Us Helping Us (UHU)
Tucked away in a transitioning
Washington DC neighborhood
surrounded by streets filled with
broken glass and trash, standing
in the shadows of rising
expensive condos with nearby
residents that range from crack
addicts to urban educated
professionals; sits the entity of
Us Helping Us.
Founded in 1985, Us Helping
Us, People Into Living, Inc., is a
501(c)(3) community-based
AIDS service organization
committed to reducing HIV
infection in the African-
American community by
providing HIV prevention and
support services to gay and
bisexual men, and transgender
persons. UHU also provides
HIV counseling and testing for
heterosexual men and women.
In addition the organization has
offered as many as 17 different
community, group, and
individual level initiatives,
services, and activities that serve
its constituency and furthers its
mission.
UHU was founded by Rainey
Cheeks with the support of his
friends. In 1992, Dr. Ron
Simmons, a member of the
support group, volunteered to
serve as the executive director of
the organization.
The former Howard University
professor was now challenged
with the task of bringing the
organization to the next level of
growth and sustainability.
Initially Simmons had given
himself 10 months to bring in
funding to the organization to
carry it forward. In the 10th
month UHU received its first
grant for $20,000.
Now over 14 years later, Dr.
Simmons, President/CEO of
UHU, has raised well over $14
million for its programs and
services.
Under his leadership, UHU has
become a stellar AIDS services
agency specializing in HIV
prevention and support services
for black gay/bisexual men and
transgender persons in the
metropolitan Washington DC
area.
However success didn’t exactly
come easy. Simmons vividly
recalls the furor he created when
he decided to change the
organization’s mission to serve
both HIV-positive and HIV-
negative men in an HIV
prevention and support effort.
Before there were protease
inhibitors introduced back in
1996, there were only support
groups of dying HIV-positive
men seeking various types of
alternative holistic healing and
community support.
These men sought UHU as a
refuge from an angry HIV-
negative world that wanted little
to nothing to do with their
plight. When HIV-negative gay
men were added into the mix, it
initially caused a rift at UHU
which lasted a couple of years.
Relentless in his pursuit in
guiding UHU to the forefront of
community partnering and direct
services on the issue of HIV
prevention and treatment,
Simmons spends most of his
days, nights and even some
holidays working at the
organization’s three story facility
in which he was integral in
purchasing .
Back in September 2001, UHU
was the first Black secular
organization in the nation to own
a building.
Today the organization operates
on a nearly 2 million dollar
budget with 14 full time staff
members providing case
management, HIV testing,
counseling and referrals,
substance counseling, black gay
men and transgender discussion
groups, community forums, and
video production to name a few.
According to Simmons, “If they
were to find a pill for HIV to
cure it tomorrow, there will still
be a need for Us Helping Us. I
really see us as going beyond
HIV dealing with the whole
homophobia in the Black
community.
Helping the black community
with the comfortabilzation of the
value of gay men and lesbian
women and taken on these four
issues that I think need to be
addressed by our community:
heterosexism, homophobia
which results from it, male
supremacy, and female
subjugation which results from
that.
And to me no other organization
is taking on those issues and I
see Us Helping Us taking on
those issues. It’s sorta of like
we have to because if we don’t
do it, who’s going to do it kind
of thing.”
Over the years, UHU has been
diligently worked to overcome
the issues of stigma and
homophobia within the Black
community. “We have a 1 hour
documentary on CD that deals
with the whole question of
stigma and HIV.
Such a large part of what we
think is HIV infection in the
African American community
involves stigma, that’s why
people are not getting tested are
not seeking care.”
Simmons adds that UHU has
also worked with “Black
churches to deal with the stigma
of homophobia and HIV stigma
and worked with churches on
how to overcome that.”
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In The Meantime Men (ITMT)
How and why did you start ITMT?
In The Meantime started because there
was nothing in the vast City of Los
Angeles that offered a safe space for Back
gay men to come together without
conditions of status in life , HIV status,
age, or social/ economic status. A small
group of Black gay men came together to
discuss the issues that most gravely impact
Black gay men and were able to identity
the gaps that exist within the Black gay
male community. This small focused
group of men continued to meet,
incorporate, develop a 501(c) 3, maintain
it, love it, and grow it. Today In The
Meantime is the home of several
Wellness/ Prevention programs, support,
community cultural and empowerment
activities specifically for Black gay men.
What does ITMT do to empower Black
Gay Men?
In The Meantime continues to advocate
on the State and local levels to bring
greater awareness and urgency to the
issues that impact Black GAY men around
HIV/AIDS. In The Meantime developed
the first Blac gay men advocacy groups
that has been successful at getting the
County of Los Angeles to adopt a potent
set of recommendation that will address
some of the growing concerns of Black
gay men. This group will help to shape the
upcoming County wide Prevention Plan.
In The Meantime was at the forefront at
getting the State Office of AIDS Programs
to call for a state of emergency and to
mandate that larger health jurisdictions
develop a plan of action that would be
followed up and reviewed by the
Statewide African American MSM
Taskforce that is chaired by In The
Meantime's Executive Director.
In The Meantime will offer three
prevention Program that will focus
specifically of the health and wellness
issues of Young Black gay men between
the ages 18-29 in 2007.
In The Meantime will be expanding it
meeting space to provide additional space
for young men to meeting and to provide
additional social activity that is designed to
be both social and educational beyond the
club environment.
In The Meantime is providing
employment opportunities for 6 young
men in an effort to develop and mentor
younger men in our community. We
conduct support groups, provide targeted
HIV/AIDS prevention services, an annual
Wellness conference, Empowerment
retreat and a host of social and educational
forums. We also work to connect with the
larger black and larger gay community as
well. Inclusion is important.
In The Meantime has and continues to
wage a social Justice Campaign that
speaks to the value and validity of not
only gay men but to the value and worth
of all black people. Our billboards that
read 'The Live of Black gay men Matter
to God' and 'Headsup Young Brothers,
You are the Future'.
We are currently the only organization in
the entire City of Los Angeles that focuses
solely and specifically on the mental,
physical, and spiritual Health and Wellness
of Black Gay men. We are also the only
organization that provides annual,
quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily
activities specifically for Black gay men.
We continue to be the most visible
Outreach service to the Black community.
What do you think are the biggest
challenges facing Black Gay Men
today?
Clearly HIV/AIDS is at the top of the list
along with HEP C and most of the same
health issues that Black men are faced
with in general. The issue of HIV/AIDS is
becoming an even more pressing issue as
look at the way that the larger Black
Community is choosing to focus on a
more general approach to addressing this
complex issue.
In doing so Black gay men are being
excluded from the conversation as not to
offend the mainstream Black community
that continue to take issue with
homosexuality. Access to adequate Mental
Health care to address the multi-complex
issues that Black Gay men continue to
face on a daily basis. The lack of social
and self acceptance continue to be issues
that plague our community.
What do you think are the biggest
insecurities of Black Gay Men? Where
do they derive?
Black Gay men face many of the same
issues that heterosexual men face as it
relates to stereotypes like the size of your
penis or the type of work that we do or
our status in life. In addition Black Gay
men face some of the same issues that
Black heterosexual women face in our
society such as aging and body imaging.
The issue of body imaging is experienced
by Black gay men of all ages. The Black
Gay culture is driven by the fear of
rejection on multiple levels.
1. From the larger society.
2. From the larger Gay Community.
3. From the larger Back community.
Black gay men want to be accepted by
their own people. ITMT conducted a
survey of 500 black gay men 95% of the
men stated that being a part of their
community was more important than
being connected to the Black gay or
mainstream gay community.
What advice would you give to Black
Gay Male Youth?
Self development, education and positive
exposure are key. Developing a solid work
history and internships in your area of
interest when you are younger will help
you to progress as you mature. Always
find away to gave back to the Black
community and share your gifts and
talents with organizations that affirm you.
Stop the physical violence against your
brothers, Stop the sexual violence of
unprotected sex. Love deeply and respect
the diversity that exist within the Back gay
community. Identify what moves and
excites you. Never give up on your
passion even when you have to work a
nine to five.
What advice would you give to Black
Gay Men, in marriages or heterosexual
relationships?
Know that coming out is an option. Know
that you are not alone and that many men
have been and continue to be where you
are. Allow yourself the right to share your
desires with some one whom you trust
and ask for help when you find your
desires to be overwhelmingly stressful and
confusing.
Monogamy is not for every man and that
you have a responsibility to every one
concerned to be honest about cheating and
not simply whom you sleep with. We
know that Magic cheated, Koby cheated,
Jesse cheated, JFK cheated, Dr. King
cheated, and on and on. Black women
deserve better and if you cant provide it
for them then be honest and or move on.
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The Portal
How and why did The Portal start?
After having lived in Baltimore for
several years, it became evident that
much of the African American Same
Gender Loving community was in a
state of unproductivity,
misrepresentation, and complacency.
The limited SGL (same-gender-
loving) voices were muffled and
reactive, not proactive. Despite an
obvious awareness of our community’
s spending power, we were not
physically and visually in places and
spaces of policy and activism. We
were consumers and not producers.
When asked where we were, the
answers usually danced between
spaces induced by drugs, sex and
alcohol.
What really captured my attention
was when I realized that we were
duplicating the very same, if not
worse, conditions for our younger
generation. I decided to do my part
to help break the cycle. This reality,
in addition to many other
observations, led me to move
forward. So, from the basement of
my home, Empowering New
Concepts, Inc. was incorporated by
the State of Maryland as a
Community based Organization in
November 2001, and received its
non-profit 501 © 3 status in August
2002.
In September 2002, The Portal, a
Multicultural Community Resource
Center for Same Gender Loving
Persons of Color, and home office to
Empowering New Concepts, Inc.
opened its doors with limited
personal financial resources and a
dream of a better Same Gender
Loving community, and thus, a better
Baltimore. I financed the first two
years with my tips from working on
the train as a waiter/attendant.
The journey thus far has truly been
enlightening, challenging, and
continues to make me a better
person. I feel we are doing the same
for others.
What is The Portal doing to
empower Black Gay/SGL(Same-
Gender-Loving) men?
The Portal helps to dispel myths,
break stereotypes, acknowledge the
versatility of our community,
promote dialogue and create
visibility. We don’t tell people what
to think, we show people how to
think. We encourage our community
to read, write and speak on issues
that involve us, whether or not those
issues are nested in Same Gender
Loving community or the overall
African American community. And
while doing so, have the freedom and
willingness to identify oneself as a
same gender loving man.
The Portal is a beautiful, safe,
comfortable space to be in, and many
of us are not used to that. A lot of us
are uncomfortable around our
brothers, ourselves, unless we are
indulging in some mind or mood-
altering chemical. It’s sometimes
difficult to speak when you don’t
have anything to say because you are
so used to other people telling you
who you are. Also, because we are
located in the “hood”, one may or
may not be compelled to visit us if
they have not come to some level of
acceptance of themselves.
What do you think are the biggest
challenges facing Black Gay/SGL
men today?
We are facing many challenges, too
many to speak of here. But overall,
because The Power of Thought and
the The Power of The Mind play a
key role in one understanding
themselves, I see the biggest
challenge for us is the ability to think
critically and analytically and not
accept things just because somebody
else said so. We are so used to
accepting other people’s opinions of
us as facts without doing the
research.
Part of the reason for that is that we
have not collectively created
indigenous structures in the
communities where we live and
work, so we basically have to once
again accept or participate in a
process, for example, to gather data
which is not created by us, so that
lack of ownership is not a true
investment in our community, so
once that outside process has used us
up, we are once again in a position of
lack, because we did not think of
methods to build infrastructure in our
community.
Another challenge facing our people
is our unwillingness to say “NO” to
anyone dangling a carrot in front of
us individually, to people talking out
“the side of their neck”, and our not
being willing to look at the big picture
and how it affects us as a
community. We don’t have to
accept everything people give us, or
say to us, to the detriment of our
community, just because we feel that
there is not enough to go around. We
live in an abundant universe, and
there is enough for everybody.,
What do you think are the biggest
insecurities of Black Gay/SGL
men? Where do they derive?
Our silence, which I believe is
derived from generations of
misguidance, misdirection and
complacency. Because we come
from a history of other people telling
us what to do, when, where and how
to do it, we have a tendency to “tag
on” to people, places an institutions
which traditionally have not
represented us. It’s a relatively easy
process, and doesn’t take a lot of
work. Sometimes we don’t want to
work on things like capacity building
and consciousness building.
Now the flip side of that is… because
we are not sitting in those spaces and
places where policies are made which
influence us, we oftentimes don’t get
what we really need. We get left out
or we get what’s left. Although we
seem to have been ok with that for
many years, I am beginning to see
more African American
representation. Now if we can only
know what to ask for, that would be
great, and not just say, or ask for,
anything just because we feel so
privileged to be sitting at the table.
I am seeing a few think tanks and
advocacy groups. That’s fine, but we
need more front line warriors on the
community level. We need people
who are not afraid to step beyond the
Internet and into their communities.
What advice would you give Black
Gay/SGL male youth?
Because I have a nephew who told
me he was “gay” when he was 13
years of age, I was able to be there
as a guiding force. I told him that I
had already opened the door, so all
he has to do in walk through. But,
he still had to deal with his father,
who is now one of his greatest
supporters.
I get a lot of opportunities to give
advice. As most same gender loving
youth and young adults tend to have
many questions, I encourage them to
respect their own individual
experiences. Examine his or her
quality of life, and let someone else
help you. Find a same gender loving
adult, someone that you respect, and
use that person as a mentor.
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Black Brothers Esteem (BBE)
Amid squalid conditions of
homelessness, drug addiction, and
a high concentration of liquor
stores, the Tenderloin district of
San Francisco is also home to a
vital support system of Black gay
men who unlike their more
affluent Black gay brethren have
fallen victim to urban blight and
all of its economic, health, drug,
and alcohol addictions.
Black Brothers Esteem (BBE)
stands in the gap of transition
from powerlessness to
empowerment for African
American gay, bisexual, and same
gender-loving men who often are
disproportionately at a high risk
for HIV infection.
Funded by the San Francisco
AIDS Foundation BBE is a
prevention and support program
designed to empower men who
predominantly live in the
Tenderloin/Polk Gulch and Sixth
Street Corridor sections of San
Francisco.
These men struggle not only with
issues related to HIV, but also
with racism, addiction, poverty,
homophobia, violence, and
marginal housing conditions.
The goal of the program is to
provide education, skills building,
and enhanced social connection in
order to diminish sexual risk-
taking. Micah Lubensky, Ph.D.
serves as Community
Development Manager and liaison
for the organization.
Dr. Lubensky explains that BBE
“Works with low income black
gay men in the Tenderloing/6th
Street Corridor [on] how to
increase a sense of autonomy and
a sense of independence, a sense
of engagement, a sense of
connection to the larger
community in San Francisco.
Increasing …a greater sense of
efficacy and things going on and
affecting their lives.”
In addition, the organization seeks
to proactively enlighten its
members in all aspects of life.
“I take brothers who are in
involved in this program and get
them in larger scale projects that
reconnect them to the
community.
A lot of the black gay men in San
Francisco are dealing with a lot of
isolation issues especially those
living in the Tenderloin/6th Street
corridor because of poverty
issues because of racism in the
greater San Francisco community
as well as the greater gay, lesbian,
bi, trans community.
The projects I get them involved
with do things to increase their
connection to the larger
community and as a result helps
them feel more responsible for
their HIV status whether
maintaining health with being
HIV-positive or staying HIV-
negative as well as in
contributing back to the
community which helps to build
their connection to the city in
general.”
These types of activities include
everything from performing gay
outreach volunteering, serving
food to low income families,
attending different artistic events,
to attending different gay
affirming places of worship.
Last year members created a
comprehensive brochure with
culturally competent health
resources for African American
gay men, and also hosted a
photography workshop in
preparation for exhibitions in
Tenderloin and SoMa galleries,
showcasing BBE members'
artistic talents.
“A common thread for a lot of
Black gay, bi, same-gender-
loving, transgender men in San
Francisco is a lot of isolation.
Partially because the Black
church not being as accepting as
some of us want it to be or
isolation from family, or isolation
from the larger GLBT
community, because as we know
racism is everywhere including
the GLBT community.”
In fact for the past 10 years BBE
has served members with drop-in
discussion groups, workshops,
community-wide social events,
peer health advocacy, mentoring,
and volunteer activities all aimed
at improving overall health and
community strength. Currently
serving more than 400 African
American gay, bisexual and same
gender-loving men, BBE
continues to grow.
BBE Program components
include:
• A weekly on-going drop-in
group--Phoenix Rising--for HIV-
negative and HIV-positive men
that addresses the emotional
impact of HIV as well as
recovery issues.
Men in the drop-in group set their
own agenda and provide peer
support for the challenges they
are currently facing.
• Multiple-session
workshops, tackling issues such
as safer sex negotiation, behavior
change, and improving health and
quality of life.
• Social events to promote
and foster community building.
• Leadership training to
further develop the men's
strengths and skills.
• Community development
projects for men who wish to
have a greater impact on
improving their local community.
These include a peer health
advocate program, volunteering
for community service, creating
health outreach messages, and
performing outreach at public
events.
Participants report that
involvement in these projects
enhances their sense of belonging
to various larger communities.
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