills Mall, one block from the Wedgewood / Blakemore intersection)
Join us, as we welcome for the first time in Nashville, a live 1-hour theatrical performance by The ADODI Muse; A Gay Negro Ensemble. The official curtain call is 3:15 PM. After their performance, they will be selling and signing their CD, "Ain't Got Sense Enuf to be Shamed".
Our 2nd annual Black Gay Film Fest will begin at 1 pm- 2:45 pm for the matinee films, and our second round of screenings after the ADODI performance will run between 4:45 PM - 9 PM. These documentaries and films were produced for, by and about African American Gay/Same Gender Loving people and are a vital part of recording our existance in history. There will be a special Meet & Greet/Q & A with film makers Ken Jackson & Faith Trimel, as well as opportunites to purchase DVDs and other goodies. This display of films exempilfy the eyes, ears, heart and soul of our weekend, and we are honored to present them to you. Sit back, get some popcorn, a cocktail, and enjoy! And yes, we did say cocktail; there is a bar! For a little under a ten spot you get a fabulous one day pass to both the theatrical performance and all of the films. Now this is what we call a major hookup!
Shorts
BET Spotlight: Open Mic; It's My Thing! Nashville SIMBE Social; A Party with a Purpose.
Beneath the Surface: 9 Minutes / B&W. Written & directed by Kirk Shannon-Butts of boiWONDApHilmZ. This is a sexy and contemporary telling of the Greek tragedy Narcissus with an all Black male cast. Beautifully shot in black and white and filmed on location in Southern California.
Complete Abandon: 17 Minutes / Color. Written & directed by Kirk Shannon-Butts of boiWONDApHilmZ. A visually rich and powerful story unfolding the relationship between a young white police officer and a younger African-American college student. Originally titled "Fucking the Police" was quickly lauded "Best Script" by Academy Award Winner Harry Cheney.
On The Low: By Luther Mace, 15 Minutes / Color, 2004. This award winning film explores the emotional consequences of a hush-hush intimate relationship between two African American high school boys. It tells the story of a young man, Ty Evans, coming to terms with his sexuality and the inner conflict he experiences.
Billy Turners Secret: By Michael Mayson, 1990, 26 min., color Billy and Rufus live together and share everything, except Billy's secret - he's gay. Rufus just isn't ready to deal with it: the only thing he hates more than a faggot is a pushy woman. But when the cousin of Rufus' girlfriend drops by unexpectedly, it looks like Billy's secret might be out of the bag. Billy Turner's Secret is a hip, urban comedy, a look at the connection between misogyny and homophobia.
Documentaries
The Cookie Project: One Man's Woman's Transformation. By Stephanie Wynne, 2003, 60mins, color. An upstanding Black man, ex-Marine Corps, that supports his wife and two children and a LAPD cop does not feel complete and has a sex change to become Cookie, an out lesbian. What makes a woman? Is it the absence of a penis or presence of a vagina? Can you really be a lesbian if you are born male? This documentary shatters gender borders and includes explicit 20-minute sequence of his male to female sexual reassignment surgery (edited down from the 2-hour-30-minutes operation).
Just Between Us: By Ken Jackson, 2005, 73 min, color. A documentary that takes a candid look at the African American Community through the best and worst of times in the 20th Century. Being "colored" meant we were not welcomed into mainstream life and even more voiceless if you were Black and Gay. Few African Americans of this era ventured to declare their sexual orientation, but for those who did, it was a time of evolutionism. There will be a Question & Answer opportunity with the producer afterward.
Feature Films
Black Aura on an Angel: by Faith Trimel, 2004, 64 min, color. This psychological thriller depicts the devastating effects of a woman's mental illness on a blossoming love affair. When Angel meets Phaedra, she is instantly captivated with such a beautiful, mysterious woman. Black Aura on an Angel explores sensuality, insanity, and salvation and asks the question, "If you try to save someone, can you lose yourself?" There will be a Question & Answer opportunity with the producer afterward.
DAKAN: Mohamed Camara, Guinea, 87 minutes, 1997, color. This film is French and Malinke' with English subtitles. This was the first feature film on homosexuality form sub-Saharan Africa. It is a contemporary African version of the age-old Romeo & Juliet conflict between love and social convention. A must see, even though you have to read.
Monday, October 31st, 2005
Debriefing Meeting at Nashville CARES 6:30 PM
501 Brick Church Park Drive. Free.