My HBCU Experenice

Our days in Atlanta came to a close and I left ATL with renewed sense of purpose and engery and drive. For me, it seems like when I feel really low I meet someone at stop that just lifts my spirits about all that we do.

Our fist day in Atlanta we went to Spelman college for a meet and greet with Afrakette and Safe Space, the Spelman and Morehouse LGBT student groups. It was refreshing to walk onto a campus and be welcomed with open arms. The students really wanted to know about us, our stories and and our journey thus far and beyond. We then went to dinner with some students. It was good to relax and just hang out. The next day we hit our first campus in Atlanta, Morehouse. Morehouse is an all men historically black college. Like Spelman, they do not have explicit polices that discriminate against LGBT students however both schools still have deep southern baptist roots as both were founded as seminaries for men and women. We were there to support the student groups on campus as well as aid them in working towards a better campus for all students.

When we got Morehouse we had breakfast with students, faculty and staff. We made introductions and and talked and shared our stories. We were then given a tour of the Morehouse campus. After our tour we set up a table on Kilgore Plaza and handed out flyer's for that nights event, an open Mic night at a local coffee house, and talked to students. After we were done hanging out on the plaza we headed to a meeting with the Chapel assistants on campus. I have never see a room so full. When he discussion started it was very intense. It was a good, intense though. Both groups you could tell we were trying and wanting to know where the other group was coming from. Someone described as an intellectual buffet, and I could not have agreed more. That evening we headed back campus and participated in a queer themed open Mic. Members from both student groups and even a few Equality Riders preformed. It was awesome.

We woke up the next morning and it was off to Spelman college to set up a table at their Friday Market. Students and staff came up to us and wanted to know who we were and what we were about. That afternoon we had a panel discussion around Gender and watched a student directed and produced film called “No Homo.” It was a documentary on what it's like to be LGBT at Morehouse and Spelman. It was really good and gave me a better understanding of what that experience is like. We then headed back to our hotel to get ready for our last event in Atlanta, a house party. A Morehouse student opened his home up to us the last night to give us some time off from the work we do, however the work that we do was the hot topic of the night. We really got the chance to connect with the students we had interacted with the past few days.
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