WATCH: New Campaign Encourages Black LGBT Youth to "Be Great"

PHOTO: Tory StarQuality Diggins and Emery Lavell Johnson for Be Great!

A Chicago organization that works with Black LGBT youth has launched a new social marketing campaign that encourages youth to "Be Great." The youth-led campaign is designed to end violence among Black LGBT youth, such as the vicious July stabbing captured on video.

The July 3 incident was the latest in a series of violent fights involving young Black LGBT in Boystown. The stabbings and the presence of Black/Latino street youth in the mostly white area has sparked a racially-fueled debate. More than 600 people attended a community policing meeting to discuss the problems.

Frank Walker, founder and executive director of Youth Pride Center, says "Be Great" was created as a response to community outrage over the attacks. "[The community meeting] was getting away from the actual topic, which was: How do you deal with violence?" Walker told Windy City Times. "We believe every person should live in a safe neighborhood. We don't believe that it's racist to say that. ... Nobody wanted to hear what the youth had to say, and there's a big difference between what youth are saying and what adults are saying."

The campaign features youth-created posters and video submitted to its Facebook page. Submissions will be judged. The winning print entry will run in the Windy City Times and be distributed among youth as a palm card.

Watch a video compilation WHEN YOU JUMP ...

Comments

[Kevin P.]

Very empowering and I'm not even Black! The kid (who looks around my age, a 20-something) is cute. I just hope this manages to give positive influence to many Black LGBTs.

[Chitown Kev]

Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know this is something that the majority of their parents notr the white gay community is willing to do. It's something that we (we = black LGBT's) have to do for ourselves.

[BlackGayDude]

I am not trying to ruin the excitement the news that this campaign brings, but I want to make a point. Black men today still face racial hatred by other races. We are adored in sports and admired when our natural persona doesn't intimidate others. But overall non-Blacks do not take to us kindly. PLEASE CHECK OUT THE CNN story and video of Black man brutally murdered by Whites in Mississippi just because he is Black. The video will disturb your soul. This didn't happen in 1950. It happened the other day! The similarity between this heinous crime and a gay bashing is plain to anyone. A gas station, a Black man alone, no others around, some hateful people who have been drinking, a beating, a murder. All because someone is different. Gay Rights are Civil Rights! And we need more campaigns that promote Gay Black Men. We are a double stastistic.

[BlackGayDude]

Sorry I didn't intend to double post. Moderator please remove the first post. Thanks and I apoloize.

[Greg G]

Black Gay Dude: Unfortunately that is exactly what you're trying to do. And what does that story have to do with the rash of violence among black gay men in Chicago?

ONE black man was recently brutally killed in Mississippi. But unfortunately EVERY DAY black men are killed and attacked in black on black violence. Sorry to be painfully honest, but only a handful of blacks are killed in hate crimes. Gang violence and crime (by other blacks) still hurt us much more.

It's very admirable what this group is doing. You have to encourage young people with love and respect. That way they learn to value their lives and value other lives as well.

[Faison]

What Kevin, Chitown and Greg said.

This campaign is very empowering and helps young black gay men learn to love and respect themselves. If it helps only one teen and convinces him not to pull a knife on another gay teen, it's a success.

Black Gay Dude: You make some good points, but you are trying to rain on someone else parade. Maybe you're brand new to this blog, but Rod talks about hate crimes and gay bashings against Black LGBT more than most others. Violence among black youth is a sad reality. This campaign is a wonderful thing.

[Chitown Kev]

@Greg G

Co-sign

@BlackGayDude

Honey...sweetie...baby, what are you telling us that we don't already know?

and there are straight blacks that don't take kindly to black gay dudes like yourself.

Hell, we don't take kindly to each other a lot of times (even on this very blog)

That's what this campaign is about. It's by and for black gay men.

[Kevin P.]

Whoah, BlackGayDude! It's pretty hard to sugar-coat the social/political realities for Black folks, especially LGBT segment of the community but we should at least look at this campaign as something positive. Many stories and news involving Black LGBTs and other minorities/communities color, unfortunately do NOT end in high note. This at least sending a positive message.

[James W]

Totally love this and this motto is spot-on. Be Great!

[Troy]

I think to myself of the many moms and dads and cousins that we had that always encouraged us, not loudly but always there. Telling us little things, the church on Sunday all the little things that kept us here kept us going. These same small cliques of us in a store we know we can't afford, on the bus, everywhere and looked at raped by eyes that want to but dont understand, major credit to these young men who took all that love and made it work. An excellent project with more to come, I hope.

And who else but Rod would have shown us this in it's beautiful light?

[Black Pegasus]

Dayuum! That young flat belly boy is H.O.T! ..........oh, the awareness campaign is nice too...(snickering)

[Kirk]

I will never forgot that day when Rodney King, an inarticulate man, not a well educated man, but a beat down Black American man, stood before the nation and world really and said it: "Can't we all just get along?"

And there you have it!

[thegaytekeeper]

We need more of this.

[Charles]

It speaks to my spirit... Greatness and Excellence are the mighty weapons against isms... Great campaign... They should make it nationwide! Just my two cents!

[Corey]

They're already beautiful and already GREAT - whether they know it or not! I'M SHARING THIS EVERYWHERE!

And thanks, Rod, for posting it because if it were not for you, SO MANY wouldn't see it or know about it at all.

[TheRevKev]

This campaign makes me want to cry AND scream!

YAY!!!!

Let's get busy LIVING and LOVING and BUILDING EACH OTHER UP....from this day FORWARD!

[Amir]

WOW this is so exciting!! we have to spread the word and let people know about this movement!

[soulbrotha]

This is a wonderful beginning. However, it's going to take a lot of work to keep the momentum going and I sincerely hope they are up to the challenge. Otherwise this will become an old discarded campaign with very little to show for it. This needs to become as big or bigger than the "It Gets Better" campaign. I anxiously await the outcome. Black folks will either get behind this in full force or let it die of neglect, indifference or religious condemnation. Here's hoping for the best.

[michael oconnor]

I find it unfortunate that the “Boy’s Town” incident of violence is being used by some of the Black GBLT organizational leadership as a possible organizational revenue enhancer for the organization. Why hasn’t GBLT youth violence among African American GBLT youth been a focus of African American Gay male organizational leadership until now? IS it because it takes a relatively rare violent incident among African American youth in “Boys town”, a mostly Caucasian Heterosexual residential & commercial area before African American Gay male organizational leadership will respond?

Unfortunately, this is another example of African American Gay Male leadership’s failure to “GET IT”! I am astounded that none of the commentary that I seen on television heard on the radio, or reviewed on the this internet commentary focus on the fact that the first amendment rights of African American GBLT youth are being blatantly violated! The issues that are being hotly debated are those of property rights & public safety for those who live in “Boys town”.

This U-tube video showing a mob attack of young black GBLT men beating another GBLT Brother has been used as a rallying call and opportunity for a small minority of mostly Caucasian Self-appointing gay demagogic racist group, who call themselves community activist! Remember their rallying call “Take back Boy’s town” I ask the question who are they taking Boy-town back from?
Even-though, I agree with property owners in the area that they should be able to come out of their abodes without fear of attack. I also believe that thee should be more focus by the area property owners on the decreasing the home robbery rates and car thief rates within these areas, not racial profiling African American youth who come and walk the streets in boys-town unlike the white young suburban queens who come and not only walk the street of Boy-town, but are encouraged to come into the bars along Halsted street unlike the African American GBLT young!.

I believe before those African American GBLT organizational leadership who seek more funding for African American youth GBLT violence programming they need to be more accountable to the public about the last funding they received! After all whatever they where suppose to be doing apparently hasn’t worked for many of the African American youth, If it had African American GBLT youth wouldn’t feel the need to go to boy-town to feel free they could be free where they are, where the African American Gay male leadership is suppose to be already doing African American GBLT youth outreach.

Sincerely

Michael O’Connor

[Greg G]

Michael O'Connor: Concern trolling much?

That's quite a rant. Where does it say that this campaign is a "revenue enhancer" for the organization? And where is your suggestion or initiative to target violence among Black LGBT youth?

[Paul561]

LOVES THIS!!