February 1, 2023

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!

This month, LGBT Meeting Professionals Association is honoring Black History Month! During the entire month of February, LGBT MPA's Weekly Insider will provide articles all about Black History Month and highlighting Black LGBTQ+ History!

16 Queer Black Trailblazers Who Made History

"Lesbian drag king Stormé DeLarverie, trans activist Marsha P. Johnson and civil rights leader Bayard Rustin are among the Black LGBTQ pioneers who changed the course of history."



NBC Out | February 1, 2022

LGBT MPA at PCMA Convening Leaders 2023!

Last week, LGBT MPA had the pleasure of attending PCMA Convening Leaders in Columbus! LGBT MPA exhibited on the conference floor at PCMA CL and was able to share the mission and vision of LGBT MPA to the attendees!

We also held our newest education discussion, "Gender's Impact on the Business Events Industry". Speakers, Ashley T Brundage, Chase Brunson, Leslie Zeck, Claude Molinari and Fred Dixon, and Moderator, Glenn Stress, discussed and shared their experiences and insights into their professional experience.

Chase and Ashley also shared and discussed the current challenges and barriers that they and other members of the transgender community have personally faced when booking and attending events. Leslie provided insight on what protections and clauses you can work into planners' RFPs and contracts that protect gender-diverse attendees and Claude and Fred discussed what initiatives their destinations are enacting to provide a welcoming and safe place for gender attendees and shared strategies on what destinations can do to combat LGBTQ+ legislation within their own communities. If you missed this session, don't worry! We will be presenting it again at PCMA Power of Purpose at National Harbor in March!

Thanks to the amazing generosity of Experience Columbus, Meet AC, Meet England, and Visit St.Pete/Clearwater and their amazing teams, LGBT MPA also hosted a LGBT Meeting Professionals Networking Reception at the Lumin Skybar and Lounge at the AC Hotel Downtown Columbus! With live performances from local Columbus talent, Anisa Love, delicious food, and meaningful connections and opportunities, this event was a success! Thank you to all of our members who attended and connected with us! Catch some of the event on the Experience Columbus' recap of PCMA Convening Leaders!

Less Than 10% of 2022's Anti-LGBTQ State Bills Become Law, Report Finds

Moving Events Forward in the Face of Social and Economic Challenges

"PCMA convened a roundtable in the American Geophysical Union’s boardroom in Washington, D.C., for the leaders of several associations, DMOs, and convention centers to discuss the impact of travel boycotts and how to navigate social and political challenges."

PCMA Convene| January 13, 2023

The Secret to Giving Attendees a Complete Destination Experience

"If attendees are going to take on the challenges of traveling to your next event, they’re going to want to see more than the inside of the conference venue. Find out how the “one contract, one contact” model can simplify your planning process and help every member of your audience maximize their time on the ground."

Skift Meetings | January 26, 2023

A Capital Spring

In anticipation of spring celebrations in Washington, DC. we’re excited to share our guide to can’t miss events--from romantic dining experiences to cutting-edge theater performances and sweet hotel packages.

Celebrate Black History Month in Loudoun

History

There are many sites to visit throughout Loudoun that honor Black heritage. In September 2022 the historic Oak Grove community in eastern Loudoun, an area built and developed by African Americans in the late 19^th Century after they purchased their own land following emancipation, received the first commemorative sign of the new “Journey to Freedom Heritage Trails.” The trail is set to incorporate other Black Loudoun landmarks such as the Settle-Dean Cabin in Chantilly, ultimately creating a countywide trail connecting Loudoun’s Black history sites.

Another essential stop is the African American Burial Ground for the Enslaved at Belmont, the largest cemetery for enslaved people in Loudoun. Located off Route 7 east of Leesburg, the ground features a cleared pathway through the woods linking burial sites of formerly enslaved people at Belmont Plantation. The Loudoun Freedom Center preserves it as a historic site for visitors.

For other locations and monuments, check out our page here.  

February is Black History Month – a celebration of Black achievement and a time to recognize the central role African Americans have had in shaping U.S. history and culture. Here we highlight five ways to honor the occasion in Loudoun, from visiting public art pieces in downtown Leesburg to attending local events and supporting Black owned business.

Art

Several murals in downtown Leesburg depict the extraordinary contribution of African Americans to the county’s history. In January 2023, the “Journey to Freedom” mural on the wall of the Loudoun Museum was officially unveiled. Created by Black, Washington DC artist Shawn Perkins, the piece depicts Bazil Newman, a Black 19^tth Century Loudoun landowner and ferry business operator taking a young Black boy across the Potomac to freedom in Maryland on a moonlit night, Newman’s brother looking on. Revered Loudoun abolitionist Leonard Grimes observes from the riverbank. 



A short walk east of the museum, on the walls of the public garage on Lassiter Way, murals by local artist Kim P. Kim depict two beloved Black Leesburg business owners: Robinson’s Barbershop proprietor and US Marine Nelson “Mutt” Lassiter who passed away in 2020 aged 83, and Marie Medley-Howard, said to be the first African American woman to own a business in town – a beauty salon.

Events

The Thomas Balch Library: Hybrid Class to Highlight African American Genealogy

On February 2 at 10 a.m. join Steve Hammond, a 7^th generation member of the African American Syphax family of Washington, DC and Lori Kimball, a member of the Black History Committee of the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library as they host a two-hour virtual and in-person class on how to trace genealogy. Hammond and Kimball will use case studies and examples from their research and Hammond will share his efforts to make the field more relatable and relevant to the public at large.

Loudoun County Public Library: Nathan Leslie

On February 15 at 7 p.m. at the Loudoun County Public Library in Leesburg author and Northern Virginia Community College professor Nathan Leslie will present a survey of African American writers who have made an indelible impact on American life and culture.

Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum: Just Country Living

February 19 the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum in Sterling will unveil an exhibit of artifacts from the Nokes family, the prominent Black farming family who lent their name to Nokesville, an unincorporated hamlet populated by Black Loudoun residents during the Jim Crow era in what is today’s Sterling. The exhibit includes details of their ingenious manure spreader and stories of other Black farmers in eastern Loudoun. The exhibit runs until December 31.  

Black History Month Wine Pairing Dinner:  Market Salamander In honor of Black History Month, Market Salamander executive Chef Pete Smith presents the second annual Black History Month Wine Pairing Dinner at 7pm on February 24, 25 and 26. Chef Pete and Kindra Dionne of The Fifty Leven Collection collaborate on a locally-source menu – expect dishes like shrimp & grits, blackened lamb chop with collard greens, Southern fried chicken – paired with Fifty Leven wines. Cost is $155 per person. 

Black History Month Wine Pairing Dinner:  Market Salamander In honor of Black History Month, Market Salamander executive Chef Pete Smith presents the second annual Black History Month Wine Pairing Dinner at 7pm on February 24, 25 and 26. Chef Pete and Kindra Dionne of The Fifty Leven Collection collaborate on a locally-source menu – expect dishes like shrimp & grits, blackened lamb chop with collard greens, Southern fried chicken – paired with Fifty Leven wines. Cost is $155 per person. 

Navigating Slavery: The Goose Creek Meeting and Hopkins Family

On February 25 at 2 p.m. at the Goose Creek Meeting (18204 Lincoln Rd, Purcellville), the Black History Committee of the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library will co-sponsor a discussion on the prominent Hopkins family, Quakers from Maryland, who owned a large wholesale business in the area, interacted with enslavers in Loudoun and were represented by prominent Loudoun lawyer John Janney. Panelists include Gary Clemens, Clerk of the Circuit Court, and Sydney Van Morgan of the International Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University.



For other African American events during and after Black History Month visit here.

Support A Black-Owned Business

Aforementioned entrepreneurs Nelson “Mutt” Lassiter and Marie Medley-Howard paved the way for the many thriving Black-owned businesses we have in Loudoun today.

Where to shop? For stylish athletic footwear, former Secret Service agent Dana Green’s pint-sized Restocked Sneakers in Leesburg sells the latest athletic pumps from Adidas, Nike and beyond.

Over in Purcellville, Silas Redd’s upscale three-story thrift store Nostalgia Boutique sells vintage gems from around the country including a stunning line of 1950s frocks and decadent fur coats. 

Over in Purcellville, Silas Redd’s upscale three-story thrift store Nostalgia Boutique sells vintage gems from around the country including a stunning line of 1950s frocks and decadent fur coats. 

Stay, Eat, Drink

While Black female billionaire Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg needs no introduction, did you know that Jacksonville native and Market Salamander Executive Chef Roderick “Pete” Smith was the youngest African American chef to ever run a Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond restaurant in Florida? Now showcasing his talents in Loudoun, don’t miss his signature bread pudding, hot sauce and gourmet sandwiches at the downtown Middleburg favorite.

Have a sweet tooth? Jamaican born master baker Godfrey McKenzie and his wife Tatiana oversee the quirkily named Dolce & Ciabatta Bakery on Leesburg’s Catoctin Circle. Pick up everything from fresh baguettes and croissants to decadent sponge cakes at the sweet-smelling emporium.

As for wine fans, if you want to visit some of Loudoun’s 50-plus wineries, book a trip with Black entrepreneur Renee Ventrice’s Cork & Keg Tours – bespoke guided wine tours in a luxury Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Cork & Keg was listed as one of the Ten Best Wine Tour Companies in the US in the 2020 USA Today Readers’ Choice Awards.

After visiting Loudoun, check out the website of Loudoun’s first Black-owned wine label Fifty Leven, launched by Kindra Dionne, and purchase a bottle-or two- to share with friends.

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