Boys in the Woods

Thanks to Gary English, Michael Robinson and the staff at POCC in Brooklyn, New York City’s top promoters were able to have a meeting of the minds to plan for a more exciting future for Black Gay New York. It was a warm May afternoon when Brooklyn bar owners Calvin (Langston’s) & William (The Chocolate Bar), celebrity bartender (Lloyd), The Hot Boyz (Rich & Raheem), Mike Haynes-Ebony & Dray Ebony, Derrick L. Briggs, Ken & Kevin (Langston’s), Rodney (First Fridays) and yours truly, loaded a bus and headed north for four days.

The bus pulled up in front of POCC about 15 minutes before our departure time. Everyone scattered for their last minute snacks, liquor and whatever else they needed for this retreat to Lake George, New York. After a four-hour drive we pulled in to The Sagamore, a beautiful resort tucked away in the mountains of Lake George. As we grabbed our things and disembarked from the bus, Sagamore staff greeted us and took our names and bags to our rooms. We then entered a historic white house were we picked up our card keys and paid for incidentals. Our appetites were satiated with fresh fish, chicken, salads (pasta & green), vegetables and yes… DESSERT!

My stomach was full so I headed back to my room to rest and allow my food to digest. Besides it was getting late and I wanted to be fresh for our first day of this empowerment seminar. The temperature had dropped significantly so it was a little brisk at night. I lucked out and ended up with a room to myself so I was able to let my hair down and walk around naked. I lounged across my bed and watched Heroes. Unbeknownst to me, my peers were all gathering at the bar having cocktails. I was later advised that I was being anti-social for missing the bonding session. I was drained from the bus ride and I really wanted to enjoy a good night’s rest in the comfortable king-sized bed.

I woke up bright and early because I wanted to dive right into what was in store. I took a hot, 20-minute shower, got dressed and headed to the conference center. It was chilly and a bit damp out but the scenery was breath taking. It was great getting out of the city. The air was fresh and I could hear sounds very nostalgic of my country upbringing in Augusta, Georgia. As I walked into the conference center I was greeted by the smell of fresh bacon, fresh baked pastries and coffee. The wait staff smiled and provided everything I needed. There was orange juice, cranberry juice and even tomato and pineapple juices! The spread was LAID OUT!

Evelyn, a very knowledgeable woman who stood about 5’5”, and weighed about 120 pounds, with locked hair and an infectious laugh, greeted us into the seminar. She was to be our fearless leader for the next few days. She was the one who created paradigms for us to cause shifts in. She was the one who made us sit face to face and have what was called “Straight Talk”. Under her leadership we were able to come together and set standards for how to create a better New York for the Black Gay Community.

On this day Fred Pierce and James Saunders, who drove up the night before, joined us. It’s amazing what a little communication can do to enhance relationships. Things were said and brought up that happened years ago and I had no idea that it was being held onto. However, through this work, we were able to put our differences aside to create common goals for our future. Some of our goals were to make New York City the #1 hot spot for Black Gay Entertainment and Night Life. We also want to lower the percentage rate for the spread of HIV with more outreach. We hope to expose the community to things that are culturally based so that it’s not just about “THE PARTY”. We as men have so much more to offer, we just don’t have the outlets and we don’t show up in large numbers to events where we can’t pick up a date.

The night before we were to head back to New York, we all gathered in Michael’s room for some libations and conversations. We ended up playing “dirty hearts”. If you have ever played this game, you know where it can end up depending on the players. For the most part I managed to escape some questions, however, I was caught twice with hearts. The game was fun; it showed that we all have that human side to us. I think what happens is that people take party promoters for granted, in that they think that’s all we do. Never mind the fact that we have to be present at the parties each week, we have to make sure that the word is out there about the party to assure a decent crowd and the list goes on. After that evening, I felt closer to my peers and ready to create a better tomorrow.

The next morning I woke up with a slight hangover, I swear three drinks do it every time! I wanted to be sure to have a full breakfast since my next meal wouldn’t happen until I got back into the city. These last few hours were crucial to complete the four days. We needed to walk away with a plan. How did we plan to execute our goals? The reason we were brought to this place. It was clear that once we all got back to the city, we would get wrapped up into our regular lives again. We each committed to doing our best to make a difference. Only time will tell what these powerful black men can and will accomplish so with that said…. IT’S ON! New York is on the RISE!