Collections by Michelle Brown

Lupus is more pervasive and severe than people think, and has a devastating impact that the public doesn't realize. In fact, research shows that a staggering two-thirds of the public knows little or nothing about lupus. You can help change that. May is Lupus Awareness Month. Joining Collections by Michelle Brown is the founder of Lupus Detroit, Sharon Harris. Ms. Harris not only lives with Lupus but thrives and provides support an encouragement for others living with this chronic autoimmune disease, living with both systemic and discoid lupus, Harris founded Lupus Detroit to not only provide emotional support but to also assist Lupus Warriors with daily challenges including paying for medicine, rent and other financial expenses. Lupus Detroit is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a gala celebration on May 20, 2017. Despite suffering, two strokes in 2016, Sharon Harris continues to work to help others not just survive bit to thrive and celebrate their lives.

Roz Gould Keith is a marketing professional, an educator and an activist. She is an amazing friend, a life-long learner and  believer in community. But first and foremost, she is about family. She is a dedicated wife, mother, sister and aunt. As the mother of a transgender son, Roz has embraced the opportunity to be an ally and supporter of the LGBTQ community. Utilizing her 30+ year background in marketing and a fierce love for her son, Roz has gone above and beyond in serving transgender youth and their families.Gould Keith is the founder and board president of "Stand WIth Trans;" the creator of "Ally MOms;" co-fecilitator of a parent support group; planner of numerous community education events; and a speaker always ready and willing to share her knowledge and experience. As Roz and her son, along with the rest of their loving family and friends navigate this journey, they are dedicated to continuing to spread awareness and ultimately, gain acceptance regarding what it means to be trans.

Due to technical ifficulties we are rebroadcasting today's earlier broadcast with our special guest Harriet Hancock.

At 80 years young, Harriet Hancock, affectionately known as the mother of South Carolina Pride, is as passionate about standing for LGBTQ rights today as she was when her son came out to her in 1980. Mrs. Hancock is a retired attorney in Columbia, South Carolina. She is the proud mother of three. She started the Columbia, SC chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays) in 1982 - the first in the state. She is co-founder of Palmetto Aids Life Support ervices of SouthCarolina in 1985 and a co-founder of the South Carolina Gay & Lesbian Pride Movement (SCGLPM) in 1990. She was instrumental in acquiring the Harriet Hancock Center in 1994 and currently serves as vice president of the Harriet Hancock Center Foundation. The Harriet Hancock LGBT Center was originally founded by the Board of the South Carolina Gay & Lesbian Pride Movement (now known as the SC Pride Movement). It was purchased in 1994 and paid off 10 years later. As part of the anniversary celebration for the South Carolina Gay & Lesbian Pride Movement (SC Pride) a banquet was held on April 15, 2005. At that event, the Center was named in honor of longtime activist and co-founder of both SC Pride & the Center, Harriet Hancock. Located in the heart of Columbia, the Harriet Hancock LGBT Center is the hub of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activity in the Midlands of South Carolina.

Harriet Hancock is a 1984 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of South Carolina and received her law degree in 1988. She retired from the practice of law in 2013. She is the mother of two daughters and one son.

For three decades, this octogenarian has been a force for social and cultural change in South Carolina. She is a tireless advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in South Carolina and their families. LGBT people in the south have often faced an indifferent if not hostile climate. Harriet is a steadfast advocate and volunteer, working to change that climate.

Upon learning that her son was gay in 1980, she started the first chapter of Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays in South Carolina (PFLAG) in 1982. She is a co-founder of the Palmetto Aids Life Support Services of South Carolina (PALSS), the first grass roots organization in SC to provide services for those with HIV/AIDS and their families. She was instrumental in organizing the first pride march in SC in 1990. She was invited to a White House reception in June of 2011 where she met President Obama. In South Carolina she is commonly known as the "Mother of Pride". The South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement (SCGLPM) honored her in 2005 by naming the Harriet Hancock LGBT Center in Columbia in her honor.

Cheryl Gilliam has more than 35 years of professional experience in the medical and food industries working for companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Heinz USA, Sara Lee Bakery, Kraft Foods and currently, for “Tony the Tiger” at Kellogg’s in the Legal and Compliance department. She currently serves as Board Secretary on the West Michigan LGBT & Allies Chamber of Commerce and is a founding Board Member of the organization.    She also serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President for OutFront Kalamazoo and is a member of the Michigan State University Athletics Council and MSU Varsity S Club Board of Directors as immediate Past President. While at MSU, she won a total of 13 individual Big Ten Championships and also earned All American honors.  In 1980, she finished 7th in the 200m finals at U.S. Olympic Trials and competed in Europe as a member of the Muhammad Ali Track Club.In 2014, she was awarded the top award at W. K. Kellogg K Values Award for Kellogg North America for Diversity and Inclusion and in 2015 she was award the W. K. Kellogg Global Value Awards representing KNA.  She was also the recipient of the 2015 World Packaging Organization (WPO) WordStar Award for Packaging, presented in Milan, Italy.  In 2016, she and her team was awarded the William K. Kellogg K Values Award for Diversity and Inclusion for the #SpiritDay project.Ms. Gilliam champions senior and youth programs. She enjoys volunteering with youth anti bully programs and youth mentoring programs that help young people achieve their aspirations.

The 6th Annual Black Trans Advocacy Conference and Awards Gala will take place in Dallas, TX from April 24-30, 2017. 

 BTMI Founder and Director, Carter Brown, will be talking about the theme and conference activities on “Collections by Michelle Brown” on Thursday April 20th.

Co-convened by Black Transmen, Inc., Black Transwomen, Inc. and the Black Trans International Pageantry System organizations, the conference addresses key ssues faced by the black trans community as a result of discrimination including, but not limited to, inequities in income, education, employment, housing, health, legal justice and interfaith support. 

The theme for this year’s conference is L.O.T.U.S. “Loving Ourselves Through Ultimate Service.” All are welcome at BTAC. There is NO FEE FOR THE CONFERENCE however tickets must be purchased for the GALA. Visit www.blacktrans.org for all the details, to register for the conference and. get event tickets

“The Feminist Wire” called her a “Feminist we Love!  But the world knows J. Bob Alotta as the Executive Director at the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, a global foundation based in NYC that provides critical resources to LGBTQI organizations and individuals around the world. Bob is a lifelong activist and an accomplished filmmaker with a track record of leading exponential organizational growth and capacity building through visionary management and fundraising. She builds strong partnerships with diverse communities, grantee partners, donors, institutional funders, and corporate stakeholders. For two decades Bob has worked diligently to bring the margins to the center. She is a friend and comrade to many across the globe. She is also one of the many radical-feminist-queer individuals who walks the talk of intersectionality as an artist, activist, and philanthropist.  Alotta was one of 50 speakers in January, 2017 at the Women's March on Washington rally in Washington, D.C. In a nutshell she’s a globetrotting, LGBTQI, feminist, community building, filmmaking bad ass building community and leading a new wave of activist/philanthropist across the country and the world.

Natasha “T” Miller is a three-time Women of the World Poetry Slam finalist. She has been part of four national slam teams. In 2010, she starred in a national Sprite commercial, and started her publishing company “All I Wanna Say Publishing.” Since then, she has published two books: “Dreams of a Beginner,” and “Coming Out of Nowhere,” a social networking memoir about homosexuality, religion and cyber bullying. Natasha has been on three national tours, and performed at renowned venues all across the country. Natasha believes her purpose is to create change and peace like so many great leaders before her.

Miller is also the force behind The Artists Inn, a Bed & Breakfast, and farm to table restaurant, located in the east village neighborhood of Detroit, catering to community, and artists

T. Miller is also marketing, communications, ad personality for SHINOLA, a detroit based business commited to  building a modern and quintessentially American consumer products brand through the reintroduction of domestic manufacturing at a scale that can shape culture, create community, and deliver goods of the highest quality that are built to last.

March 31-April 2, 2017 Chicago’s Coalition for Justice & Respect will host the 5th Annaul Bolder Than Out Conference. The theme of this year’s conference is “No Regrets!” Joining Collections by Michelle Brown is the conference convener Marc Loveless.

Marc Loveless is an appointed Commissioner of the Cook County Commission of Social Innovation. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Chicago Social Enterprise Alliance (SEA) -- the national association of enterprising nonprofits and social-purpose businesses. Currently a Student of Social Enterprise at Roosevelt University and member of the grassroots leadership team that passed the Quality of Life Scratch-off Lottery Ticket. This act created in Illinois a new stream of funding for HIV/AIDS. This is the first of funding stream of its kind in the country.  He is the Founding Executive Director of the Coalition for Justice and Respect, a African-American Same Gender Loving Black Lesbian and Gay social justice and civil rights organization in Chicago. A Student of Social Enterprise at Roosevelt University, Marc is a recipient of the Trailblazer award from Father's Who Care and the Hope and Spirit Award from Chicago Department of Public Health.

Marc is the Principle Consultant of Loveless Consulting a social marketing firm specializing in public policy, civil rights and social justice. He was a founding member of Black Health Alert (BHA) -  a watchdog organization created to raise public and political awareness to advocate for social justice in Black Communities. He is the organizer of the Critical Caucus a coalition of Black LGBT Chicago organizations and has recently been selected as the Co-Chair of the Chicago Black LGBT Leadership Council.

Currently he is working on a book project on healthy living for Black Gay Same Gender Loving Men living in America.

Janice Fialka, LMSW, ACSW is a nationally-recognized lecturer, author, and advocate on issues related to disability, parent-professional partnerships, inclusion, raising a child with disabilities, sibling issues, and post-secondary education. She is the Special Projects Trainer with Michigan’s Early On® Training and Technical Assistance (Part C of IDEA). Janice is also a parent, poet, a compelling storyteller, and an award-winning advocate for families and persons with disabilities.

In 2009, Janice and her family were honored with the "Life Time Achievement Award" by Family Voices for their advocacy in disability. She was named Social Worker of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) – Michigan Chapter in 2007.

Janice conducts workshops for schools, human service organizations, and parent and advocacy groups. In her primary keynote address and trainings, The Dance of Partnership: Why do my feet hurt? Strengthening the Parent-Professional Partnership she reflects with sensitivity, humor, and compassion on the challenges and possibilities facing parents and professionals as they seek to build successful working relationships on behalf of children with disabilities. Janice speaks from both her unique vantage point as the mother of a child with an intellectual disability and as an experienced social worker of 40 years. Janice has an engaging ability to teach, empower, and stir hearts and minds.

She will be talking about her new book "What Matters:Reflections on Disability, Community & Love", her families journey in advocating for her son's rights in the disabilty community and the dance maintaining balance with family, advocacy and activism.